Chief Operating Officer

Toptal; Illinois; Remote; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology services company is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to drive growth and operational excellence. This role requires a builder's mindset with 10+ years of leadership experience in technology-driven environments. The successful candidate will lead the services and talent functions to ensure client satisfaction and sustainable growth while working closely with cross-functional teams. A Bachelor's degree is required, and a Master's is preferred. This is a remote position requiring excellent communication and strategic thinking skills.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in managing complex service organizations.
• Experience in professional services or technology-driven environments.
• Excellent organization skills and detail-oriented.

Responsibilities

• Build and own the vision, strategy, and execution plan for Toptal’s services.
• Provide hands-on operational leadership.
• Establish scalable processes and systems.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Problem-solving

Communication

Leadership

Operational excellence

Cross-functional collaboration

Detail-oriented

Adaptability

Ownership

Quality focus

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field

Job description

About Toptal

Toptal is a global network of top talent in business, design, and technology that enables companies to scale their teams, on-demand. With $200+ million in annual revenue and team members based around the globe, Toptal is the world’s largest fully remote workforce.

We take the best elements of virtual teams and combine them with a support structure that encourages innovation, social interaction, and fun. We see no borders, move at a fast pace, and are never afraid to break the mold.

Job Summary:

As the Chief Operating Officer, you will join a group of hands-on executives to drive the growth and operational excellence of Toptal. Your mindset will be that of an engineer who will work to solve operational problems through the lens of an engineer, not as a consultant or operational leader. There will be no problem large or small for you to solve yourself. You will be the chief architect of each solution. You will work to construct frameworks and problem solve in ways that push the limits as to what’s possible in technology and talent acquisition and that solves those problems at scale. You will work to build and lead the full-scale execution of Toptal’s talent services, professional services, and talent functions—including all areas to Talent-related services and all Professional Service-related areas such as all Delivery and Practice areas. You will also oversee Talent Operations, ensuring our talent supply is aligned, efficient, and scalable to effectively meet and balance client demand.

This role demands a builder’s mindset and a deep sense of ownership. You will create the operational frameworks and strategy, ensure the functions are fully built out and working to perfection, and drive consistent execution across all service and talent areas of Toptal. Acting as the business owner of the system, you’ll collaborate closely with Product and Data Engineering to design infrastructure and features that simulate supply-demand scenarios and expose planning logic through modular, API-like interfaces—enabling teams across Toptal to interact with talent as if it were talent-as-a-service. Working across a high-caliber leadership group, you will bring strong operational discipline and strategic clarity to deliver world-class client outcomes and sustainable growth.

This is a remote position. Resumes and communication must be submitted in English.

Responsibilities:

• Build and own the vision, strategy, and execution plan for Toptal’s services and talent functions—including all service lines.
• Define the organizational structure and leadership model for the Services and Talent Operations teams, ensuring the right roles and capabilities are in place.
• Provide hands-on operational leadership, bringing rigor, consistency, and clear accountability to all service lines and functions.
• Translate high-level business and operational goals into detailed operational roadmaps for all areas of responsibility.
• Establish scalable processes and systems to ensure delivery excellence, efficiency, and client satisfaction at scale.
• Oversee talent supply, matching, and resource planning in coordination with Services and Talent Operations to meet evolving client needs.
• Partner cross-functionally with Product, Marketing, Finance, and Legal to execute on strategic priorities and company-wide initiatives.
• Drive a high-performance culture across all functions and businesses, while ensuring Talent Operations is tightly aligned to support delivery excellence, scalability, and evolving business needs.

Qualifications and Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree is required. Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in managing complex service organizations and multiple business units, ideally within professional services or technology-driven environments.
• Proven track record of successfully leading multi-service line operations with accountability for P&L, growth, and operational excellence.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute scalable operational strategies that drive efficiency, client satisfaction, and sustainable growth.
• Experience at a technology or hyper-growth company is strongly preferred.
• Management consulting experience at a top-tier firm (e.g., McKinsey, Bain, BCG) or investment banking experience is preferred but not required.
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions in ambiguous environments.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of influencing stakeholders at all levels, including executives and clients.
• Experience driving cross-functional collaboration and alignment across sales, marketing, delivery, and support functions.
• Excellent organization skills and detail-oriented. You are hyper-organized, know how to work efficiently, and prioritize execution, as well as mentor others to do the same.
• Adaptable. Comfortable managing changing priorities, learning new skills, and building consensus across varied senior stakeholder groups.
• Ownership. You are a dependable leader who takes responsibility for your success as well as the success of the entire team.
• Quality. You take pride in everything you deliver as a reflection of yourself.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly growing company and handle a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and a diverse array of contacts.
• Willingness to travel to meet with clients, team members, and stakeholders.
• You must be a world-class individual contributor to thrive at Toptal. You will not be here just to tell other people what to do.

Essential Job Functions

• Regularly and reliably attend scheduled virtual team meetings on camera.
• Work independently with minimal supervision.
• Use all required digital collaboration tools.
• Prioritize and self-manage workflows and deadlines.

US FLSA Classification: Full-Time/Exempt