Chief Operating Officer - Construction

Chief Operating Officer (COO) – Milan, Italy

Location: Milan, Italy

Industry: Construction (Data Centres)

Employment Type: Full-time

Overview: A leading international construction firm is seeking a results-driven Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead operational delivery across projects in Italy. Based in Milan, the successful candidate will play a critical role in scaling operations, ensuring project excellence, and driving commercial performance, with a strong preference for experience in data centre construction or mission-critical environments.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Oversee day-to-day operations across Italian projects, ensuring on-time, on-budget, and high-quality delivery.
2. Develop and implement strategic plans to optimise efficiency and profitability across the region.
3. Lead multidisciplinary teams, fostering a culture of safety, performance, and accountability.
4. Collaborate with project directors, commercial managers, and technical leads to manage risk, programme, and resource planning.
5. Build strong relationships with key partners, suppliers, and stakeholders.
6. Ensure full compliance with local regulations, health and safety standards, and corporate policies.

Ideal Candidate:

1. Proven leadership in construction or engineering sectors, ideally with data centre or high-tech infrastructure experience.
2. Deep understanding of project lifecycle from pre-construction to handover.
3. Strong commercial acumen and operational oversight experience.
4. Fluent in English; Italian language skills are a strong advantage.
5. Willingness to be based in Milan and travel across sites in Italy as required.

Why Join: This is a high-impact leadership role in a fast-growing, internationally recognised firm with a strong pipeline of technically complex projects. Excellent long-term growth and influence within the leadership team.