Chief Operating Officer

As COO for our IT services organisation, you will lead and scale the operational engine of the company. You will translate strategy into execution, ensure consistent and efficient delivery of client-facing services, build operational resilience, drive process excellence, and manage cross-functional operations (delivery, support, engineering, infrastructure, vendor management) ensuring excellence in service, profitability, and growth.

You are a strategic operator who can think long-term but roll up your sleeves for execution, continuously improving how the business works.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Below are typical domains and responsibilities for a COO in an IT Services context. You should tailor or emphasise based on your business model (e.g. managed services, consulting, outsourcing, product + services hybrid).

DomainResponsibilities

Strategy & Execution

- Collaborate with CEO and leadership to define strategic initiatives and translate them into operational plans.

- Prioritise operational projects and investments aligned with business goals.

- Monitor progress, adjust course, and ensure accountability across functions.

Service Delivery & Operations

- Oversee all client delivery activities: project delivery, managed services, support, implementation, field services.

- Implement KPIs, SLAs, metrics, dashboards to monitor performance, quality, utilization, margins.

- Drive continuous improvement, standardisation of delivery methodologies, best practices, automation.

- Ensure operational scalability to support growth.

Engineering / Technical / Infrastructure

- Coordinate with CTO / Head of Engineering to align development, infrastructure, architecture, tools with operational needs.

- Lead capacity planning, infrastructure performance, reliability, disaster recovery, security operations.

- Ensure technical debt is managed, rigour in change control, release management.

Client / Vendor / Partner Management

- Manage key vendor and partner relationships (outsourced operations, technology providers, subcontractors).

- Negotiate contracts, SLAs, pricing, performance metrics.

- Act as escalation point for major client issues, coordinate resolution.

Financial & Commercial Oversight

- Share in P&L responsibility: drive operational efficiency, margin improvement, cost control.

- Collaborate with CFO / Finance to prepare budgets, forecasts, scenario planning.

- Monitor utilisation, resource allocation, project profitability.

People Leadership & Org Design

- Build, lead, mentor senior operations, delivery, support, technical operations teams.

- Define structure, roles & responsibilities; ensure adequate staffing, career plans, KPIs.

- Foster performance culture, accountability, collaboration across functions.

Risk, Compliance & Quality

- Establish and enforce governance, process compliance, operational risk controls.

- Ensure compliance with relevant standards (e.g. ISO, ITIL, GDPR, data protection, security).

- Drive quality assurance, auditing, post-mortem learning.

Change & Transformation

- Lead organisational change initiatives: process reengineering, tool rollouts, digital transformation.

- Champion innovation, automation, new operational capabilities.

Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement

- Report operational performance, risks, opportunities to CEO and Board.

- Engage cross-functionally with sales, product, HR, finance to coordinate execution.

Business Development Support

- Participate in bids and proposals from an operational perspective (estimating delivery feasibility, resource planning, risk assessment).

- Help assess potential M&A, partnerships, integration of new acquisitions from an operational standpoint.

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