Head of Operations

Role Overview

Bruin is hiring a seasoned Head of Operations in Dublin, Ireland to oversee the internal operations of a regulated financial services business working within a stringent European regulatory environment. This is a senior executive leadership position and is subject to regulatory approval.

The successful candidate will take broad ownership of the firm’s operating environment, ensuring that internal processes, outsourced services, and resilience arrangements are designed, monitored, and improved in a way that supports regulatory, governance, risk, and conduct obligations. The role also carries significant accountability under applicable individual accountability and senior executive frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and entity leadership

• Help shape and deliver the organisation’s operational agenda so it aligns with wider business goals.
• Provide senior operational direction for the legal entity, keeping priorities aligned with governance and regulatory expectations.
• Take part in governance forums, committees, and executive decision-making discussions.
• Keep senior leadership and governing bodies updated on significant operational risks and issues.

Operational management

• Direct all internal operational activity across the business.
• Make sure operational processes remain controlled, effective, and consistent with internal and regulatory standards.
• Push improvements that raise efficiency and operational performance across the organisation.
• Maintain clear ownership, sound governance, and proper segregation of duties across functions.

Risk, controls, and governance

• Maintain a robust operational risk and controls framework.
• Ensure risks are identified, evaluated, tracked, escalated, and reduced appropriately.
• Own the creation and rollout of operational policies, procedures, and controls.
• Provide management reporting that accurately reflects performance and key risk indicators.

Regulatory accountability and conduct

• Ensure suitable action is taken when customer harm or detriment is detected.
• Support fair customer outcomes and high conduct standards across operations.
• Help maintain compliance with relevant regulatory obligations and supervisory expectations.

Outsourcing and third-party governance

• Oversee outsourced and intra-group service arrangements.
• Confirm that third-party providers meet agreed service levels, control requirements, and resilience expectations.
• Track outsourcing issues and ensure they are escalated and resolved in a timely manner.

Operational resilience and recovery

• Keep oversight of business continuity, disaster recovery, and operational resilience structures.
• Support recovery and resolution planning, including readiness for disruption scenarios.
• Ensure critical processes and data remain dependable and available under stress.

Leadership, culture, and stakeholder engagement

• Lead and develop operational teams, including senior managers.
• Foster a culture that is high-performing, accountable, and inclusive.
• Strengthen talent development, succession planning, and capability building.
• Promote ethical behaviour and regulatory awareness throughout the team.
• Serve as a senior contact for executive leadership and control functions.
• Work with business leaders to improve service quality and operational effectiveness.
• Ensure operational considerations are built into strategic and commercial decisions.

Regulatory Accountability

This position is intended to function as a Senior Executive Function equivalent role and will require regulatory approval. The role includes accountability for internal operations, customer detriment escalation and remediation, recovery and resolution readiness, and oversight of outsourcing and third-party governance. The appointee must meet the applicable standards of fitness, probity, and individual accountability under the relevant regulatory regime.

Experience and Leadership Profile

• Extensive senior leadership experience in operations within regulated financial services.
• Strong knowledge of operational risk, governance, and internal control frameworks.
• Experience working in regulated legal entity structures in financial services.
• Solid understanding of outsourcing governance, operational resilience, and business continuity.
• Familiarity with European regulatory expectations relevant to investment or financial services firms.
• Demonstrated ability to manage large, complex operational teams and drive change in controlled environments.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with exposure to executive-level engagement.
• Clear judgement, strong escalation ability, and sound decision-making.
• Strategic mindset with strong operational delivery.
• Comfort operating in a highly regulated, complex environment.
• High attention to governance, risk, and control discipline.
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills at senior level.
• Strong sense of accountability, integrity, and regulatory awareness.

What the Role Offers

• A senior leadership position with substantial operational and regulatory responsibility.
• The chance to shape and strengthen a regulated operating model.
• Exposure to complex financial services operations in an international setting.
• A culture focused on governance, accountability, and strong controls.

Additional Information

Location: Dublin, Ireland. Reporting line: Chief Executive Officer. Role type: Senior Executive Leadership, subject to regulatory approval.