Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Codema group; Dublin; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4-day work week

Equal opportunities employer

Job summary

Codema is seeking a senior operations leader to act as the right-hand partner to the CEO, bringing structure to rapid growth while streamlining workflows across finance, HR and project delivery. This role will serve as the strategic bridge between ground operations and centralized functions, with responsibility for governance, risk management and performance reporting.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in senior operational leadership, strong financial literacy, and exceptional communication

Qualifications

• More than five years experience in a senior operational leadership role (e.g. COO, Operations Director, Head of Operations).
• Excellent financial literacy; deep understanding of budgets, forecasting and governance.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills with ability to influence cross-functional teams and external stakeholders.
• Proficient in project and resource management tools, digitally fluent and comfortable leveraging AI and automation to streamline reporting and planning.
• Experience with a variety of income streams: EU/national grants, contracts, sales, etc.
• Desirable: Direct experience within energy, sustainability, utilities or climate action sectors.
• Desirable: Experience in operations in a commercial setting.

Responsibilities

• Act as a close strategic partner and trusted advisor to the CEO, providing reliable operational oversight.
• Instill operational structure, clear workflows and scalable processes into a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Prepare operational reports and present directly at Board meetings, with KPIs, risks and performance updates.
• Oversee risk management frameworks and ensure smart mitigation strategies are in place.
• Lead capacity planning across the project portfolio, collaborating with HR to forecast and allocate resources.

Skills

Leadership experience

Financial literacy

Communication skills

Project & resource management

Job description

As Codema continues to expand its impact and drive multi-million-euro energy projects, our CEO is seeking a trusted “right-hand person” to assume oversight of day-to-day operations.

This is primarily a cross-functional leadership role focused on driving alignment, to bring structure to rapid growth, streamline internal workflows, and mitigate operational stress points. You will act as the vital strategic bridge linking our on-the-ground project delivery teams with our centralised Finance and HR functions.

This is a senior, high-impact leadership role requiring a values-aligned executive who can hit the ground running, make decisive calls under pressure and confidently champion Codema’s operations at the Board level. The role will be supported by appropriate operational and administrative resources, following an assessment of requirements.

Key responsibilities

Operational leadership and governance

• Act as a close strategic partner and trusted advisor to the CEO, providing reliable operational oversight.
• Instill operational structure, clear workflows and scalable processes into a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Confidently prepare operational reports and present directly at Board of Directors meetings, providing clear updates on organisational KPIs, risks and performance.
• Oversee risk management frameworks across the organisation, demonstrating a healthy tolerance for risk while ensuring smart mitigation strategies are in place.

Cross-functional translation (Projects to Finance & HR)

• Serve as the central connection point between project teams on the ground and internal corporate functions (Finance and HR).
• Translate fluid project variables, scopes and timelines into structured, relevant financial and resource inputs, ensuring timely and accurate financial information is provided for reporting, forecasting and grant compliance.
• Monitor project performance metrics, tracking variances such as under/overruns, delays and scope adjustments, and ensure these are properly accounted for in organisational budgets and cash-flow forecasting.
• Promote financial accountability and informed decision-making across operational teams.
• Lead capacity planning across the project portfolio, maintaining a clear view of resource requirements and collaborate closely with HR to forecast and plan resource allocation, identifying talent gaps based on project pipelines.

Cross-team collaboration and culture

• Provide supportive, high-leverage leadership to an established, highly-technical team of energy engineers, planners, and project managers.
• Nurture a collaborative workspace, utilising exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to build trust, manage change smoothly and resolve friction points.

The ideal candidate: Key attributes and experience

Leadership and decision-making style:

Structure catalyst:

Proven track record of entering dynamic, fast-evolving environments and successfully establishing structure, clarity, and accountability.

Exceptional ability to navigate organisational stress points with a calm, solutions-oriented demeanour.

Decisive and risk-tolerant:

Comfortable making firm, strategic decisions even when data is incomplete or the way forward is ambiguous.

A proactive operator with high emotional intelligence who requires minimal onboarding to begin adding strategic value.

Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.

Strong understanding of financial terms, corporate governance, budgets and forecasting.

Skills and experience

• More than five years experience in a senior operational leadership role (e.g. COO, Operations Director, Head of Operations).
• Excellent financial literacy; deep understanding of commercial/financial terms, corporate governance, budget management and operational forecasting.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills – a true “people person” capable of influencing cross-functional teams and external stakeholders alike.
• Proficient in project and resource management tools, digitally fluent and comfortable leveraging AI and automation tools to streamline reporting, planning and decision-making.
• Experience with a variety of income streams; EU/national grants, contracts, sales, etc.
• Desirable: Direct experience within the energy, sustainability, utilities or climate action sectors is highly advantageous but not essential.
• Desirable : Experience in operations in a commercial setting.

Why work with Codema?

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Codema and the many benefits we offer, including a 4-day working week andfacilitating a positive and growth-focused working environment for our valued team.

Codema is an Equal Opportunities Employer.