Operations Consultant (Health & Community Startup)

About the Role

About Us: Pay As You Go COO

Pay As You Go COO brings together the best of fractional leadership and consulting in a way that’s truly fit for smaller businesses.

With decades of experience in high-growth companies, we combine hands-on operating experience with structured, project-based delivery that’s focused, practical, and built for modern startups.
We work with founders, leadership teams, and individuals navigating complex strategic and operational decisions. Whether they need hands-on support to prepare for investment or clear strategic planning to reach their next revenue milestone, we’re here to help our clients make big leaps at every key inflection point.

We provide practical strategy, finance, and operations support - from shaping new ventures and bringing structure to messy work, to building the operational and financial clarity needed for investment

About the Client

Our client is an exciting, high-potential health and wellness venture. Currently in the process of raising funding, this new venture is a purpose-driven brand dedicated to supporting women in midlife.

The business is launching a premium range of supplements combined with a dedicated digital community, creating a holistic ecosystem for women navigating the complexities of menopause and midlife health without compromising on the other aspects of their lives. They are moving from the concept phase into a high-stakes launch and require institutional-grade operational foundations to match their ambitious growth targets.

About the Role: Operational Strategy & Support

We’re looking for an experienced Operator to take ownership of the operational delivery, infrastructure, and commercial scaling for this launch.

This is not a solo mission, nor is it a "three months in-and-out" project. You’ll work closely with the Pay As You Go COO leadership team, acting as the "boots on the ground" domain expert and strategic partner who intends to scale alongside the business as its requirements evolve post-funding. While you bring your specific expertise in physical product supply chains and startup operations, you will be supported by (and expected to utilise) Pay As You Go COO’s proprietary frameworks and operating models. This ensures the client receives a world-class, standardised service while benefiting from your deep tactical knowledge.

Key Responsibilities:

Supply Chain design & management: Build and manage a robust supply chain for the supplement line, from ingredient sourcing and manufacturer liaison to inventory planning and quality control.

Operational infrastructure: Design and implement the "back office" systems required for a modern D2C brand (logistics, fulfillment, customer service tech stack, and ERP/project management integration).

Operational delivery & governance: Establish the rhythm of business. Define KPIs, reporting structures, and governance models to ensure the business remains lean and accountable during and after its funding round.

Risk Mitigation: Identify potential bottlenecks in the supply chain or delivery model and build contingency plans to ensure a seamless launch.

D2C growth infrastructure: Beyond logistics, you’ll design and oversee the acquisition and retention models, ensuring the systems and KPIs (such as LTV, CAC, and churn metrics) are in place to support a thriving, data-driven D2C business.

Scalable governance: Establish the "rhythm of business" and reporting structures that remain lean and accountable during the funding round and are robust enough to scale as the team grows.

Strategic planning and long-term roadmap: Work with the founders to translate the midlife community vision into a multi-phase operational roadmap that is both investor-ready and built for long-term sustainability.

About You

The "Operator" mindset: You’re comfortable in the weeds of a spreadsheet and the high-level strategy of a boardroom. You enjoy building things from scratch.

D2C/physical product experience: You have a proven track record in physical product operations, ideally within the supplements, health, or FMCG sectors.

Collaborative builder: You’re excited to work within an established framework (Pay As You Go COO’s) rather than reinventing the wheel, using our models to accelerate your impact.

Startup fluency: You understand the constraints and opportunities of a pre-funding/early-stage startup and can prioritise ruthlessly.

Midlife health interest: A genuine interest in the "Age Tech" or midlife wellness space is a significant plus.

Engagement Details

Format: PT/Project-based. Full scope and timeline is a WIP, but we anticipate that this first phase of the project will be either 2 days a week (split over 4-5 days) for 3 months, or a more dedicated workload over a shorter period.

Timeline: While the initial intensive scope covers the launch phase, this role is intended to scale in line with business requirements. We are looking for a partner who can flex their involvement as the company hits new milestones.

Duration: Initial project scope with the clear intention for ongoing, evolving support post-funding.

Reporting to: Founder of Pay As You Go COO. Working closely with the client on a day-to-day basis.

Location: Remote / Flexible (with occasional meetings in central London as required).

Terms

This engagement is offered at a guide rate of £600–£800 (plus VAT where applicable) per day, depending on experience.

Because this is a collaborative delivery between yourself and Pay As You Go COO, the project is managed under our umbrella. Our fee structure is simple: we retain 15% of the daily rate to cover project governance, founder-level mentorship, sourcing the deal, relationship management with the client, and access to our proprietary operating models. This ensures the client receives a gold-standard "COO-in-a-box" experience, and you have a dedicated partner in the Founder to ensure the project stays on track.

Next steps

Please submit your application by 23.59 on Thursday 21st of May. We’ll be arranging first stage calls the following week with a view to starting the engagement after the Spring Bank Holiday.