chief operating officer

Position Statement

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is the principal executive responsible for the strategic execution and efficient management of the company's entire operating model. Reporting directly to the CEO, the COO will translate the company's strategic vision into scalable, profitable, and reliable operational execution across all technical, financial, commercial, and human resource functions.

This role is centered on optimizing service delivery and driving business growth while maintaining stringent control over financial performance and talent management.

Key Responsibilities

The COO will be the driving force behind all operational, financial, and commercial functions, with core focus areas including:

A. Operational Service Delivery

• Fibre Maintenance & Reliability: Oversee and optimize all maintenance protocols for Optical Fibre Networks (FTTH and FTTB) to achieve industry-leading network uptime, reliability, and Mean Time To Repair (MTTR).
• Fibre Installation and Activation: Direct the end-to-end process for FTTH installations and FTTB link activations, focusing on quality control, speed of delivery, and cost-effective deployment.
• CCTV & Facilities Management: Establish and manage the maintenance and service schedule for all deployed CCTV systems and lead the strategy for the efficient management, maintenance, and security of all company-owned and managed physical facilities and assets.
• SLA Management: Define, monitor, and enforce strict Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to guarantee consistent, high-quality service delivery.

B. Financial and Commercial Oversight

• Financial Control & Reporting: Provide executive oversight of all operational financial matters. Ensure the accuracy of financial reporting related to operational expenditures, capital expenditures, and service delivery costs.
• Budgets and Forecasts: Direct the preparation of detailed annual operational budgets and implement robust financial forecasting models. Monitor actual performance against budgets, identify variances, and drive corrective actions to ensure cost containment and profitability.
• Commercial Support: Assist the CEO and Business Development teams with new business acquisition by providing expert costing models, operational feasibility studies, and comprehensive commercial support during bid and contract negotiations.
• Profitability Analysis: Implement models to accurately determine the cost-to-serve for all service offerings (FTTH, FTTB, CCTV, Facilities), ensuring pricing strategies maximise gross margin and align with market competitiveness.

C. Human Resource and Talent Management

• HR Strategy and Policy: Collaborate with the Head of HR to develop and execute human resource strategies that support operational objectives, including talent acquisition, retention, and succession planning.
• Performance and Development: Drive a performance management culture across all operational teams, ensuring employee development and high productivity through practical training and mentorship programs.
• Organizational Design: Ensure the operational structure, hierarchy, and headcount are optimized to deliver services and scale with the business demands efficiently.

Key Competencies and Skills

• Strategic Execution: Exceptional ability to translate high-level strategy into executable, measurable, and financially sound operational plans.
• Technical & Commercial Acumen: Deep technical understanding of FTTX networks combined with strong financial literacy and commercial negotiation skills.
• Leadership and Delegation: Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams (technical, civil, financial, HR) and drive performance through accountability.
• Risk and Compliance: Comprehensive knowledge of health & safety, environmental, and regulatory compliance, particularly regarding large-scale infrastructure projects.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related technical field. (Advantageous)
• Minimum of 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in an operational role within the Telecommunications or Infrastructure sector.
• Proven P&L responsibility and experience in developing and managing substantial operational, capital, and financial budgets and forecasts.
• Demonstrated experience managing a large staff complement within a Customer Service environment, coupled with strong commercial skills.