المسمى الوظيفي

Role purpose

The Chief Operating Officer will serve as the operational counterpart to the CEO and take ownership of the company’s infrastructure for running the business. This includes the systems and rhythms used to plan, decide, measure, deliver, and continuously improve across the organisation.

The organisation is shifting from a centralised model to one where business units operate with more independence, supported by shared enterprise infrastructure. In this role, you will lead that transition by replacing informal, person-dependent ways of working with adaptive, AI-enabled systems that can scale. You will be accountable for designing and rolling out the business operating system, including the frameworks, workflows, metrics, and governance needed for a large organisation to run reliably without relying on individual heroics.

You will lead Enterprise Operations, ICT, AI, People, Finance, Legal, and Venture Studio operations, working closely with the CEO and other C-suite leaders such as the CTO, CPO, Chief Scientist, and CFO. You will also play an important supporting role in rebuilding the engineering and delivery capability, partnering with the CTO to bring the discipline and culture of high-performing software organisations into the wider operating model.

The COO also co-owns the technical rebuild of the engineering function, helping shape a rigorous operating environment for a globally distributed team.

Key responsibilities

Own the operating model across the company, including the structures, systems, and operating rhythms that keep business units and geographies aligned.
Create the frameworks that allow teams to work autonomously while still staying connected to enterprise-wide priorities.
Act as the main operational decision-maker, with visibility into what is moving, what is blocked, and what needs to change; this includes decision authority on facilities costs and M&A costs.
Manage the Book of Work, including active priorities, upcoming items, blocked work, and work that should be stopped.
Run the Executive Committee and shape the executive cadence, including agendas, decisions, and follow-through.
Define the executive meeting philosophy so meetings focus on why KPIs are off track and what corrective action is needed.
Work with the CEO on internal communications, including how change is explained and adopted across the organisation.
Design and deploy the business operating system with the right workflows, metrics, frameworks, and governance so the company can scale without depending on individual expertise.
Collaborate with the Business Operating System Design team to make sure the system is practical and easy for people to adopt.
Move the organisation from informal processes to structured, AI-enabled infrastructure that turns individual know-how into shared institutional capability.
Ensure the operating system improves over time through feedback loops and AI-driven insight.
Identify the key metrics that determine the company’s success and make sure the operating model is built around them.
Define how KPIs are set, cascaded, measured, and reviewed across the organisation.
Make sure executive decisions are based on measurable data and hold leaders accountable for performance in their areas.
Promote continuous improvement using clear quantitative signals rather than opinion or narrative.
Support the CTO in rebuilding engineering and delivery operations by providing the governance, enterprise services, and operating structure needed.
Help bring in the operating discipline of top software companies, including stronger delivery practices, better product-engineering collaboration, and higher technical hiring standards.
Work with the CTO and Chief People Officer on technical workforce planning and headcount strategy so the company can attract and retain the engineers and product leaders required by the mission.
Integrate engineering velocity and delivery metrics into the performance management framework so progress can be tracked and improved.
Lead the enterprise services model so People, ICT, Finance, and Legal function as one coordinated internal service organisation with clear service-level expectations.
Set service standards across enterprise functions and hold function leaders accountable for delivery.
Own enterprise contracts, procurement, and vendor strategy, including major supplier relationships and cross-functional agreements.
Oversee enterprise facilities, workplace strategy, and remote-first operations for a globally distributed workforce.
Set the company’s approach to AI usage across the business, partnering with the VP of AI and Data to build AI-first operational workflows.
Own the workforce architecture model, including where AI agents operate, where humans lead, and how that balance evolves.
Apply cybernetic principles such as feedback loops, requisite variety, and distributed control to operational challenges, and design systems that self-regulate and improve.
Position the organisation as a practical example of an AI-enabled company through the development of agentic systems that support operations.
Partner with the Chief People Officer to ensure the company attracts, develops, and keeps the talent needed to deliver its mission.
Work with the CEO and CPO on organisational design, acting as the operational architect while the CEO sets strategic direction.
Partner with the CPO on compensation frameworks, performance management, and enterprise learning and development.
Promote accountability, psychological safety, and continuous improvement, and model those behaviours in the role.
Encourage strong leadership standards across all functions in your remit.
Control group-level budgets across your functions and ensure resources flow to strategic priorities.
Partner with the CFO on annual and quarterly budgeting, reporting, and visibility into the company’s financial health.
Bring strong awareness of risk and cost into major decisions, including the implications of sunk costs and hidden dependencies.
Ensure Legal and Compliance act proactively to identify and mitigate risks before incidents occur.
Own enterprise operational risk, business continuity, and executive-level incident response.
Work with ICT and Legal on information security, data governance, and privacy at the enterprise level.
Own the operating model for the Venture Studio, including how ventures are incubated, funded, and moved through the pipeline.
Make sure ventures can access the enterprise services they need and that shared infrastructure scales with the portfolio.
Partner with the CTO, Chief Product Officer, and Chief Innovation Officer on the operating side of technical incubation and spin-outs.
Act as the CEO’s operational peer so the CEO can focus on strategy, external relationships, research direction, and ecosystem leadership.
Represent the company in high-stakes operational and governance settings, including board reporting, regulatory discussions, and partner negotiations.
Build strong working relationships with functional leaders, board members, and key external partners.
Communicate candidly with the CEO and raise what needs to be heard with directness and trust.
Take on additional duties as needed based on the evolving needs of the role and the organisation.

Key competencies

Leads enterprise-wide operational functions across Enterprise Operations, ICT, AI, People, Finance, Legal, and Venture Studio operations.
Manages multiple VPs and divisional leaders across those functions.
Shapes company performance and direction through broad functional leadership.
Works with the CEO and President on strategic alignment while operating with significant independence in the operational domain.
Holds enterprise budget authority, including approval power for facilities and M&A-related costs.
Reports directly to the CEO and serves on the executive leadership team.
Influences policies, governance, enterprise services, and workforce architecture across the organisation.
Leads the operational leadership bench and is responsible for capability, structure, and succession within the remit.

Specialist profile

The ideal candidate will bring systems thinking, cybernetic reasoning, and a strong metrics orientation. You should be comfortable with AI and agentic systems, technically credible with engineering and product leaders, and able to operate effectively in globally distributed, async-first teams. The role also calls for emotional maturity, low ego, strong judgement with sensitive matters, and the ability to communicate clearly with boards, executive peers, and working teams.

Experience and background

This role calls for substantial executive leadership experience, including significant time at C-suite or equivalent level with a broad functional remit. You should have led operations at scale inside an engineering-led organisation, with deep operational experience in a technical environment. The sector matters less than the depth of your operating experience in engineering-heavy settings.

Additional expectations

You should be comfortable working across finance, legal, ICT, AI, people operations, and enterprise services, and be capable of setting governance, cadence, and performance systems that are actually used by the organisation. Experience with OKR systems, operating cadences, vendor and contract management, business continuity, risk management, and enterprise-level decision-making will be important. The role also expects strong partnership with the CEO, CTO, CFO, CPO, and other executive leaders in a highly collaborative but accountable environment.

Chief Operating Officer