Chief Operating Officer

Finley Engineering Company Inc.; Springfield (IL); Remote; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm is seeking a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to join their executive team. The COO will be responsible for driving operational transformation, developing strategies, and ensuring exceptional service delivery across all functions. This role requires extensive experience in operations and engineering, with a strong focus on leadership and strategic thinking. The position offers remote work flexibility with a preference for candidates in the Midwest.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of strategic leadership experience in operations and engineering.
• 5+ years of executive leadership experience.
• Extensive knowledge of fiber transport and energy industry.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational transformation and strategy execution.
• Develop and implement operational strategies to achieve company objectives.
• Build and lead the delivery services leadership team.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic Thinking

Operational Efficiency

Cross-functional Collaboration

Interpersonal Skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field

Job description

Position Summary: As a member of Finley’s executive leadership team, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) will not only play a key role in running the business but also in setting the strategic path for Finley 5+ years out, while transforming it organizationally, operationally, and strategically. This position will lead the functions that are collectively accountable for exceptional delivery of Finley’s professional services to our clients within scope, scheduled and budget: field operations, PMO, engineering services, and mapping services. The COO is accountable for building and developing a high performing team to develop, implement and optimize operations processes and systems and driving efficiencies to scale our business in collaboration with other members of the executive team.
Responsibilities:

• Partner with CEO and other members of the executive leadership team to lead an operational transformation.
• Contribute to development and execution of the company’s strategic plan and develop operations strategies, objectives, and plans to support achievement of the company’s strategic objectives.
• Build, develop, and lead the delivery services leadership team and support and empower them to collectively develop and implement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, streamline processes, and improve overall performance and outcomes for our clients.
• Maintain executive responsibility for all aspects of delivery services, including fiscal ownership, collaborating with other functions to ensure exceptional service delivery to our clients.
• Responsible, in partnership with Chief Client Officer, for ensuring alignment and coordination across all functions to deliver exceptional service through all aspects of the business that directly or indirectly impact our clients’ experience.
• Lead rough cut capacity planning in partnership with Client Services and People and Culture to ensure our resources are aligned with forecasted demand and our labor rates align well with bill rates to maintain appropriate profit margins.
• Establish KPIs and performance metrics to track progress, evaluate outcomes, and drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and company policies and procedures.
• Perform other duties as requested or assigned.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business or another related field.

Experience:
Required:

• Extensive fiber transport (FTTH and FTTx) and energy industry acumen with engineering professional services experience with a strong understanding of engineering principles, broadband technologies, and network infrastructure.

• 10+ years’ experience and proven success with responsibility for strategic leadership of operations and engineering functions.
• 5+ years executive leadership experience, including presenting to and working with board members.
• Adept at transitioning seamlessly between setting strategy and driving execution.
• Strong ability to delegate and empower direct reports/team members to ensure time is spent primarily working on, not in, the business.
• Demonstrated success guiding operations strategy and decisions in a growing company.
• Experience as key member of a leadership team during operational and organizational transformation.
• Demonstrated success collaborating cross-functionally to deliver aligned solutions and outcomes.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire cross-functional teams.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate challenges, develop solutions, and drive results.
• Successful functional leadership in a values-based organization.
• Excellent organization, prioritization, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Licenses, Certifications, Training Requirements:

• A valid motor vehicle driver’s license in good standing is required. No DWI/DUI convictions.

Physical Requirements and Environmental Factors:

• Work is primarily computer work, and most assignments are performed in an office type environment.
• Flow of work involves normal mental and visual attention along with manual coordination much of the time.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Location: Remote work, with strong preference to be in Twin Cities, MN area or Midwest US.
Travel: Travel up to 20% of the time.

In the spirit of pay transparency, the starting base pay range listed for this position is exclusive of benefits. If you are hired at Finley Engineering, your base pay will be determined based on factors such as skills, education, and experience related to the position. In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and will also consider internal equity of our current associates as a part of the final offer. Hiring at the high end of the range would not be typical.

Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Finley Engineering does not intend to provide sponsorship for employment visa status for this employment position.

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