---
title: 'Senior Strategy & Operations Manager at Preply'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-strategy-operations-manager-preply-barcelona-t4rty36p76fy'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-14'
---

# Senior Strategy & Operations Manager at Preply

- **Company:** [Preply](https://feeny.ai/companies/preply)
- **Location:** Barcelona, Spain
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-10-13
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/preply/23794582-4a0f-4daa-8803-47962b360337

## Job description

We power people’s progress. At Preply, we’re all about creating life-changing learning experiences. We help people discover the magic of the perfect tutor, craft a personalised learning journey, and stay motivated to keep growing. Our approach is human-led, tech-enabled - and it’s creating real impact. We’ve just reached unicorn status with a $150M Series D, accelerating our vision to transform education through human-led, AI-enhanced learning. Today, 100,000+ tutors teach 90+ languages to learners in 180 countries - and we’re only getting started. As a category-defining company, we’re shaping what the future of learning looks like at global scale. Every Preply lesson sparks change, fuels ambition, and drives progress that matters. Joining Preply means helping define the future of education at global scale, and building something that truly matters for millions of people, every day. Meet the team We’re building a central Strategy team at the heart of Preply, driving clarity, focus, and disciplined execution across the company. Reporting directly to our Director of Strategy & Operations, the Strategy team will work with the executive team to define company direction, shape strategic priorities, and lead the cross-functional initiatives that turn strategy into measurable business outcomes. As Preply scales globally and prepares for its next growth chapter, we’re looking for Senior Strategy & Operations Managers to own strategic transformation projects - from improving customer retention and lifetime value to expanding beyond languages into new learning categories. You’ll work on projects that have genuine impact across the entire business.

## What you’ll be doing

1. Strategic Initiatives & Transformation

- Own strategic transformation projects end-to-end, typically spanning 3-12 months, with real business impact across the company.
- Lead cross-functional teams to define strategy, scope workstreams, and drive accountability to outcomes. Examples include improving customer retention and reducing churn, growing customer lifetime value through better monetization and engagement, and evaluating new market segments and product offerings as we expand beyond languages.
- Conduct data-driven analysis and market research to identify growth opportunities, diagnose root causes of business challenges, and recommend new strategic directions.
- Assess and prioritize market opportunities, potential partnerships, or M&A targets based on strategic fit and business impact.

1. Cross-Functional Leadership & Execution

- Influence senior leaders without formal authority - navigating competing priorities, building shared ownership, and driving decisions rather than endless discussion.
- Coordinate complex initiatives across product, marketing, operations, and other functions - managing stakeholder alignment and proactively flagging and resolving risks.
- Translate ambiguity into clear scopes and action plans. Manage parallel workstreams while maintaining focus on measurable business outcomes, not just activity.

1. Executive Communication & Insight

- Produce clear, data-backed narratives for leadership and the board - tailoring messaging for different audiences (CEO vs. functional leads) and communicating complex ideas with precision.
- Present findings and recommendations with both confidence and presence - you’re a thought partner in the room, not just a presenter of decks.

## What you need to succeed

- 7+ years of experience in strategy, operations, or leading cross-functional strategic initiatives - ideally in high-growth tech or marketplace environments.
- Proven track record owning strategic projects or transformation initiatives from scope to delivery - not just planning or analysis.
- Strong commercial acumen - understanding of marketplace dynamics, business models, monetization, and growth mechanics. Ability to connect strategy to financial outcomes.
- Exceptional strategic and analytical thinking - structures ambiguous problems with frameworks, prioritizes ruthlessly based on strategic logic, connects insights to business outcomes.
- Outstanding ability to influence across functions - can challenge upward constructively, build buy-in without authority, and manage competing stakeholder interests diplomatically.
- Excellent executive presence and communication - comfortable presenting complex ideas with clarity and presence in high-stakes forums. Written and verbal communication are equally strong.
- AI fluency - You actively use AI to accelerate analysis, research, and strategic work. You can name specific tools and articulate how they’ve changed your approach.
- Action-oriented and resourceful - You’re comfortable navigating ambiguity and moving with imperfect information. You drive decisions, not just discussions.
- Attention to detail and strong organizational skills - You deliver polished work and follow through on commitments without being asked.
- Based in Barcelona or London, with a preference for Barcelona.

Why you’ll love it at Preply:

- An open, collaborative, dynamic and diverse culture;
- A generous monthly allowance for lessons onhttp://preply.com[Preply.com](http://Preply.com), Learning & Development budget and time off for your self-development;
- A competitive financial package with equity, leave allowance and health insurance;
- Not in Barcelona? We offer an attractive relocation package to join us in our Preply Barcelona Hub
- Access to free mental health support platforms;
- Access to Gympass-partnered wellness and gym centers to promote and support well-being and physical health;
- The opportunity to unlock the potential of learners and tutors through language learning and teaching in 175 countries (and counting!)

Our Principles

- Care to change the world - We are passionate about our work and care deeply about its impact to be life changing.
- We do it for learners - For both Preply and tutors, learners are why we do what we do. Every day we focus on empowering tutors to deliver an exceptional learning experience.
- Keep perfecting - To create an outstanding customer experience, we focus on simplicity, smoothness, and enjoyment, continually perfecting it as every detail matters.
- Now is the time - In a fast-paced world, it matters how quickly we act. Now is the time to make great things happen.
- Disciplined execution - What makes us disciplined is the excellence in our execution. We set clear goals, focus on what matters, and utilize our resources efficiently.
- Dive deep - We leverage business acumen and curiosity to investigate disparities between numbers and stories, unlocking meaningful insights to guide our decisions.
- Growth mindset - We proactively seek growth opportunities and believe today's best performance becomes tomorrow's starting point. We humbly embrace feedback and learn from setbacks.
- Raise the bar - We raise our performance standards continuously, alongside each new hire and promotion. We build diverse and high-performing teams that can make a real difference.
- Challenge, disagree and commit - We value open and candid communication, even when we don’t fully agree. We speak our minds, challenge when necessary, and fully commit to decisions once made.
- One Preply - We prioritize collaboration, inclusion, and the success of our team over personal ambitions. Together, we support and celebrate each other's progress.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [Preply.com](http://Preply.com) is committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of diverse backgrounds can thrive. We believe that the presence of different opinions and viewpoints is a key ingredient for our success as a multicultural Ed-Tech company. That means that Preply will consider all applications for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or veteran status.

## About Preply

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Preply is a human-led, AI-enabled online language learning marketplace that connects over 100,000 tutors with millions of learners worldwide for personalized 1-on-1 lessons.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series D – unicorn, $1.2B valuation as of January 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States (with global hubs in Barcelona, London, Kyiv, and New York)
- **Founded**: 2012
- **Founders**: Kirill Bigai (CEO) and Dmytro Voloshyn (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Language learning / EdTech
- **Target customers**: B2C (individual learners) and B2B (corporate language training via Preply Business); primarily B2C but growing enterprise segment.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Power people’s progress" – combining the flexibility of online learning with personalized lessons from expert tutors to create life‑changing experiences.

## Products & Services
- **Preply Marketplace**: A platform where learners book 1‑on‑1 live lessons with tutors teaching 90+ languages and 120+ subjects. Tutors manage scheduling, payments, and an integrated video classroom.
- **Preply Business**: Corporate language training solution for companies to upskill employees, offering tailored programs and reporting.
- **AI‑Powered Tools**: New‑generation AI‑enhanced tutoring features (including AI‑generated content and adaptive learning tools) designed to supplement human‑led instruction. The company also provides enterprise OpenAI licenses to employees.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: $1.2 billion (post‑money after January 2026 Series D) – becoming a unicorn.
- **Key Metric**: Over $100K total funding? Actually total disclosed funding is ~$150M+ (Series A, B, C) plus the $150M Series D. Annual revenue is not publicly available (private company). Key growth metric: 100,000+ tutors across 180 countries.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: WestCap (led Series D), Owl Ventures, Horizon Capital, Hoxton Ventures, Full In Partners, Diligent Capital Partners, Point Nine Capital (led Seed round).
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Unicorn status reached in Jan 2026.
  - B2B segment “Preply Business” growing.
  - Completed first employee tender offer in May 2026 to provide early liquidity.
  - CEO Kirill Bigai named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 New England Finalist.
  - 700+ employees globally; 62+ nationalities represented.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Network effects**: Large two‑sided marketplace with 100K+ tutors and millions of learners creates a strong moat in the $115B global language learning market.
- **Human‑led + AI‑enabled**: Differentiates from purely self‑study apps (e.g., Duolingo) by combining live human interaction with AI‑powered personalization.
- **Global reach**: Tutors from 180 countries teaching 90+ languages, enabling learners to find native speakers for almost any language.
- **Trust & quality**: Focus on tutor quality and learner progress, with internal engagement surveys showing 86% of employees proud to work at Preply.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI integration**: Deepen AI capabilities to enhance tutoring (content generation, adaptive learning paths) while keeping human interaction central.
- **B2B expansion**: Grow Preply Business as a key revenue driver for corporate language training.
- **Global hub growth**: Strengthen presence in existing hubs (Barcelona, London, Kyiv, New York) and expand into new markets.
- **Talent & culture**: Continue building a people‑first culture with employee liquidity events and strong engagement scores.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Guided by five “Preply principles” (Ambition, Keep Perfecting, Care to Change the World, etc.). 86% of employees are proud to work at Preply (2025 survey); 84% would recommend it as a great place to work.
- **Work model**: Hybrid working model (flexible remote/in‑office). Main office in Barcelona with hubs in New York, London, and Kyiv.
- **Perks**: Competitive salaries, stock options, L&D days, monthly Preply platform allowance, wellness benefit, health insurance, flexible compensation program, after‑work gatherings, offsite events, enterprise OpenAI licenses.
- **Hiring process**: 4 stages – TA chat, interviews with hiring team (may include tech test), a final task (case study / peer programming / deep technical discussion), and a Culture Champion interview.
- **Global team**: 62+ nationalities and 700+ employees, offering a diverse, collaborative environment.

## Sources
1. [Preply Careers](https://preply.com/en/careers)
2. [Preply About Us](https://preply.com/en/about-us)
3. [Preply Homepage](https://preply.com/)
4. [CB Insights Company Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/preply)
5. [Preply LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/preply)

## Other roles at Preply

- [Staff Data Scientist - Paid Marketing Optimization](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-data-scientist-paid-marketing-optimization-preply-berlin-rrk76cp5q8km) — Berlin, Germany
- [Staff Data Scientist - Paid Marketing Optimization](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-data-scientist-paid-marketing-optimization-preply-amsterdam-jg63q3rr3nj3) — Amsterdam, Netherlands
- [Staff Data Scientist - Paid Marketing Optimization](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-data-scientist-paid-marketing-optimization-preply-london-0s5fggmh3dsc) — London, United Kingdom
- [Staff Data Scientist - Paid Marketing Optimization](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-data-scientist-paid-marketing-optimization-preply-barcelona-xf9wt4cv4nke) — Barcelona, Spain
- [Senior ML Platform Engineer (Agentic Platform)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ml-platform-engineer-agentic-platform-preply-barcelona-v6qkay5xesrx) — Barcelona, Spain
- [Senior ML Platform Engineer (GenAI Platform)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ml-platform-engineer-genai-platform-preply-london-xb9fh272ezcv) — London, United Kingdom
- [Senior ML Platform Engineer (Agentic Platform)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ml-platform-engineer-agentic-platform-preply-london-s8x2rp85j5mt) — London, United Kingdom
- [Senior ML Platform Engineer (GenAI Platform)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ml-platform-engineer-genai-platform-preply-kyiv-dq3p536bjcsn) — Kyiv, Ukraine
- [Senior ML Platform Engineer (Agentic Platform)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ml-platform-engineer-agentic-platform-preply-kyiv-y45mqmwhyqhd) — Kyiv, Ukraine
- [Senior ML Platform Engineer (GenAI Platform)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ml-platform-engineer-genai-platform-preply-barcelona-tpm7k2knz81r) — Barcelona, Spain