CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Location: Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne (Hybrid/Flexible)

We’re Urban List.
For 14 years, we’ve been the digital best friend to millions of culture seekers across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, helping people live the good life, discover experiences that matter, and connect more deeply with their communities.

Now, we’re looking for a COO who can match our pace and ambition. Someone who’s as comfortable in the weeds as they are setting direction; who can develop the plan and be in the trenches alongside the team delivering on it.

The Role

As COO, you’ll be the operational architect of Urban List, turning strategy into systems, ideas into outcomes, and ambition into action. You’ll be the right hand to our CEO, Jacqui La’Brooy, driving day-to-day delivery across operations, people, and technology.

This isn’t a sit-back role. If you’re used to layers of support or corporate safety nets, this won’t be the fit. We need someone who thrives in a lean, high-growth environment, who can figure things out fast, and who has the discipline to keep a small-to-medium business running smoothly, scaling smartly, and delivering results consistently.

What You’ll Do
  • Translate big goals into operating plans, clear workflows, and measurable outcomes.
  • Oversee and optimise systems (from Notion to data platforms to AI tools) that give us speed, efficiency, and clarity.
  • Lead cultural and operational change across teams — embedding new tools, ways of working, and accountability.
  • Partner with People & Culture to design org structures, build capability, and create pathways for growth.
  • Work side by side with the CFO to manage budgets, improve margins, and ensure ROI.
  • Track and report performance so the leadership team always knows where we stand.
  • Champion a culture where care and performance go hand in hand.
Who You Are
  • 10+ years in operational leadership, delivery, or product within high-growth digital businesses.
  • Hands-on and resourceful — you don’t just set the plan, you deliver it day-to-day.
  • SMB-savvy — you know how to make impact without endless resourcing.
  • Experienced in tech transformation, systems implementation, and workflow optimisation.
  • Comfortable stepping into areas you haven’t mastered yet, with the grit to figure it out and upskill fast.
  • Commercially sharp — weighing cost vs. benefit comes naturally.
  • A strong people leader who builds high-trust, high-accountability teams.
  • Collaborative, decisive, and grounded — leading with both clarity and care.
Why Join Us
  • Work alongside a new CEO with fresh energy and vision, and a leadership team ready to deliver.
  • Help scale an independent, founder-led brand with cultural relevance and audience trust at its core.
  • Lead the operating engine of a platform trusted by millions, while being part of a team that’s upbeat, ambitious, and unafraid to do things differently.
Sound like your kind of challenge? 

We’d love to hear from you. Please send the following to people@theurbanlist.com:

  • Cover Letter – including one example of a system or workflow you’ve implemented that delivered real impact.
  • CV / Resume – outlining your career achievements, particularly in transformation and scaling.

We will only be accepting applications submitted through this defined process, as we anticipate significant interest in this role.

Applications close 12 October 2025, unless filled prior.