Deputy COO - Head of Business Operations - Ultimo

About the Role 

As part of the IFS Ultimo leadership team, the Deputy Chief Operating Officer & Head of Business Operations will act as the right hand to the COO, serving as a senior leader responsible for driving operational excellence, commercial governance, and scalable growth across a high-growth SaaS business. 

This role combines strategic leadership with operational ownership. You will lead the Business Operations function end-to-end, ensuring forecasting accuracy, GTM effectiveness, commercial discipline, and execution rigor across the organisation.  

You will operate at both executive and operational levels - shaping strategy with the Leadership Team while ensuring disciplined execution through strong processes, data, and team leadership. 

This is a hybrid role, working from the office 1–2 days per week as needed. Preference is for candidates based in the Netherlands or UK, given the close collaboration with senior stakeholders across Leadership, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Product, and Delivery.

Key Responsibilities 

Strategic & Executive Leadership 

• Serve as trusted advisor and operational counterpart to the COO, helping shape and execute company-wide strategy. 

• Partner with the Leadership Team to drive strategic initiatives, operating model design, and performance management. 

• Lead preparation and insights for Executive Reviews, QBRs, and board-level reporting. 

Business Operations Ownership 

• Own the end-to-end commercial operating cadence, including forecasting, pipeline governance, and scenario planning (worst case / best case). 

• Establish and maintain robust forecasting methodologies and revenue predictability frameworks. 

• Drive cross-functional GTM planning, including segmentation, capacity planning, sub-market strategies, and AI-enabled product commercialisation. 

Commercial Governance & Performance 

• Oversee pricing & packaging strategy, including value-based pricing models and AI monetisation opportunities. 

• Own commercial governance frameworks, including sales policies, incentive structures, approval matrices, and compliance standards. 

• Oversee Deal Desk and complex deal support, ensuring disciplined decision-making while enabling growth. 

• Support and refine sales incentive design based on quantitative and strategic analysis. 

• Lead account and deal review cadences, constructively challenging assumptions and driving accountability. 

Operational Excellence & Team Leadership 

• Lead and develop the Business Operations team, including direct management of the Business Operations & Strategy Manager and Renewals Manager (where applicable). 

• Define scalable processes, tooling, and reporting infrastructure to support continued SaaS growth. 

• Drive improvements across CRM governance, reporting accuracy, and commercial analytics. 

• Ensure cross-functional alignment between Sales, Marketing, Finance, Product, and Delivery.