Chief Operating Officer

Company Overview

Integral Creative Solutions (ICS) is a retained executive search and staffing firm that partners with high-growth and enterprise organizations to identify, attract, and place the senior leadership talent that drives their next stage of scale. On behalf of a confidential client, we are conducting this search. This is an opportunity to join a well-resourced leadership team and make an outsized, measurable impact from day one.

Position Summary

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is the single executive accountable for everything between a customer order and a satisfied customer. Reporting to the CEO, the COO provides strategic leadership and day-to-day oversight of the company’s entire delivery engine — manufacturing, supply chain, quality, project management, and field service — delivered as one shared organization that serves every product division.

The COO partners closely with the division General Managers, who own commercial strategy and divisional P&L, while the COO owns how well the company builds, ships, and stands behind its products. The ideal candidate is a hands-on operations leader with deep roots in electrical equipment or heavy industrial manufacturing who can convert rising demand into delivered, profitable revenue — on time, at quality, and at target margin — across multiple divisions and plants.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Execution & Leadership

• Direct and oversee all manufacturing and delivery operations across divisions, ensuring products ship on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
• Translate company strategy into operational plans, setting clear KPIs for production, safety, quality, and efficiency.
• Foster a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement across the factory floor, project teams, and functional organizations.
• Own cross-division coordination, resolving competing priorities between divisions and shared functions through clear service-level agreements.
• Partner with the CEO and Board of Directors to define long-term capital investment strategy and capacity planning.

Manufacturing & Supply Chain

• Own manufacturing strategy, capacity planning, and unit-cost performance across all plants.
• Direct supply chain strategy, supplier partnerships, purchasing, and inventory to ensure material availability and mitigate market volatility for critical raw materials (e.g., copper, silicon steel, insulation).
• Drive throughput, yield, and On-Time-In-Full (OTIF) delivery performance.

Quality, Compliance & Standards

• Establish and own a robust Quality Management System (QMS) compliant with ISO and industry-specific standards (UL, ANSI/IEEE, IEC, and DFARS where applicable).
• Drive defect reduction, first-pass yield, and audit performance across the product portfolio.

Project Execution & Field Service

• Own PMO discipline and the on-time, on-budget execution of projects and customer orders.
• Lead field-service execution and aftermarket performance to ensure strong customer outcomes after delivery.

Process Improvement (Lean & Six Sigma)

• Lead the implementation of Lean Manufacturing principles to reduce waste, optimize inventory, and streamline workflows.
• Utilize Six Sigma methodologies to drive defect reduction and process-variability improvements.
• Institutionalize documented SOPs and a single operating cadence so process discipline is durable, not personality-dependent.

Financial & Resource Management

• Manage the P&L for operations, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost-control initiatives.
• Analyze operational data to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for margin expansion.
• Lead ERP and CRM (Salesforce) adoption and maintain a transparent enterprise operational KPI dashboard.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing leadership team across manufacturing, supply chain, quality, PMO, and field service.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Experience:
• Minimum of 12 years of progressive operations leadership in electrical equipment, power distribution, or heavy industrial manufacturing, including senior responsibility for multi-plant, multi-product operations.
• Proven track record of managing manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and engineering teams in an engineered-to-order environment.
• Demonstrated success building and scaling operations through significant revenue growth.
• Methodologies:
• Demonstrated expertise in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma (Black Belt certification is a plus).
• Strong history of implementing continuous-improvement programs that resulted in measurable cost savings or efficiency gains.
• Hands-on experience implementing ERP and CRM (Salesforce) discipline, SOPs, and a structured KPI cadence.
• Education:
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, or Industrial) or Business Administration required.
• Master’s degree (MBA or MS in Engineering) is highly preferred.

Core Competencies

• Deep operational understanding of electrical equipment manufacturing, testing, and delivery.
• Strong financial acumen and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Excellent executive communication, negotiation, and cross-functional leadership abilities.
• Comfort holding single-point accountability and running a transparent KPI cadence.
• Crisis management and problem-solving under pressure.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive Executive Base Salary.
• Performance-based Annual Bonus.
• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
• 401(k) with Company Match.
• Relocation Package.