Operations Manager - The 48 Group

London | Full Time, Office Based | Bilingual English and Mandarin Required

(No sponsored visas)

About The 48 Group

The 48 Group is a business organisation dedicated to building strong commercial ties between the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China. It is the first organisation ever established between the UK and China, and remains the longest standing business platform of its kind. Founded over seventy years ago by a group of British “Icebreakers” who created the first commercial bridge with modern China, The 48 Group today connects senior UK and Chinese business leaders across trade, finance, industry, science, and culture.

The Role

The 48 Group is hiring an Operations Manager to take full ownership of day to day management and to drive the next phase of growth. This is a build role, not a maintain role. The successful candidate will step into the organisation and design the operating model from the ground up, putting in place the structure, planning, and follow through that will run the business going forward.

This is a hands on, highly administrative, highly organisational role. It is the operational engine of The 48 Group.

The right person is exceptionally organised. They run a tight ship, plan in detail, track everything against KPIs, and never let a deadline slip. They naturally chase things to completion, follow up without being asked, and turn intent into action. They are proactive, forward thinking, and energised by structure, planning, and forward development.

This role is not for someone who waits to be told what to do. The 48 Group needs a self starter who builds order, sets the plan, picks up the phone, talks to businesses, and finishes what they start.

What You’ll OwnDay to Day Management

• Full administrative function, including diary, correspondence, document control, and office management.

• Daily, weekly, and monthly operating rhythm. Set the plan, hold every workstream to it, and chase items to completion.

• Own the operational calendar end to end and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Planning, KPIs, and Development

• Build the operational backbone of the organisation: process maps, KPIs, internal reporting, quarterly plans, and an annual development plan.

• Define and track measurable KPIs across every function, including events, membership, social, website, and finance.

• Build playbooks for every recurring activity so the organisation runs the same way every time.

• Run a monthly operations review with senior management and report against plan.

Growth and Expansion

• Build a measurable twelve month growth plan for membership, events, sponsorship, and reach.

• Identify new commercial opportunities and convert them into structured initiatives.

• Track progress weekly and adjust the plan to hit targets.

Events and Programmes

• End to end delivery of all 48 Group events, including the Icebreaker Annual Dinner, executive roundtables, business briefings, delegations, and member forums.

• Inbound and outbound business delegations between the UK and China, including programme design, translation, and travel logistics.

• Post event review on every event, with lessons fed into the next cycle.

Membership and Business Engagement

• Run the full membership cycle: onboarding, engagement, renewals, communications, and CRM.

• Reach out to companies proactively. Build long term business relationships and grow the member base against target.

Communications, Website, and Social Media

• Own the 48 Group website. Keep it live, accurate, and on brand.

• Run all social channels in English and Mandarin across UK and Chinese platforms. Plan, publish, and report on engagement.

• Manage the content calendar across website, social, and member newsletters.

Finance and Suppliers

• Operational budget, supplier contracts, and event P and L.

• Member billing, sponsorships, and reconciliation in coordination with Group Finance.

About You

Essential

• Fully bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese, written and spoken to a professional standard.

• Five years or more in operations, office management, chief of staff, programme management, or senior events roles.

• Exceptionally organised. Lives in plans, KPIs, trackers, and checklists, and genuinely enjoys it.

• A natural builder. Has taken a function from informal to fully structured, measured, and forward planned.

• Proactive thinker who anticipates what needs to happen next, follows up without prompting, and chases items to completion.

• Hard working and energised by detail, high standards, and getting things done.

• Confident communicator, comfortable picking up the phone and representing the organisation in front of senior business audiences.

• Proven track record running large scale events to a flawless standard.

Desirable

• Experience inside a business membership organisation, chamber, or trade body.

• Existing UK and Chinese business networks.

• Strong digital fluency across UK and Chinese social platforms.

• Working knowledge of website management and CRM tools.

First Six Months

• Day to day management fully under control and running to a documented standard.

• A live operational dashboard in place, reviewed monthly with senior management.

• KPIs defined and tracked across every function.

• The Icebreaker calendar for the year published and on track.

• Membership data clean, segmented, and growing against target.

• Website and all social channels active, accurate, and on brand.

• A clear twelve month growth and development plan in place with measurable targets.

Logistics

• Office based in central London, with travel between the UK and China as required.

• Reports to senior management.

• Start date: As soon as possible.