Chief Operations Officer, North America

Benefits

• Paid time off
• 401k, with company match
• Company sponsored life insurance
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Voluntary short-term/long-term disability insurance
• Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee Discounts

Main Duties and Responsibilities:
• Define and implement the regional operational strategy, ensuring it aligns with the overall corporate strategy.
• Oversee operational performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Proactively identify operational process improvement initiatives to optimize efficiency and profitability and seek to transfer best practices across organizations.
• Manage HSSE risks and implement mitigation plans in coordination with corporate standards.
• Implement quality process as aligned with corporate guidelines across the region to build customer loyalty, minimizing waste, rework, and complaints, ensuring products and services are safe and reliable.
• Establish the region’s procurement strategy and ensure supply chain resilience
• Establish and maintain a consolidated KPI dashboard to measure, compare, and understand operational and financial performance across North American operations.
• Deliver on-site audit programs to ensure that the operational activities conform with all applicable rules/regulations and contractual obligations, and identify optimized service delivery.
• Review and leverage all opportunities offered by digitalization and technology to continuously raise the bar and enhance the company's operations in accordance with the corporate guidelines.
• Participate in defining regional operational performance targets and support the development of annual budgets for all North American operational units.
• Contribute to the development of annual strategic plans and set operational targets in alignment with corporate strategy.
• Build, mentor, and lead the COO team, fostering a culture that embodies Gategroup’s core values.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and proactive risk management.



Qualifications

Education and Certifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma for process improvement and efficiency.
• ERP system expertise, with a strong focus on data management and analytics.

Work Experience:
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations or performance management, ideally within airline catering, aviation, logistics, or large-scale foodservice.
• Strong track record of setting and delivering against operational KPIs.
• Leadership experience with comparable business models and similar key success factors
• At least 10 years of experience in Operations Management, preferably in the aviation industry
• A proven track record leading a business with a similar size, complexity, and geographic scope
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Competencies:
• Strong and demonstrated strategic thinking with the ability to execute.
• Proven ability to prioritize and execute across multiple projects simultaneously, while adapting to changing business needs and priorities.
• Possess a deep understanding of the company's processes and systems to make informed decisions and provide strategic leadership to operational teams.
• Able to manage organizational dynamics, including strategic ambiguity, and make sound decisions in a fast-paced, dynamic setting.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, with a proactive approach to addressing issues and preventing potential impacts on the company.
• Demonstrated communication, leadership, and influencing skills, with a track record of effectively engaging diverse stakeholders.

Language / Communication Skills:
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external customers, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to manage, lead, and collaborate with multiple managers and project team members.


Job Dimensions

Geographic Responsibility: North America (US and Canada)

Type of Employment: Full Time

Travel %: up to 50%