Operations Team Lead

About Dwelly Dwelly is building the AI operating system for residential lettings. Its growing network of agencies provides its AI with real-world data, continuous feedback, and control over complete workflows, making exceptional service the standard for landlords and tenants. Today, Dwelly operates more than 15,000 properties and $470 million in GMV, making it one of the UK’s ten largest lettings operators. The company has raised $263 million. We’re a fast-growing, product-focused company, backed by top-tier investors and led by a team with deep experience in real estate, technology, and operations. Position Summary We're looking for an experienced Operations Team Leader to manage a front-line (Tenant Find/Property Management/Payments) team and own the day-to-day delivery of lettings across our integrated agencies. You'll lead a team of Letting Negotiators/Property Managers/Financial Analysts — starting at 2–6 and growing to 6–12 as we scale — and be accountable for hitting the numbers that matter every day and every week. This is a hands-on, change-heavy leadership role. Alongside keeping the operating model running at ground level, you'll help rebuild processes, roll out new technology, and roll up your sleeves to cover peaks, sick leave and annual leave. We're moving fast and the path will have bumps — you'll need to keep morale and standards high through constant change, while working closely with branch managers across agencies and our London-based central team. What matters most is your ability to lead a team and learn fast. Tenant Find/Property Management/ Payments are departments you will be expected to upskill quickly into. Existing UK lettings experience is a plus, but it's not essential. We are looking for strong people, metrics, process and change management experience. If you are someone who picks things up quickly and thrives in ambiguity, we want to hear from you. Job Location • Regular travel between multiple branches in the same area is expected, plus periodic visits to our London HQ (roughly once a quarter). • A full UK driving licence is required for branch travel. • Preferred locations: London, Birmingham, Coventry, Nuneaton, Leicester, Gloucester, Nottingham, Hull and Peterborough other locations in the Midlands. • That said, we're growing fast and are eager to accommodate strong candidates — so feel free to apply even if you live outside these areas. Key Responsibilities Own daily delivery and the numbers • Own your team's daily output across the Tenant Find/Property Management/Payments journey. • Hit and beat the key metrics every day and week • Run the daily operating rhythm: allocate work, keep the diary full, unblock negotiators in real time, and make sure nothing slips through the cracks. • Resolve complex cases and bottlenecks; read your dashboards fluently, spot when numbers drift, and act fast — escalating to the Operations Manager only what genuinely needs senior judgement. Lead, coach and develop the team • Directly manage a team of Letting Negotiators/Property Managers/Financial Analysts(2–6 to start, growing to 6–12), owning their performance, development and day-to-day support. • Balance support with autonomy — be hands-on without micromanaging. • Coach to raise the bar: side-by-side call and viewing feedback, clear expectations, and a culture of accountability and pace. • Run consistent 1:1s and team huddles, set individual targets, and deliver training, coaching and performance reviews — recognising strong performers and addressing underperformance early. • Maintain morale and engagement during significant change; onboard new joiners quickly and partner with the Talent team to keep the pipeline warm. Protect quality and the customer experience • Enforce adherence to SOPs, compliance requirements and service standards across every property and applicant your team touches. • Hold the line on service quality at all times — make sure landlords and tenants get fast, accurate, professional communication throughout. • Support through peaks and sick / annual leave, stepping in hands-on when needed. • Align operations with branch managers across agencies, and resolve day-to-day issues and complaints before they escalate. Drive transformation and improve the way we work • Lead process changes as we rebuild operations, and support implementing new technology and systems. • Create training materials and champion adoption of new tools and AI-enabled workflows across your team. • Analyse metrics to drive improvements, and be the voice of the front line — surfacing what's broken, slow or clunky to the Operations Manager and central teams. • Look for small, practical improvements that save time and lift conversion — and put them into practice. What we're looking for Essential • 2+ years in a high-growth startup, scale-up or tech-led business, or in a high-volume operation — logistics, fulfilment, last-mile delivery, retail or branch networks, contact centres, field service, manufacturing or hospitality — where the numbers were reviewed daily and the process changed underneath you • 1+ years leading front-line field, branch or customer service teams of 5 or more, hitting targets through them — contact centres, BPO, retail and branch networks are all welcome; the common thread is high-volume, KPI-driven work where service level is the product • Experience managing individual performance, including formal performance processes • Uses operational data to set priorities and diagnose problems, and can show how • Works independently and makes decisions without complete information • Adopts new technology quickly and brings a team with them • Delivery-focused and organised — thrives on daily targets and keeps a busy operation moving without dropping balls • Comfortable with ambiguity and frequent change Nice to Have • UK residential lettings experience with a tenant finding focus, and working knowledge of UK lettings regulations (ARLA/Propertymark, right-to-rent, referencing). • Experience implementing new CRMs or handling post-acquisition integrations. Compensation and Benefits • Competitive salary with performance-based bonus and the potential for equity options, recognising exceptional contributions to our growth. What is it like being a Dwell-er? Feel free to check out Dwelly Core Principles. That’s about what we believe in, how we operate and make decisions. What we offer is not a fancy office or a static workplace. Instead, this is solving one of worlds’ most complex problems in the largest consumer industry in the world (residential rentals), to improve the experience for >30% of households (>5M in the UK, and >100M including EU and US) that live in rental homes. This is about disrupting the largest, most antiquated industry in the world, with one of the strongest operational and technical teams that exist in the UK and the EU. We work hard, and we shoot for extremely ambitious results. But we want people to be proud of what they’ve built and be able to look back and say one day “hell yeah, that was me that did it all”. • Customer obsession rather than competitive focus • Passion for invention • Operational excellence • Long-term thinking By applying for this position, you consent to the processing and storage of your personal data for recruitment purposes for up to 365 days, in accordance with our data retention policy and applicable data protection laws.