COO Business Manager

Role overview:

COO Business Manager
London
Currys London Campus at Waterloo
Permanent
Full Time
Grade 6

At Currys we’re united by one passion: to help everyone enjoy amazing technology. As the UK’s best-known retailer of tech, we’re proud of the service our customers receive – and it’s all down to our team of 25,000 caring and committed colleagues. Working as one team, we learn and grow together, celebrating the big and small moments that make every day amazing.

The Chief Operating Officer has a broad remit covering all channels, Stores, Online and Contact Centres as well as Supply Chain Operations and Group Technical & Safety. The COO Business Manager serves as a trusted partner and sounding board to the COO, helping to shape, prioritise and deliver the strategic and operational agenda across the function. It brings structure to complex issues, creates clarity on priorities and ensures the organisation is set up to execute effectively.

Working across the senior leadership team, the role builds alignment, momentum and high-quality decision-making within the Winning Together Operating Model. You will shape the forward agenda for the SLT, translate strategy into clear narratives, and support leaders to frame and deliver key initiatives on behalf of the COO. You will be a strong communicator and problem-solver, able to identify opportunities, challenge constructively and connect teams around the actions needed to drive operational, customer and commercial performance.

Role overview:

As part of this role, you'll be responsible for:

Strategy
• Partnering with the COO and leadership team to shape the strategic ambition, priorities and forward agenda
• Deputising for the COO where required, representing the strategic vision and driving alignment across teams
• Developing clear strategic reports, proposals and decision papers for ExCo, Plc Board and other senior forums
• Structuring ambiguous topics, trade-offs and problem-solving discussions so leaders can make effective decisions
• Reviewing and challenge plans to ensure they are aligned to strategy, deliverable and actively managed
• Surfacing key risks, issues and dependencies, ensuring clear ownership and follow-through
Operations
• Working with the COO EA to manage priorities, preparation and follow-up so the COO’s time is focused on the highest-value activities
• Planning and run an effective leadership cadence, including SLT meetings, Trading, Quarterly Business Reviews and other regular forums
• Coordinating enquiries, actions and priorities into the COO, ensuring clear responses and delivery plans
• Improving cross-functional ways of working across the SLT, identifying pain points and removing blockers
• Building strong relationships across Finance, HR, Commercial, Strategy, Tech & Transformation and other functions to align priorities and solve problems
Enterprise alignment & narrative
• Owning and shape the operating narrative for the COO function, ensuring clarity and consistency across senior leaders, ExCo and the wider organisation
• Translating complex strategic and operational topics into clear, compelling and colleague-relevant communication
• Sense-checking how initiatives, messages and decisions will land across the business, adapting the framing to support engagement and adoption
Special initiatives
• Leading cross-functional strategic initiatives that improve operational, customer or financial performance on behalf of the COO
• Bridging strategy and execution by identifying, coordinating and delivering practical quick wins
• Leading targeted analysis to guide decision-making across multiple projects and priorities
• Supporting major programmes and growth opportunities by bringing structure, insight and critical thinking to special projects

You will need:

• Previous experience in a similar role or readiness to step into one from a senior strategic partnering position
• To be outcome-focused, resilient and adaptable, with strong ownership and accountability
• Sound judgement, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, complexity and competing priorities
• Strong organisational and project management skills, able to manage strategic and operational priorities in parallel and deliver at pace without compromising quality
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, able to interpret financial and non-financial data, simplify complex issues and turn insight into action
• To be a skilled influencer with the emotional intelligence to build trust and work effectively with senior leaders and diverse stakeholders
• Experience working in a dynamic, cross-functional organisation, ideally across areas such as strategy, operations, commercial, finance, HR, online, technology or risk
• Previous experience in a similar role, or readiness to step into one from a senior strategic partnering position
• To be highly proficient in Microsoft Office and AI tools particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Claude and Copilot

Why join us:

We know our people are the secret to our success. That's why we're always looking for ways to reward great work. You'll find a host of benefits designed to work for you, including:

• Performance related bonus
• Competitive pension scheme
• Product discounts on the latest tech
• A range of wellbeing initiatives

Join our team and we'll be with you every step of the way, helping you develop the career you want with new opportunities, on-going training and skills for life.

Not only can you shape your own future, but you can help take charge of ours too. As the biggest recycler and repairer of tech in the UK, we’re in a position to make a real impact on people and the planet.

Every voice has a space at our table and we're committed to making inclusion and diversity part of everything we do, including how we strengthen our workforce. We want to make sure you have a fair opportunity to show us your talents during our application process, so if you need any additional assistance with your application please email [email protected] and we'll do our best to help.