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A head of operations
JD that is not generic.
One short, opinionated template. 280 words, not 1,800. Below: a side-by-side teardown of the typical job description and what to cut, the template ready to copy, and a one-click button to post it via Picked.
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The teardown
Side by side. Cut everything in red.
A typical JD · 1,847 words
scroll-killing
Head of operations (typical posting)
About us · cut
Founded in 2019, ACME Inc is a fast-growing, mission-driven, customer-obsessed scale-up empowering the modern hiring loop. We have been featured in TechCrunch, won several awards, and our culture has been recognised by Best Places to Work.
About the role · cut
You will be joining a passionate, collaborative team of self-starters in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. We are looking for a high-performing professional who is excited by ambiguity and ready to wear many hats.
Responsibilities · cut
- Collaborate with cross-functional partners to align stakeholders - Drive impact across the business - Champion excellence - Be a culture ambassador for the team - Wear many hats - Lots more bullets like this
Requirements · cut
- 5+ years of professional experience - Strong communication skills - Self-starter - Team player - Comfortable with ambiguity - Bachelor's degree or equivalent
Nice to haves · cut
- A laundry list of every tool anyone on the team has ever used - MBA / advanced degree - Previous experience at a high-growth startup
Benefits · cut most of this
- Competitive salary - Equity - Health, dental, vision - Unlimited PTO (which no-one takes) - Free snacks (in office) - Annual offsite - Pet-friendly office - Pinball machine
Picked template · 233 words
ships
Head of operations · London

We are hiring our first head of operations. You will report to the CEO and own the things the founders cannot: finance ops, vendor ops, the bits of HR that are not people, and the operating cadence of the leadership team. The company is 110 people. We are post Series B. The CFO joins this quarter; you will partner with them.

One paragraph, not six sections
Context. What the role owns. Team size. How you ship. Everything else is noise until the interview.
Skip the company overview
They found your JD. They can find your website. They will skim it. They will learn about you in the interview if they are still interested.
Bullets only where they earn their place
A list of "responsibilities" tells the candidate nothing they cannot guess.
Post the comp band
You will filter the wrong people anyway. Either pre-application or after offer. Pre is cheaper.
The template · plain text
Copy. Paste. Replace the bracketed bits.
head-of-operations.md
233 words · 3 min read
# Head of operations · [city] or hybrid

We are hiring our [first/second] head of operations. You will report to the [CEO/COO] and own the things the founders cannot: finance ops, vendor ops, the bits of HR that are not people, and the operating cadence of the leadership team. The company is [N] people. We are [stage]. [Who you will partner with].

## You will be good here if

- You have run ops at a [stage] company before and can describe how cash flows through it in one paragraph.
- You add and subtract process. You have killed something as recently as you have built something.
- [The third trait you actually care about].

## What you will not get

A team to delegate this to. You will be the team for the first nine months.

## Compensation

[Currency][low] to [high] base. [low] to [high] percent equity. We post the band because we mean it.

## How we hire

30-second post, screen + assessment via Picked, 20-min interview via Picked, one on-site half-day with the leadership team. We aim to give a yes or no in 7 days.

## What is the rubric

Systems instinct, bias for the boring, comms across functions, operational triage, quiet ambition. Not your last title.

That is the JD. Apply via [link] or just send a paragraph about the last process you killed.

[Your name], [your title]
Tone rules
Eight phrases to delete
from every JD you ever write.
"Rockstar / ninja / wizard"
Nobody respectable applies to this. Replace with: nothing.
"Self-starter"
Means: we have no plan and no manager. Replace with: name the actual autonomy.
"Comfortable with ambiguity"
Same thing again. Replace with: tell them the specific ambiguity they will face.
"Fast-paced environment"
Means: chaotic. Replace with: name the cadence, sprints, ship-day, on-call.
"Champion"
A verb that means nothing. Replace with: the actual outcome.
"Mission-driven"
Say the mission. Do not make the candidate guess.
"Competitive salary"
Means: less than competitive. Post the band.
"Pet-friendly office / pinball machine"
Not the reason anyone joins. Talk about the work.
Also from this hub
Head of operations hiring, the rest of it.
/hire/head-of-operations
Salary bands, time-to-fill, what good looks like, and the assessment.
Read →
/head-of-operations-interview-questions
Questions across screen, role-fit, on-site and bar-raiser.
Read →
/head-of-operations-onboarding
Week-one, week-two, day-thirty milestones.
Read →
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