Operations Lead
Overall remit
We are looking for an Operations Lead to join our successful medical communications agency. This pivotal role carries accountability for our legal, risk, compliance, and corporate responsibility functions, ensuring our operations are not only robust and efficient, but also aligned with our values and strategic goals. You’ll be responsible for safeguarding the integrity of our business operations, while championing initiatives that reflect our commitment to corporate environmental sustainability, charity partnerships, and team wellbeing - the pillars of our Corporate Responsibility function.
Key roles and responsibilities
Take accountability and responsibility for Aspire’s legal, risk, compliance, and Corporate Responsibility functions, ensuring robust processes, proactive risk management, and alignment with company values and strategic objectives.
Legal Oversight
Review and advise on legal agreements and matters (A):
- With support from senior members of the team and others as needed, review and advise on Master Services Agreements (MSAs), other client agreements, freelance agreements, and employment-related legal matters and documents.
- Ensure all agreements are compliant with relevant laws and regulations, and reflect Aspire’s interests and values.
- Act as the escalation point for legal queries from across the company.
- Liaise with external legal counsel, as required.
Risk and Compliance Management
Develop and maintain risk management frameworks (A,R):
- Working with relevant stakeholders, identify and assess Aspire’s operational, legal, and strategic risks.
- Lead regular risk meetings and ensure follow-up on action items.
- Oversee the creation and maintenance of risk assessment documentation for all key areas of the business.
- Ensure that risk assessments are carried out regularly and appropriately across the organisation.
- Address any risk mitigation actions identified, and monitor the implementation and effectiveness of these actions.
- Oversee the maintenance and updating of the company’s risk registers and matrices.
- In collaboration with a member of the company Management Team, define and communicate levels of risk acceptance, and ensuring these are understood and adhered to across the business.
- Where required, provide input or information on risk, quality control, compliance, or corporate responsibility for RFPs/pitches/other requests for information from internal or external stakeholders.
Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, regulations, and internal policies (A):
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of, and adhere to, all applicable laws and industry standards relevant to Aspire’s operations.
- Oversee compliance with MSAs, other client agreements, freelance agreements, and other contractual obligations.
- Ensure the team complies requirements from other relevant regulatory bodies and industry standards now and as they evolve, including but not limited to the ABPI Code of Practice.
- Provide training and guidance to the team to ensure ongoing compliance and awareness of key legal and regulatory obligations.
- Regularly review and update internal policies and procedures to reflect changes in legislation, codes of practice, and client requirements.
- Where required, provide input or information on risk, quality control, compliance, or corporate responsibility for RFPs/pitches/other requests for information from internal or external stakeholders.
Corporate Responsibility
Driving Aspire’s Corporate Responsibility agenda (A,R):
- Lead the implementation of the corporate responsibility elements of Aspire’s vision for 2028, with a focus on EDI, environmental sustainability, and charity.
- Develop, implement, and monitor corporate responsibility strategies and initiatives that align with Aspire’s values and future ambitions.
- Plan for, and then set up Aspire’s charitable foundation, including scoping, business case development, and stakeholder engagement.
- Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and reporting requirements, including leading on setting science-based targets via the SBTi, and ensuring our Ecovadis sustainability information is up to date and accurate.
- Collaborating with internal stakeholders to embed EDI, environmental sustainability and charitable considerations into business operations and decision-making.
- Reporting on corporate responsibility and sustainability performance to the Company Management Team and other stakeholders.
- Where required, provide input or information on risk, quality control, compliance, or corporate responsibility for RFPs/pitches/other requests for information from internal or external stakeholders.
Team Leadership and Collaboration
Providing guidance and support to colleagues (A,R):
- Acting as the go-to person for legal, risk, compliance, and ESG matters, liaising with members of the Aspire senior and management teams, and others, as required.
- In collaboration with the L&D team, coaching and developing team members in these areas, sharing best practice and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Leading relevant training sessions and ensuring the team is up to date on latest developments.
- Take accountability for coaching, training, and line management of team members on your team (and other, related teams, where required), and with support from the L&D team and other senior team members, if necessary.
- Take responsibility for the wellbeing of members of your team, with support from more senior team members, if necessary.
- Taking responsibility for the development of members of your team, with support from the L&D team and other senior team members, if necessary.
Process Improvement and Best Practice
Ensuring robust processes are in place and followed (A,R):
- Regularly reviewing and updating policies and procedures relating to legal, risk, compliance, quality control and corporate responsibility, and creating new policies and processes, as required.
- Monitoring and reporting on compliance and risk, anticipating issues before they arise.
- Keep up to date with industry guidelines, evaluating and applying them to day-to-day working at Aspire. Ensure teams are supported to keep up-to-date with industry guidelines, including signposting to training resources, mentoring team members to act in keeping with the guidelines, and allowing time for training
- Uphold and be a custodian for the company’s values. Consider how the company’s values can be cascaded to your team members and integrated into team objectives
- On occasion when needed, take calls with, or respond to emails from, clients/other stakeholders out of usual office/working hours, to achieve/maintain excellent levels of client satisfaction and smooth running of client accounts
Aspire Scientific: Vision and Values
Culture
- We care for our team by fostering a people-first culture of trust, transparency, and flexibility that actively encourages a healthy and sustainable work–life balance.
Talent
- We recruit, invest in, and retain outstanding people. We provide the resources and ongoing training and development opportunities to nurture talented, stable teams who excel at what they do.
Excellence
- We develop successful client partnerships through excellence in medical writing and communication, underpinned by therapy area knowledge, industry expertise and a commitment to best practices.
A, Accountable; R, Responsible