AN UNOFFICIAL MATTA PRODUCTION
This application is for you if you enjoy:
SPECIAL PROJECTS @ JOE
My route into operations came through complex communications and public affairs. The job was rarely just the brief: it was understanding a difficult problem quickly, aligning the right people, creating a clear plan and keeping delivery moving when the situation changed.
I have done that inside a global consultancy and, more recently, while building Context & Consequence from a blank page. Different environments, same useful habit: turn ambiguity into decisions, ownership and momentum.
THE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE / NOT JUST THE VIBE
Four years inside a global consultancy taught me how to lead complex, high-stakes delivery. Building my own business taught me how to create the proposition, systems and pipeline when none of them exist yet.
CONTEXT & CONSEQUENCE / FOUNDER / 2026
In three weeks, I built the positioning, service offer, brand, website, pricing, target-client research, outreach, proposal process and a locally hosted pipeline. I also built AI-assisted workflows for prospect research, qualification, proposal development and follow-up.
That work mapped more than 100 prospects and has now led to around 20 tailored proposals requested by prospective clients. They are proposals, not pretend client wins, but they are real evidence that I can find a live problem, shape a relevant offer and build a repeatable route to market.
WEBER SHANDWICK / 2022-2026
I progressed from Account Manager to Senior Manager, leading work across technology, healthcare, transport, energy efficiency and the built environment. Much of it sat where policy, technical evidence, commercial priorities and reputation collided.
ABOUT YOU / APPARENTLY ABOUT ME
Click each requirement. I promise only one of the answers starts a minor wizarding-world dispute.
I should disclose an early cultural disagreement: I see Dumbledore as the superior behind-the-scenes operator - better delegation, less hiking. The serious point is that I do my best work quietly making the moving parts connect, then step forward when something difficult needs an owner.
WHY MATTA / NOT A RANDOM REASON
What pulls me towards Matta is the jump from impressive model to useful physical system. Factories are variable, commercial and unforgiving. The technology has to create measurable value on the floor - not merely survive a demo.
My career has lived in that translation gap: between technical or regulatory complexity and the decision a client, policymaker, investor or partner actually needs to make. Special Projects is where I can help turn Matta's ambition into momentum.
EXAMPLE PROJECT / CLICK THINGS, THEY WORK
Not an AI demo pretending to be sentient. A small proof of how I turn noisy, cross-functional work into a clear first move.
INCOMING SIGNAL / SLIGHTLY CHAOTIC
A large manufacturer is interested. The technical team sees six possible use cases, procurement wants paperwork yesterday, and nobody has written down what success means.
JOE'S FIRST MOVES
FIRST 30 DAYS / A HYPOTHESIS
This is a starting hypothesis, not a plan imposed before I have met the team.
Shadow Doug and the team. Map business rhythm, live deals, fundraising work, decisions, bottlenecks and the places information currently escapes.
Build a lightweight operating picture for priorities, owners, evidence and next actions. Keep what already works. Remove whatever only creates admin.
Take a customer, investor or cross-team project end to end: shape the case, coordinate the work, close the gaps and keep momentum visible.
Turn what worked into a small playbook, automate the boring parts responsibly and agree where Special Projects can create the most leverage next.
OUTSIDE WORK / NO BUSINESS CASE REQUIRED
Outside work I am usually watching cricket, wild swimming, looking for a mountain or carrying a Ricoh GR IV. I also fall down research holes about European mountains and forgotten political history.
Photography is mostly an excuse to look for the small details and odd moments other people miss. The dog in the Lime bike has appointed himself transport director. His fee is biscuits.
THE SENSIBLE NEXT STEP