Lead Operating Partner

• Location: GCC (relocation or a significant presence in the GCC will be required)

• Sector: Investment / Portfolio Value Creation

• Job Type: Permanent

• Remuneration: Highly competitive executive package including carry participation

• Status: Strictly confidential

The Opportunity

The Consultancy Group has been exclusively retained by a leading investment organisation to appoint a Lead Operating Partner within its portfolio value creation function.

This is a senior leadership position for an accomplished industry operator with a demonstrable record of transforming complex businesses, accelerating growth and delivering measurable improvements in profitability and enterprise value.

Working across a diverse portfolio of operating businesses, the successful candidate will help lead and coordinate a high-calibre Operating Partner team. The role will establish clear asset-level priorities, strengthen accountability and ensure that value creation plans translate into tangible operational and financial results.

This is not a traditional consulting or advisory appointment. The position requires someone who has personally held significant responsibility for business performance, led large multidisciplinary organisations and delivered change from within an operating environment.

The Role

The Deputy Head of Operating Partners will work closely with investment teams, Operating Partners, portfolio company boards and executive leadership teams to identify, prioritise and deliver value creation opportunities. Key responsibilities will include:

• Helping to lead, coordinate and develop the organisation's Operating Partner capability.

• Establishing a consistent and ambitious asset-level value creation agenda across the portfolio.

• Assessing portfolio company performance and identifying value leakage, operational constraints and growth opportunities.

• Defining, sizing and sequencing value creation initiatives based on potential impact, urgency and deliverability.

• Supporting the development of practical, measurable transformation and turnaround plans.

• Working directly with portfolio company CEOs and leadership teams to accelerate execution.

• Challenging management teams constructively on ambition, strategic priorities, organisational capability and delivery.

• Establishing clear performance indicators, governance processes and accountability for results.

• Mobilising the appropriate commercial, operational, financial and functional expertise around each asset.

• Supporting underperforming or strategically important businesses through periods of significant change.

• Ensuring that transformation programmes deliver measurable EBITDA, cash flow and enterprise-value improvement.

• Building repeatable value creation methodologies, tools and operating disciplines across the portfolio.

• Identifying where leadership, organisational structure or capability must change to support the value creation plan.

• Providing informed input into asset reviews, business plans and investment decisions.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will be a highly experienced operating executive with a substantial record of leading businesses through transformation, growth or turnaround. Relevant backgrounds may include:

• A former CEO, COO or senior divisional leader from a large and operationally complex organisation.

• An experienced private equity Operating Partner with significant hands-on asset-level delivery experience.

• A senior commercial or operational executive who has held direct responsibility for business performance and large-scale transformation.

• An industry leader who has subsequently moved into portfolio operations or investment-led value creation.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate:

• Approximately 20 years or more of progressive leadership experience.

• Significant experience in senior operating roles.

• Direct accountability for a substantial business, division or asset-level P&L.

• Leadership of large, multidisciplinary businesses or organisations, ideally comprising more than 200 employees.

• A record of delivering measurable improvements in revenue, EBITDA, cash generation or enterprise value.

• Successful leadership of complex transformations, turnarounds or performance improvement programmes.

• The ability to diagnose business performance and identify the root causes of underperformance.

• Strong commercial, operational and financial judgement.

• Experience translating strategic priorities into clearly defined and executable initiatives.

• The credibility to challenge and support CEOs, boards and senior management teams.

• Evidence of making difficult decisions and remaining accountable for the resulting outcomes.

• The ability to operate effectively across multiple assets, sectors and stakeholder groups.

• Experience establishing strong governance and maintaining delivery momentum.

• The interpersonal range to move between board-level discussions and detailed operational execution.

Sector Experience

The organisation is interested in candidates with deep operating experience in one or more complex, asset-intensive or service-led sectors. Relevant sectors could include:

• Industrial and manufacturing businesses.

• Transportation and logistics.

• Food and agriculture.

• Distribution and business services.

• Infrastructure-related services.

• Other operationally intensive industries.

Exceptional candidates from adjacent sectors will also be considered where the record of operational leadership, transformation and value delivery is compelling.

Geographic Experience

Previous experience in the GCC would be advantageous, together with a strong record of operating across international markets.

The successful candidate must be comfortable working in a geographically diverse environment and influencing leadership teams across different markets, sectors and organisational cultures. Relocation or a significant presence in the GCC will be required.

Leadership Style

The successful candidate will combine strategic judgement with a decisive, hands-on approach to execution. The organisation is seeking someone who:

• Operates with pace, discipline and a clear focus on results.

• Can create alignment across investment and portfolio leadership teams.

• Raises ambition while remaining commercially realistic.

• Builds credibility quickly with experienced CEOs and executives.

• Is comfortable challenging existing assumptions and ways of working.

• Distinguishes between activity and genuine value delivery.

• Creates accountability without taking unnecessary ownership away from management teams.

• Can operate effectively in complex and sometimes ambiguous situations.

• Brings an institutional mindset and can strengthen the wider Operating Partner model.

• Demonstrates sound judgement, discretion and cultural awareness.

Essential Requirements

Applications should clearly demonstrate:

• Direct operating leadership rather than exclusively advisory experience.

• Meaningful P&L or business-performance accountability.

• Leadership of a sizeable, multidisciplinary organisation.

• Quantifiable transformation or turnaround outcomes.

• Direct engagement with CEOs, boards, shareholders or investment committees.

• Experience delivering results through management teams.

• International leadership experience.