We are recruiting for a highly organised, commercially minded Chief of Staff to work directly alongside a fast-moving entrepreneur and founder. This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, enjoys solving problems, and can operate as a true right-hand partner across business and personal priorities.
You will help drive execution across the business, manage strategic projects, improve operational efficiency and ensure the founder’s time is focused on the highest-value opportunities. No two days will look the same. This role requires adaptability, discretion and strong judgement.
Chief of Staff
Location: Manchester (office-based, 5 days per week)
Salary: Up to £70,000
Reporting to: Founder & CEO
Key Responsibilities
- Act as a trusted strategic partner to the Founder & CEO.
- Extensive People Management, ensuring all staff are hitting all compliance requirements.
- Taking full control of projects from conception to delivery.
- Systems analysis.
- Operations and Strategy based projects.
- Manage and prioritise the founder’s schedule, meetings and key initiatives.
- Drive execution on high-priority projects across operations, growth, hiring, partnerships and finance.
- Prepare briefing documents, reports, presentations and action plans.
- Attend meetings on behalf of the founder and ensure follow-through on actions.
- Improve internal processes and operational efficiency across the business.
- Coordinate with senior stakeholders, external partners and advisors.
- Support recruitment, culture initiatives and internal communications.
- Handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
- Solve problems proactively and remove bottlenecks before they escalate.
What We’re Looking For
- Previous experience in a Chief of Staff, Operations, Strategy, Executive Assistant, Consulting, or Founder’s Associate role.
- Exceptional organisational and communication skills.
- Strong commercial awareness and problem-solving ability.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Highly proactive with a “get things done” mindset.
- Comfortable working directly with an entrepreneur and adapting to changing priorities.
- Strong attention to detail and high levels of discretion.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience within startups, high-growth businesses, or entrepreneurial environments is desirable.
The Person
- Calm under pressure.
- Ambitious and career-driven.
- Naturally resourceful and solutions-focused.
- High emotional intelligence.
- Comfortable challenging ideas and bringing independent thinking.
- Positive, resilient and adaptable.
Lily Shippen is a leading Chief of Staff recruitment agency, specialising in executive support and business support recruitment. We connect top talent with exceptional opportunities across the UK and internationally. Our expertise spans Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, Office Manager, Chief of Staff, and HR recruitment, offering tailored solutions for businesses across various industries.
We recruit for permanent, temporary, and fixed-term contract roles across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Cheshire, and beyond. Whether you’re seeking a new opportunity or looking to hire top talent, we’re here to help. If you’re an experienced Executive Assistant looking for a new challenge in a strategic, data-driven role, we would love to hear from you.
Application
