Business Operations Lead / Operational Excellence and Automation

Business Operations Lead / Excellence and Automation

Cambridge, UK | Full-time or Part-time | Permanent | Hybrid

Salary: £70,000 - 85,000 DOE + Bonus + Equity

The salary range for this role is broad, as we are able to consider varying levels of experience. Any offer made will carefully take into account level of experience (including relevant industry experience), transferable relevant skills and previous relevant achievements.

We will also consider part-time applications for this role. Please indicate your preferred working schedule in your cover letter.

About us

Riverlane’s mission is to master quantum error correction (QEC) and unlock a new age of human progress. From advances in material and climate science, to complex chemistry simulation for new drug design, quantum computers will help humanity solve some of its most important challenges. But without QEC, the industry’s defining technical challenge, such breakthroughs can never be achieved. Riverlane is the world leader in QEC technology. QEC is a complex problem that requires a range of skills, talent and passion.

Having raised more than $125M in funding to date to accelerate our cutting-edge R&D in quantum error correction (QEC), Riverlane partners with many of the world’s leading quantum hardware providers and government agencies to make fault-tolerant quantum computing a reality. We’re making remarkable progress and growing fast.

About the role

Riverlane is growing fast. The support functions that keep the company running (Finance, IT, People, Talent Acquisition, Legal) need to absorb that growth without scaling headcount one-for-one. Today's way of working grew out of the company's earlier, research-intensive phases and may not hold as Riverlane moves to a larger scale with a stronger commercial and engineering focus.

This role owns that mandate. Reporting to the CFO, you will diagnose where the organisation runs inefficiently, design better ways of working, and implement them, often by replacing manual, repetitive work (the copy-paste spreadsheet grind) with automated and AI-enabled workflows. You will work hands-on across every support function to make Riverlane run smoothly as it scales.

This is an individual contributor role (with potential to grow into a team) for someone who is equal parts diagnostician and builder: conceptual enough to spot the structural fix, hands-on enough to ship it. The role sees AI and automation as central tools to sustain growth and building better operating systems – from process redesign to clear communication and cross-functional delivery. No experience in quantum computing is required.

What you will do

• Diagnose and prioritise
• Map how work actually flows across Finance, IT, People, TA, and PMO, and find where time, effort, and errors concentrate

• Build a prioritised roadmap of efficiency opportunities, sized by impact and effort
• Make pragmatic buy, build, or redesign calls for each opportunity

• Build and implement
• Design and ship solutions, from process redesign to automations and AI-enabled workflows, that remove manual, repetitive work

• Prototype quickly yourself, then scale solutions with IT, vendors, or function owners as needed
• Drive adoption: make sure the people doing the work actually use what you build

• Work cross-functionally
• Partner with function leads to scope needs, agree priorities, and embed new ways of working

• Communicate clearly across technical and non-technical audiences, turning ambiguity into a plan others can follow
• Proactively remove blockers and take on operational tasks as needed to keep delivery moving

• Embed operational excellence
• Establish lightweight standards, tooling, and cadences that keep improvements durable

• Champion continuous improvement across the CFO organisation and beyond.

What we need

• Strong diagnostic and conceptual thinking: you can take a messy, ambiguous operation and find the structural fix
• A track record of building and shipping solutions that others actually used (scripts, no-code or low-code workflows, LLM or AI-enabled tools, or comparable)

• Genuine affinity for AI and automation, with the appetite and ability to go deep fast
• Experience driving cross-functional improvement, whether from operations, consulting, chief-of-staff, or a hands-on technical-meets-business background

• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to translate complexity into clear narratives
• Comfort working hands-on: you prototype and implement, you do not just advise.

Even better if you have…

• Fluency in modern automation and AI stacks (LLM APIs, no-code/low-code platforms, scripting)
• Experience in a scaling start-up or scale-up

• Background in management consulting or a chief-of-staff role
• Experience with process improvement or operations transformation

• Familiarity with the tooling these functions run on (e.g. finance systems, ATS, ITSM, Jira/Confluence)
• Experience in quantum computing, semiconductors, or adjacent deep-tech sectors

What can you expect from us

• A comprehensive benefits package that includes an annual bonus plan, private medical insurance, life insurance, and a contributory pension scheme
• Equity, so that our team can share in the long-term success of Riverlane
• 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave
• A diverse work environment that brings together experts in many fields (including software and hardware development, quantum information theory, physics and maths) and over 20 different nationalities
• A learning environment that encourages individual, team and company growth and development, including a regular programme of learning events and training and conference budgets

How to apply

Please upload a CV and covering letter by clicking 'Apply Now'. Your covering letter should explain why you are applying for the job and what skills and experience you can bring to the role.

We review CVs as we receive them and interview as soon as we have applications that look like a good match. We do not use closing dates. So, please apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this role.

If you have any queries, please contact .

Everyone is welcome at Riverlane. We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from eligible and suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender reassignment, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity/paternity.

Women and other underrepresented groups may be less likely to apply for a role unless they meet all or nearly all of the requirements. If this applies to you, we still encourage you to apply - you may be a great fit, even if you don't meet every single qualification. We'd love to hear from you.

If you need any adjustments made to the application or selection process so you can do your best, please let us know. We will be happy to help.