Strategy & Operations Associate at FIDERES in London

Job description

• We are looking for a Strategy & Operations Associate to join us at an exciting point in our growth. This is a new, London-based role reporting to our Business Manager and working directly with the Chief Operating Officer and the wider executive team.
• Fideres is scaling quickly, expanding internationally and diversifying how we win and deliver work. As we grow, we need dedicated capacity to run the business day to day and to think clearly about where it is going next. This role does both. You will take ownership of core operational, reporting and process-improvement work, and you will help the COO and Business Manager structure, pressure-test and move forward the strategic questions that shape the firm’s future.
• It is a genuinely broad, generalist role with real exposure to senior decision-making. Early on, the balance will lean towards operational delivery and reporting; as you build knowledge of the business and earn trust, the strategic element will grow. We are looking for someone comfortable moving between the two, and equally happy rolling up their sleeves on the administrative and coordination work that keeps a fast-growing firm running.

Responsibilities

• Working closely with the Business Manager and the COO, your responsibilities will span three connected workstreams: keeping the business running well, helping us think about where it goes next, and making sure things get done across both.
• Operations & Performance
• Performance reporting and dashboards: build and maintain management reporting and dashboards that track performance against targets across the business, turning data into a clear picture for the executive team.
• Operational delivery: take ownership of recurring operational and reporting cycles, freeing up the Business Manager and COO to focus on higher-value work.
• Process improvement: work with business unit heads and department heads to understand, document and improve their processes and systems, helping each function work more efficiently as we scale.
• Strategy & Planning
• Strategic analysis and planning: help the COO and executive team vet new business plans and ideas; structuring the thinking, building business cases and options analysis, and laying out clear plans that senior leadership can review, steer and progress.
• Board and partner materials: prepare clear, well-structured papers and analysis to support decision-making by the COO, executive team and founding partners.
• Research and market insight: carry out competitor, market and internal research to inform strategic and operational decisions.
• Delivery & Coordination
• Project management: coordinate and drive forward cross-functional strategic initiatives, keeping them moving between the demands of day-to-day business.
• General coordination and administration: provide hands-on support across a range of business activities as required. This is a growing firm and a broad role, and the successful candidate will be comfortable turning their hand to administrative and coordination tasks alongside the analytical work.

Requirements

• Experience: around 3-5 years of relevant experience, ideally including a period in management consulting or a comparable analytical, strategic or operational environment.
• Education: a strong academic background. An MBA is welcome but not essential; we are more interested in judgement, analytical ability and initiative than in any particular qualification.
• Analytical and structured thinking: the ability to take an ambiguous problem or a rough idea and structure it into a clear, well-reasoned plan that others can act on.
• Commercial and financial acumen: comfort working with financial and performance data, and a sound grasp of what drives business performance.
• Generalist versatility: a genuine willingness to move between strategic work and hands-on operational and administrative tasks, without needing everything to be one or the other.
• Interpersonal and communication skills: excellent written and verbal communication, and the ability to work effectively with colleagues at all levels, from analysts to founding partners.
• Attention to detail: strong attention to detail and a proactive, hands-on approach.
• Initiative and integrity: high integrity, a curious mindset, and the confidence to express opinions and propose solutions.
• Interest in our work: a genuine interest in addressing competition and financial markets wrongdoing.
• Language skills: proficiency in European languages is advantageous but not essential.

Skills

Required

• Analytical and structured thinking
• Commercial and financial acumen
• Generalist versatility
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Initiative and integrity
• Interest in our work

Preferred

• Proficiency in European languages

Benefits

• You will get to work in a highly innovative environment where training and development is put at the top of the agenda to ensure that our staff are at the leading edge of their academic knowledge, and where rapid career progression is available to proactive employees who reach out for opportunities.
• We offer competitive salaries and bonuses, and competitive benefits.
• We are proud of our values and our diverse and international workforce, and we are committed to building a working environment where employees feel safe, welcome and able to have an open and respectful dialogue on diversity issues.
• Our Benefits
• Transparent Pay
• We have a transparent and internally published pay structure by role, we do this as part of an equal pay initiative across our offices.
• Continuous Learning
• We offer all our employees a learning and development budget to spend flexibly on role relevant training needs. Support for further professional qualifications, apprenticeships and further education is also available. There is no risk of being pigeon-holed at Fideres as our employees are able to reach for opportunities as they see them without being restricted by corporate bureaucracy.
• Benefits
• We offer all normal standard benefits such as a competitive holiday allowance with the opportunity to purchase 10 days additional holiday, monthly social events, private medical insurance, a gym subsidy, equal family leave for all employees, along with other benefits.