Cocoon is hiring
Operations Manager
Full time
Hybrid · Colombo
LKR 120,000 – 150,000 / month
A master at making things happen.
Cocoon trains, consults and executes across the region. You will own the systems behind all three — and get the credit when they hum.
The job in one paragraph
We are growing quickly. In any given week there are sessions running, clients waiting on answers, materials to prepare, projects mid-delivery and invoices to send. Today that works because a small team holds a lot in their heads — and we have reached the point where it deserves a proper system behind it.
That system is yours to design, build and run. You will own the operational spine of the business, with the authority to change how it works and the accountability that comes with it. When a session runs beautifully, that is your win. When something slips, you are the person who spots it first and fixes it.
It is a big role for the right person, and a genuinely exciting one: few jobs let you rebuild how a company operates in your first year.
What you'll actually do
- Own the schedule. Sessions, trainers, venues, equipment, travel. You are the person who knows what is happening in three weeks — before anyone thinks to ask.
- Be the reply clients trust. Confirmations, joining details, feedback, follow-ups. Clients should feel looked after because you are on it.
- Keep delivery visible. Consulting and execution projects move across weeks and people. You keep every one of them in view and raise a hand early when something drifts.
- Own the money rhythm. Quotes out quickly, invoices on time, payments followed up politely and persistently. Cash flow is something you influence directly.
- Make every session feel prepared. Decks, handouts, room setups, attendance, certificates — ready early, so trainers walk in and simply teach.
- Build the playbook. Write down how we do things, then make each one faster. This is the part that compounds — and the part you will be proudest of.
- Automate anything repetitive. Do something three times and your instinct should be to make it run itself. We will back you with the tools and the time.
What "AI-native" means here — precisely
Not that you can talk about AI — that you already reach for it without being told: to draft the follow-up, tidy the spreadsheet, turn a messy transcript into actions, or build the tracker instead of filling one in by hand.
This one is not negotiable. We teach AI for a living, so whoever runs our operations sets the standard internally. If AI is not already part of how you work day to day, this is not the right role for you yet — and we would rather say that now than at interview.
If it is, you will get sharper here than almost anywhere: you will be sitting with the people who teach it, and you will have the time and the tools to automate anything worth automating.
What we're looking for
- Organised by instinct. You already run your own life on lists and systems, and it bothers you when something has no owner.
- Proactive, not reactive. You spot the thing nobody assigned and pick it up.
- Clear, quick communication. Most of this job is writing to people who are busy.
- Already working with AI. Not curious about it — using it. You should be able to tell us, in the form below, exactly what you used it for last week.
- Fluent with tools. Spreadsheets, calendars, CRMs, automations — and quick to pick up the next one.
- Two or more years running operations, projects, events or admin at a real pace. Training, agency, events or education backgrounds transfer well.
- Based in or near Colombo, able to be in the room for sessions when it matters.
What success looks like
So you know what you are being measured on, and what a good year here looks like:
- By month one — you know every client, every upcoming session and every open project, and nothing reaches us because it was forgotten.
- By month three — scheduling, client comms and invoicing each run on something written down, and at least one of them largely runs itself.
- By month twelve — we can take on noticeably more work without it feeling heavier, and that is directly because of the systems you built.
Worth knowing before you apply
You are building, not inheriting
There is no ops department to walk into. Some of what you need does not exist yet — building it is the job, and it is why the role has so much room in it.
The rhythm is uneven
Training runs in bursts. Session weeks are busy and can mean an early start or an occasional Saturday; the weeks either side are noticeably calmer. If you like variety, this suits you.
You will be visible
Clients will know your name and come to you directly. That is the fun of it — but it does mean this is a front-of-house role, not a quiet desk.
Growth is earned, and it is real
Whoever runs operations well here ends up shaping how the whole company works. We would rather show you the room to grow than promise a title on day one — but the room is genuinely there.
How hiring works
- Apply below — your CV and a few honest lines. A person reads every one; there is no filter bot in the way.
- You hear back either way, usually within two weeks.
- A half-hour conversation about what you have run before and how you think.
- A short paid exercise taken from a real week here — how you would plan it, what you would automate. We would rather see how you think than quiz you, and we pay for your time.
Apply for this role