Head of Operations

Role summary

Motion Ventures is building a compounding, product-led institutional investment platform
. We are hiring a senior Head of Operations to design and run the firm’s operating system: cadence, execution rhythm, decision hygiene, and cross-functional integration—enabling consistently high-quality investing and founder outcomes at scale.

• Reports to:
  
  Founder and General Partner (Shaun)
• Partnership model:
  Founder owns institutional direction, standards, and reputation-setting decisions. The Head of Operations owns the operating system and day-to-day execution.

• Clear ownership and decision rights
• Predictable cadence and execution throughput
• Decision-ready artefacts (not meeting-driven work)
• High trust and governance-by-design
• Minimal overhead and maximal clarity

• Operating cadence and visibility

Outcomes – Implement and run a firm-wide cadence (weekly/monthly/quarterly) that reliably produces decisions and ships.

Signals – Owners acknowledge within 12 hours; status signals within 48 hours become normal. A single priority slate exists and is used (what we will and won’t do).

Outcomes – Decision-ready artefacts become the default (clarity, options, trade-offs, reversibility). Decisions are logged and followed through without chasing.

Signals – Key decisions can be reconstructed from the decision log (who/what/why). Re-litigation reduces; fewer last-minute escalations.

Outcomes – Standardise handoffs across: sourcing/signal → underwriting → portfolio support → mobilisation → insights/distribution. Introduce simple templates and “done means…” acceptance criteria at boundaries.

Signals – Less thrash and fewer dropped balls doffs increasingly happen via templates, not ad hoc pings.

Outcomes – Embed practical controls for confidentiality, fairness, disclosure and conflicts into day-to-day flows. Ensure sensitive comms and external-facing materials follow agreed pre-flight checks where required.

We are looking for someone who has done it before
—built and run a horizontal operating cadence and accountability system in a fast-moving, high-judgement environment.

You have previously:

• Implemented and operated a high-discipline cadence that senior stakeholders actually follow.
• Embedded decision hygiene: clear ownership, decision-ready artefacts, documented decisions and follow-through.
• Designed clean interfaces between functions so execution is repeatable (clear inputs/outputs; minimal ambiguity).
• Raised standards without bureaucracy: speed with rigour, not process theatre.

• Operating system design and execution
• Implement and run the firm-wide cadence (weekly/monthly/quarterly rhythms)
• Establish practical operating mechanisms:
  • work intake and prioritisation
  • escalation and decision routing
  • decision logging and follow-through
  • templates and acceptance criteria for recurring work
• Create lightweight visibility mechanisms (status signal, priority slate, decision log) that reduce noise and increase throughput
• Cross-functional integration
  • Ensure clean handoffs across core activities: sourcing/signal → underwriting → portfolio support → mobilisation → insights/distribution
  • Standardise the artefacts at handoff points (templates, acceptance criteria, service levels)
• Governance-by-design (in partnership with Finance/Compliance)
  • Embed appropriate controls for confidentiality, fairness, disclosure and conflicts into day-to-day flows
  • Ensure external-facing materials and communications follow agreed pre-flight checks where required
• Performance cadence and “People Ops Lite” (no HR bloat)
• Own work allocation and performance cadence for internal execution teams (including analysts)
• Build structured hiring and onboarding loops: scorecards, interview processes, and role expectations
• Keep it lightweight: high standards without unnecessary process

The Head of Operations is expected to have real operating authority to:

• Set execution rhythms and enforce standards of clarity and delivery.
• Own prioritisation mechanics (what is in/out; sequencing), including stopping work that does not fit current priorities.
• Implement operating artefacts and ensure consistent adoption.
• Allocate internal execution capacity day-to-day (including analysts), aligned to priority work.

• Investment decisions and underwriting quality remain with the Investment Director.
• External insight/editorial quality remains with the Insights/Marketing owner.
• Confidentiality, fairness, disclosure, and conflicts are gated with Finance/Compliance.

Experience (non-negotiable)

• Senior operator who has built and run operating cadence, accountability systems, and cross-functional execution