Head of Business Operations

Job Description

Astroscale UK is seeking to recruit a Head of Business Operations to join our evolving company in a newly created role.

As the primary operational support to the Deputy Managing Director, you will bring structure, pace and clarity to the way Business Operations works. This new role has been created to establish a more strategic Business Operations function: one that acts as a business enabler, supports effective decision-making and removes operational friction, rather than becoming a functional blocker as the company prepares for expected growth. It will suit someone who can translate business priorities into practical operating rhythms, improve processes, unblock delivery, and build repeatable ways of working that support a growing, fast-moving organisation. The role will initially have one direct report, the Integrated Business and Resource Planning Analyst.

Responsibilities

•     Act as a senior operational partner to the Deputy Managing Director, helping to build Business Operations as a strategic, business-enabling function that turns priorities into clear plans, actions, owners and delivery rhythms.
•     Establish practical operating frameworks that clarify decision rights, ownership, escalation routes and handovers, so teams can move at pace without unnecessary ambiguity.
•     Identify operational friction, duplication and bottlenecks, then work with functional owners to simplify, standardise and improve how work gets done.
•     Translate business strategy into operational plans by anticipating future requirements, identifying constraints early, and driving cross-functional action to remove blockers.
  
•     Lead operational improvement workstreams that improve traceability, reduce manual effort, strengthen evidence capture and make Business Operations easier to run and scale.
  
•     Provide day-to-day leadership, direction and support to the Integrated Business and Resource Planning Analyst, ensuring their work is aligned to business priorities and contributes to clearer planning, resourcing and operational decision-making.

    Work with IT, Legal, HR, Finance, Site Operations and other process owners to improve systems, workflows and information flow across the business, including effective use of ERP systems such as SAP where these underpin purchasing, finance, inventory, project controls or operational reporting.

    Support adoption of improved ways of working through clear communication, practical guidance and coordination of briefings or training where needed.

    Bring a continuous improvement mindset, balancing pace, pragmatism and appropriate control without over-engineering processes.

    Coordinate Business Operations inputs to relevant audits, assurance activities, management systems and certifications, working with functional owners to provide timely evidence and closure of actions.

    Maintain proportionate governance tools such as action trackers, compliance calendars, evidence packs, version control and decision records where these support effective operations.

    Reduce single points of failure by embedding knowledge, guidance and operating expectations into accessible systems, documentation and playbooks.

    Build practical handover and continuity arrangements across Business Operations so work is not overly dependent on individual relationships or informal knowledge.

    Provide trusted operational support to the Deputy Managing Director, helping to prioritise work, prepare for key decisions, follow through on actions and keep cross-functional activity moving.

Essential Skills

• Experience in business operations, operational management, programme operations, process improvement or a similar cross-functional delivery role within an engineering, manufacturing, technology, aerospace or complex regulated environment.
• Proven ability to translate business priorities into practical plans, operating rhythms, actions and delivery mechanisms.
• Strong process improvement capability, with experience simplifying workflows, clarifying ownership, reducing duplication and building repeatable ways of working.

Confident working as a senior partner to executive leadership, providing clear options, concise updates, practical recommendations and follow-through.

Strong stakeholder skills and the ability to influence across functions without relying solely on formal authority.

Pragmatic, delivery-focused mindset with good judgement about when structure is needed and when it risks slowing the business down.

Experience supporting governance, audit, assurance or compliance activities in a proportionate and business-enabling way.

Experience leading change management activity that supports adoption of new operating rhythms, processes or systems, including clear communication, stakeholder engagement and practical transition planning.

Ability to bring people with you through change by explaining the purpose, benefits and impact of improvements, listening to feedback and helping teams embed new ways of working.

Desirable skills

• Experience improving operational systems, workflows or digital tools in partnership with IT or process owners, including ERP systems such as SAP.
• Exposure to health and safety, quality, security, export compliance or ISO management systems.
• Experience working in a scaling organisation where processes are still maturing and need to be made clearer, simpler and more repeatable.

Benefits  

• Competitive base salary  
• Opportunity to work with a highly talented, diverse & dynamic international team with cutting edge technology  
• Flexible working around core hours in a friendly and supportive environment   
• Optional 9/75 working pattern  
• Hybrid working available (dependent on individual role requirements)  
• 25 days holiday (increasing yearly up to a maximum of 28 days) + 8 days Bank Holiday  
• Life insurance and long-term sick pay  
• Private healthcare (taxable benefit)  

Relocation allowance considered  

State of the art office and cleanroom facility  

Regular social events   

Location  

Astroscale UK (Harwell).  

About Astroscale  

Astroscale is the global leader in on-orbit servicing, dedicated to the secure and sustainable development of space. The company delivers a variety of innovative and scalable on-orbit servicing solutions, including life extension, refurbishment, upgrades, in-situ space situational awareness, end-of-life, and active debris removal. Since its first successful launch in March 2021, Astroscale has proven rendezvous and proximity operations technologies in orbit during the ELSA-d and ADRAS-J missions. Astroscale spacecraft have been selected for pioneering missions with JAXA, the U.S. Space Force, the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency, and Eutelsat. As more satellite operators adopt on-orbit servicing to routinely inspect, relocate, remove, and extend the life of spacecraft, the potential of a circular space economy — and a future of no waste in space — is being unlocked. Headquartered in Japan, Astroscale has a global presence with subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Israel. Find out more about Astroscale at www.astroscale.com.

At Astroscale we pride ourselves on our inclusive culture. Our essential criteria are based solely on the requirements necessary to perform the role. If any criteria could present a barrier, we are open to discussing reasonable adjustments and are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. Astrsocale is also open to supporting job share arrangements, to further our flexible working offering.   

Note to recruitment agencies: Astroscale operates a preferred Supplier List, and we do not accept unsolicited agency approaches. Please do not forward candidate CVs or details in response to this advert, or to any Astroscale employee.