Operations Manager (Second-in-Command to Founder)

Role Overview

Act as the right-hand operator to David Baker, founder of TBO Consulting, by ensuring that everything sold is executed, built, and managed effectively to free up the founder to focus on sales, content, and acquisitions. This position supports the growth and operational efficiency of TBO Consulting, which specializes in enhancing trade and service businesses via marketing, Meta ads, AI automation, GoHighLevel (GHL) systems, and streamlined processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the founder weekly to establish priorities and take ownership of delivering against them.
• Enforce team accountability on deadlines across advertising, AI projects, delivery, and contracted work.
• Proactively identify issues and propose actionable solutions.
• Ensure business continuity during the founder's unavailability due to events or travel.
• Provide weekly status reports each Monday including financials, lead flow, active client deliveries, and outstanding tasks.
• Manage all aspects of client delivery from handoff to completion, including onboarding, research, report drafting using AI tools (Claude), and ensuring client satisfaction through continuous communication.
• Configure and maintain GHL pipelines, forms, automations, and booking workflows to streamline operations.
• Create client-specific dashboards, trackers, and templates for ongoing management.
• Develop standard operating procedures and AI workflows for repetitive tasks to enhance efficiency.
• Conduct market and prospect research to prepare briefing materials prior to sales calls.
• Extract actionable insights from recorded calls to create notes, tasks, and case studies.

Performance Metrics (Expected Around Week 6)

• Client onboarding completed within 3 working days post-payment.
• Audit report produced within 48 hours after client engagement call.
• All committed builds delivered and live by their agreed deadlines.
• Maintain zero overdue jobs without rescheduled deadlines and valid reasons.
• Research briefs ready one hour before every founder call.
• Monday morning delivery of business metrics by 9am to the founder.

Candidate Profile

• Proven track record running a business, team, agency, or significant project handling real financial responsibility.
• At least 3 to 5+ years experience in operations, project management, account management, or agency delivery roles, ideally including ops manager, second-in-command, or entrepreneurial positions.
• Daily user of AI technologies (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT) and capable of demonstrating practical workflow integrations.
• Highly responsive and decisive, able to take rapid actions and meet tight deadlines without needing repeated prompts.
• Comfortable with technical tools such as GoHighLevel, Zapier or Make, Google Sheets, and quick to learn new software independently.
• Exceptionally organized, ensuring no tasks are lost, each with assigned ownership and due date.
• Preferred but not essential: background or family experience in trade sectors or familiarity with software like Fergus, Tradify, ServiceM8, or Xero.

Unsuitable Candidates

• Those who require extensive instruction manuals before starting work.
• Candidates preferring to perform only narrowly defined tasks without variety.
• Habitual procrastinators who delay responses regularly.
• Those looking for strict 9-to-5 roles without performance targets.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary ranging NZD 75,000 to 90,000 annually, combined with performance bonuses tied to delivery outcomes and company growth, with on-target earnings exceeding NZD 110,000.
• Fully remote working arrangement aligned with New Zealand business hours.
• Direct mentorship and collaboration with the founder, providing exposure to marketing, AI implementation, operations management, and business acquisition strategies.
• Clear advancement path to assume full second-in-command responsibilities, including leadership of the team and equity participation in company growth ventures.