Chief Operating Officer

Collins McNicholas Recruitment; Cork; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Collins McNicholas Recruitment in Cork seeks a Chief Operating Officer/Managing Director to lead the day-to-day operations for a premier residential design and construction business. You will oversee design, pre-construction and construction handover, directing a seasoned leadership team to ensure seamless execution and exceptional client experience.

The role requires strategic leadership, financial acumen and a proven ability to drive performance across design, construction and aftercare, in a

Qualifications

• Proven track record in senior leadership within residential construction and design-build.
• Experience leading managers and cross-functional teams.
• Commercially astute with ability to review financial performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operational management with a focus on seamless cross-functional collaboration.
• Oversee design, pre-construction to construction handover.
• Develop and maintain customer experience and warranty processes.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Job description

Chief Operating Officer

Quote from Owner:

"This is a role you can be proud of. We've built a very successful business with a great team and have an exciting future ahead of us. We're now looking for someone who can come in, and take the lead on the day-to-day running of the business. We want a leader who can bring the best out of good people and help take the business through its next chapter."

We are partnering exclusively with an established and highly successful residential design and construction business in Cork to appoint a Managing Director / Chief Operating Officer. This is a rare opportunity to step into a senior leadership position within a thriving, well-established business with a strong reputation, an experienced management team and a significant pipeline of work already secured for the coming years. The successful candidate will take responsibility for the overall operational running of the company, leading an established team of managers and ensuring that every part of the business works effectively as one connected operation. This is not a role for someone who wants to manage every detail themselves. It is an opportunity for an experienced leader who knows how to lead through people, create accountability and bring the best out of an already capable team.

The Opportunity

The business manages the complete client journey from initial enquiry through design, planning, costing and construction to handover, warranty and aftercare. At the heart of the role you will be ensuring that the different functions of the business operate seamlessly together. A particular focus will be the transition from design and pre‑construction into the construction phase. The successful candidate will ensure that projects are fully designed, commercially understood and properly prepared before reaching site. Working through the company's existing managers and leadership team, you will provide oversight across design and pre‑construction, construction operations, commercial performance, project handovers, customer experience, warranty and aftercare.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day‑to‑day operational management of the business.
• Lead and support an established management team, creating clear accountability while maintaining the company's positive and collaborative culture.
• Ensure the various departments operate as one connected process rather than individual functions.
• Oversee the critical handover of projects from design and pre‑construction into construction.
• Ensure designs, planning, engineering information, construction drawings, bills of quantities, client selections and other key project information are complete before projects commence.
• Maintain oversight of live construction programmes, project risks, key milestones and agreed completion dates.
• Work closely with the Financial Controller to review project budgets, actual costs, variations, margins, cashflow and commercial risks.
• Ensure project handovers are planned and professionally managed.
• Maintain a consistently high standard of customer experience throughout the entire client journey.
• Provide leadership and oversight to the warranty and aftercare function, ensuring issues are tracked, resolved and used to drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure internal systems and processes provide clear visibility around responsibilities, deadlines, outstanding information and potential risks.
• Identify problems early and ensure they are resolved by the appropriate people.
• Play a central role in the continued development and future direction of the business.

Who we are looking for?

This role could suit an established:

• Managing Director | Operations Director | Construction Director | Contracts Director | Head of Operations | Regional Director | Senior Contracts Manager | Senior Project Director

The successful candidate will ideally bring significant experience within residential construction, design and build, property development or a similarly project‑led environment. More importantly, you will have experience leading managers rather than simply managing projects. You will be commercially astute and comfortable reviewing project performance and challenging financial information without necessarily being a Quantity Surveyor or accountant yourself. An understanding of the relationship between design, pre‑construction and successful project delivery will be particularly important. You should have the experience and judgement to review a project and ask the right questions before it moves into construction.

Leadership Style

The cultural fit for this appointment is every bit as important as technical experience. We are looking for someone who is:

• Calm and measured.
• Highly organised and practical.
• Commercially aware.
• Comfortable making decisions.
• Approachable but capable of holding people accountable.
• Collaborative rather than ego‑driven.
• Able to challenge constructively.
• Genuinely motivated by developing people and improving how a business operates.

The successful person will inherit a strong team. The objective is not to arrive and change everything. It is to understand what already works, build strong relationships with the existing managers and help the entire business perform at its best.

Why consider this opportunity?

There are senior roles where you inherit problems, and there are opportunities where you inherit a successful business and are trusted to help lead its next chapter. This is very much the latter. You will join a company with a strong reputation, an established team, a significant forward order book and an owner who is committed to making the transition successful. For the right person, this is an opportunity to make a genuine impact on a successful Cork business and build a long‑term leadership legacy.

This is a role you can genuinely be proud of.

A highly competitive senior leadership package will be offered, reflective of the experience and capability of the successful candidate.

All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.

For a confidential discussion and more information on the role, please contact Michael O'Brian.

021-4809118

[e-mail]