Join Our Team!

We are looking for a Business Operations Support Manager who can combine essential day-to-day operational support with hands-on project and finance coordination to keep our work running smoothly. This is a flexible role for 0.6-1.0FTE. As the dedicated operational support in our growing team, you’ll be the go-to person for everything from managing policies and inboxes, to scheduling project milestones, supporting accounts preparation, and keeping delivery on track. 

Living Places is a not-for-profit consultancy whose sole purpose is to accelerate the net zero transition in a way that supports communities, places, and planet. Our mission is to establish repeatable and hugely scalable models for the delivery of fully funded and just local net zero transitions.

We started in July 2023 and are building a multi-disciplinary team with expertise across neighbourhood transition and climate resilience investment, including finance, energy systems, buildings and materials, housing, participation and engagement, governance, policy, and programme design and delivery.

We are building out a comprehensive programme of place-based Net Zero transition with a focus on domestic retrofit, and we are establishing cross-sector collaborations to design and deliver demonstrators. Our work includes developing finance and delivery mechanisms, blending public and private funding, and exploring cooperative and community benefit structures and asset ownership models in the context of project development and delivery.

We have live projects with Bristol City Council, London Councils, West Midlands Combined Authority, Glasgow City Council and the London Borough of Newham among others.

Your role will combine standard business support duties (keeping company policies up to date, managing the main email inbox, liaising with suppliers, ensuring compliance) with active support for project delivery, finance, and bids (scheduling milestones, coordinating budgets, collating reports for funders, supporting tender submissions, and keeping timelines on track).

You will work closely with the Partners — particularly the Partner responsible for operations — to ensure that company goals are met, projects run smoothly, and the team can focus on delivering high-impact work.

The ideal candidate will be a proactive problem solver with exceptional communication skills, meticulous attention to detail, and the confidence to work independently as the only dedicated operational support in the business.

• Company policies, processes, and operational documents are always current and easy for the team to access
• The main inbox is monitored and actioned promptly, with clear routing of queries to the right person
• Project milestones, budgets, and key deadlines are visible in team calendars, with review time booked well in advance
• Partners and project leads have the logistical, financial, and scheduling support they need to focus on delivery
• Funders and clients receive accurate, timely reports, with assurance requirements met
• Bid deadlines are met, with submissions professionally prepared and coordinated
• Operational tasks are handled proactively before they become urgent issues
• The team experiences smooth internal communication and knows where to find information
• You spot opportunities to improve processes and take the initiative to implement them

• Support the LP team to ensure that company goals and objectives are accomplished and operations run efficiently
• Maintain and refine internal processes companywide, ensuring compliance with policies and external requirements
• Support project delivery through scheduling, milestone tracking, and coordination
• Provide finance support, including accounts preparation, budget tracking, and project reporting
• Support bid preparation and tender submissions, ensuring deadlines and compliance are met
• Plan and orchestrate work so that priorities are met, organisational goals are achieved, and best practices are upheld

Operational Support

• Keep company policies, procedures, and operational documents up to date
• Monitor and manage the organisation’s main email inbox, responding to or directing queries appropriately
• Liaise with suppliers, e.g., IT services, and manage small operational contracts
• Maintain professional records, databases, and filing systems
• Support onboarding of new staff and contractors

Finance & Funders Support

• Support accounts preparation and liaise with accountants/bookkeepers as required
• Track project budgets and expenditures, flagging variances
• Prepare financial and project reports for funders and clients, ensuring compliance with requirements
• Support the preparation of assurance reports and related documentation

Project Delivery Support

• Schedule project milestones, review points, and deadlines in team calendars
• Coordinate diaries for workshops, client meetings, and internal reviews
• Track project timelines and flag risks to delivery schedules
• Prepare and format project documents, ensuring version control

Bid Support

• Coordinate bid submissions, ensuring inputs are collated on time
• Support the preparation of tender documents, proposals, and presentations
• Maintain records of bids and ensure compliance with public tender processes

General

• Manage team travel logistics and related arrangements
• Organise team communications and internal/external events
• Maintain confidentiality in all matters

• Four or more years in an administrative support, project coordination, operations, or finance support role, ideally in a consultancy or similar fast-paced environment
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency with MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams) and confidence learning new tools
• Comfortable working remotely and managing your own workload with minimal supervision
• Flexible and adaptable, unafraid to take on new challenges
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of company and employee information

• Experience supporting accounts preparation, budgeting, or financial reporting
• Experience with bid/tender coordination, ideally public tenders
• Experience reporting to funders (financial and project reporting, assurance reports)
• Consultancy project management experience
• Experience developing internal processes and filing systems
• Familiarity with project management tools or scheduling software

As a small company consisting of five partners, we operate a flat structure — you’ll be an integral part of the team and will often work across a range of tasks beyond your formal role.

You should be ready to learn continuously, bring your insight and experience to bear, and be comfortable working on things that may sometimes feel above your pay grade and other times below. We work laterally rather than hierarchically, so taking initiative and ownership is key.

We all work remotely and get together in person once or twice a quarter for co-working and project deep dives. The core team is spread across London, Bristol, and Scotland, and we’re keen to have more parts of the country represented.

Our normal working week is 40 hours, but we welcome flexible working outside core hours and are very happy to consider part-time applicants — particularly those balancing caring responsibilities. We ask for a minimum of 24 hours per week across at least four days. We will work with you to find a pattern that fits your life.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. If you meet most but not all of the criteria, we still encourage you to apply.

• A salary of between £40k and £50k (depending on experience)
• 28 days holiday per year plus public holidays
• Flexible working outside core hours (with genuine openness to part-time arrangements) 
• A company pension scheme with an employer contribution of up to 8%
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (partner and children)

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis until 3 October 2025 – please send a CV of no more than two pages and cover letter of no more than one page by this deadline to info@livingplaces.earth.

Online interviews of shortlisted candidates will take place with two of the partners at Living Places.

You can expect the online interview to last no more than one hour and we will ask you to talk through your relevant experience in relation to the role as set out above. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions of the partners.

If you have any queries about the role, please send them to info@livingplaces.earth and we will endeavour to respond within five working days.

We’re excited to welcome someone who shares our commitment to a just Net Zero transition and is ready to help shape the future of neighbourhood-scale investment in the UK and beyond.