Chief Operating Officer - EPC/landscaping

AKMV Consultants; Delhi; On-site; INR 4,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Grotech in New Delhi, India, seeks a Chief Operating Officer to steer overall business operations, project execution, and strategic growth across landscape, horticulture, irrigation, and green infrastructure. You will drive profitability, governance, and client satisfaction while expanding multi-location operations.

The role demands a commercially astute leader capable of scaling operations, building strong client relationships, and developing new business opportunities within diverse sectors

Qualifications

• 15–25 years of leadership experience in Landscape EPC, Infrastructure, or related industries.
• Proven track record of owning P&L and driving profitability.
• Experience managing multi-location operations and large-scale projects.
• Strong governance, commercial and contract management capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute long-term business strategy and growth.
• Lead end-to-end execution of landscape, horticulture, irrigation, and EPC projects.
• Manage budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow; drive profitability.
• Oversee risk management, governance, and regulatory compliance.
• Strengthen client relationships and lead business development and key accounts.
• Develop leadership, succession planning, and workforce capacity.

Skills

Leadership

P&L ownership

Strategic thinking

Operations management

Client relationship management

Negotiation

Governance & compliance

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Management

Job description

Location: New Delhi
Industry: Landscape EPC | Horticulture | Irrigation | Green Infrastructure
Experience: 15+ years

Role Purpose

The Chief Operating Officer will be responsible for driving the overall business operations, project execution, strategic growth, and profitability of our client. The incumbent will lead large-scale landscape, horticulture, irrigation, and green infrastructure projects while ensuring operational excellence, client satisfaction, financial performance, and sustainable business expansion.

The role requires a commercially astute leader capable of scaling operations, strengthening client relationships, developing new business opportunities, and building a high-performance organization.

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Strategy & Growth

• Partner with the promoters to define and execute the organization's long-term business strategy.
  
• Identify and develop new business opportunities across commercial real estate, industrial parks, airports, hospitality, educational institutions, healthcare, government, and infrastructure sectors.
  
• Expand Grotech's presence into new geographies, market segments, and service offerings.
  
• Develop strategic partnerships with developers, architects, consultants, PMC firms, and government agencies.
  
• Drive sustainable revenue growth while strengthening the company's market position.
  

2. Operations & Project Delivery

• Lead end-to-end execution of multiple landscape, horticulture, irrigation, and EPC projects across India.
  
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
  
• Establish operational excellence through standardized processes, SOPs, and project governance.
  
• Monitor project schedules, resource utilization, procurement, quality, safety, and client deliverables.
  
• Improve operational efficiency through continuous process improvement and technology adoption.
  
• Own the overall business P&L and drive sustainable profitability.
  
• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and cash flow management.
  
• Improve gross margins through effective commercial management and cost optimization.
  
• Monitor project profitability, working capital, receivables (DSO), and overall financial performance.
  
• Establish financial discipline across projects and business functions.
  

4. Business Development & Client Management

• Build and nurture relationships with developers, corporates, government agencies, consultants, architects, and key stakeholders.
  
• Support business development by participating in strategic client engagements, negotiations, and bid reviews.
  
• Identify opportunities for repeat business and long-term client partnerships.
  
• Serve as the executive escalation point for key clients and strategic accounts.
  
• Oversee project commercial management, tender reviews, contract negotiations, and change order management.
  
• Ensure effective risk identification and mitigation throughout the project lifecycle.
  
• Monitor contractual obligations, claims, vendor management, and project profitability.
  
• Strengthen governance around procurement, subcontractor management, and commercial controls.
  
• Lead and mentor senior leadership across Operations, Projects, Commercial, Procurement, Finance, HR, and Business Development.
  
• Build a culture of ownership, collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence.
  
• Drive succession planning, capability development, and leadership pipeline initiatives.
  
• Ensure effective workforce planning for both corporate and project teams.
  

7. Operational Governance & Compliance

• Establish robust governance frameworks across all business functions.
  
• Ensure compliance with statutory regulations, environmental norms, labour laws, contractual obligations, and safety standards.
  
• Drive implementation of quality management systems and operational audits.
  
• Promote best practices in risk management, sustainability, and corporate governance.
  

8. Performance Management & Reporting

• Develop MIS dashboards and business intelligence reports for leadership review.
  
• Track key business KPIs including:
  
• Revenue Growth
  
• EBITDA
  
• Project Profitability
  
• Order Book
  
• Project Timelines
  
• Client Satisfaction
  
• Cash Flow
  
• DSO
  
• Present periodic business reviews and strategic recommendations to the Managing Director.
  

Desired Candidate Profile

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, or a related discipline.
  

Experience

• 15–25 years of leadership experience in Landscape EPC, Infrastructure, Construction, Irrigation, Facility Management, Green Infrastructure, or allied industries.
  
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-location operations and large-scale project execution.
  
• Proven track record of owning P&L and driving business profitability.
  
• Strong exposure to commercial management, contracts, procurement, and project delivery.
  
• Experience leading organizations through periods of growth and operational transformation.
  

Core Competencies

• Strategic Business Leadership
  
• P&L Management
  
• Operations & Project Management
  
• Business Development
  
• Client Relationship Management
  
• Commercial & Contract Management
  
• Multi-location Operations
  
• Governance & Compliance
  
• Change Management
  
• Negotiation & Stakeholder Management
  

Preferred Industry Background

Candidates from:

• Landscape Contracting
  
• Horticulture & Green Infrastructure
  
• EPC & Infrastructure
  
• Irrigation Systems
  
• Facility Management
  
• Environmental Engineering
  
• Smart City Projects
  

Success Metrics (First 12 Months)

• Improve overall project delivery performance and on-time completion.
  
• Increase operational efficiency and profitability across business units.
  
• Strengthen client retention and generate repeat business.
  
• Build a scalable operational structure to support future expansion.
  
• Enhance governance, compliance, and reporting frameworks.
  
• Develop a high-performing leadership team and succession pipeline.