Chief Operating Officer COO

Mercans; Dubai; On-site; AED 360,000 - 480,000; Full time

Job summary

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Mercans SaaS & Payroll leads daily operations, BAU and Implementation, guiding the management team to drive customer success, automate processes, improve productivity, and optimize costs.

The role partners with the CEO on vision and organizational design, builds KPI-driven strategies, ensures compliance, manages budgets, and fosters a high-performance, inclusive culture across Product Development, Marketing, Finance, HR, and more.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in executive leadership roles (COO or similar).
• Experience in payroll outsourcing or HCM/Payroll SaaS preferred.
• Strong strategic planning and growth execution abilities.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Understanding of data analysis and KPIs.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the CEO to set vision and operational strategy.
• Design and implement an operational strategy to accelerate growth.
• Translate strategy into actionable goals and annual planning.
• Drive automation and productivity improvements.
• Oversee BAU and Implementation orgs and leadership team.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Data analysis & metrics

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

People management

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration or related field

Job description

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the daily operations of Mercans SaaS & Payroll business including Business As Usual (BAU) and Implementation organizations. This position is responsible for providing operation leadership and guidance to the operational management team ensuring customer success and delivering operational efficiencies through automation and productivity improvements and Operational cost optimization.

Responsibilities & accountabilities

• Collaborating with the CEO in setting and driving the company vision and operational strategy and designing the organizational structure to achieve this.
• Designing and implementing an Operational Strategy that creates competitive advantage and accelerates growth and revenue.
• Cascading the companys vision & strategy to all staff and implementing appropriate rewards/recognition and coaching/corrective practices to align staff with the Company goals.
• Translating strategy into actionable goals for performance and growth helping to implement the Companywide goal setting performance management and annual operating planning.
• Developing actionable business strategies and plans that ensure alignment with shortterm and longterm objectives developed in tandem with the CEO.
• Overseeing company operations and employee productivity building a positive highly inclusive culture ensuring team members thrive and organizational outcomes are met
• Overseeing the daily operations of the BAU and Implementation organizations and the work of the leadership team (Product Development Marketing Business Development Finance HR etc.
• Leading and managing the Operations Leadership Team recruiting objective setting coaching motivating and performance monitoring. Creating and cultivating a clientcentric culture within the Company.
• Reporting & Metrics Management evaluating performance by analyzing and interpreting data and metrics
• Analyzing internal operations and identifying areas for Continuous Improvement.
• Monitoring performance with tracking and establishing corrective measures as needed and preparing detailed reports both current and forecasting.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure operational goals are met.
• Develop and execute a Customer Success strategy that establishes the Company as a highest quality Global Payroll and SaaS provider.
• Develop and manage the BAU and Implementation organizations budgets ensuring that all expenses are within budgets.
• Identify the opportunities for increasing the level of automation within the BAU and Implementation departments.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.
• Identify and mitigate operational risks and challenges such as regulatory compliance and product and infrastructure unavailability and develop and implement risk management strategies.
• Represent the company in various industry events and forums enhancing its reputation and visibility.
• Develop and implement crisis management and business continuity plans to address unexpected disruptions or emergencies.

Requirement & Qualifications

• Proven experience as Chief Operating Officer or similar role; 5 years experience in executive leadership positions (preferably within a payroll outsourcing or HCM/Payroll SaaS company).
• Sound understanding of business functions such as Product Development Sales HR Finance Marketing Customer Experience Content Management Supplier Engagement etc.
• Demonstrable competency in strategic planning and business development.
• Sound judgment and aptitude in decisionmaking and problemsolving.
• Leadership skills with steadfast resolve and personal integrity.
• Understanding of advanced business planning and regulatory issues.
• A solid grasp of data analysis and performance metrics.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate present and influence credibly and effectively at all levels.
• Excellent mentoring coaching leadership and people management skills.
• Strategic thinking the ability to understand the business implications of decisions; display an orientation towards growth and demonstrate knowledge of market and competition.
• A minimum of a bachelors degree in business administration Management or a related field.
• Track record of successfully developing and implementing strategic plans and initiatives that have resulted in increased profitability and business growth.
• Extensive experience in optimizing operational processes and implementing performance metrics to drive efficiency and productivity.

Performance Objectives

• Achieve annual operational efficiencies of at least 10 through process automation and other operational improvements.
• Maintain at least an 80 operating margin for the BAU organization.
• Achieve the CSAT score of 85.
• Achieve a customer retention rate of 95.
• Reduce the employee attrition rate for the Operations to less than 15.
• Within 6 months implement a monthly Operations management report that provides a clear overview of the key operational performance metrics.