Chief Operating Officer

This well-established New Zealand industrial supplier specialising in industrial equipment and associated engineered solutions based across the nation are seeking an experienced Chief Operating Officer to be part of their progressive family-owned business.

About the role:

This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference in a successful business with strong foundations, an established customer base and a culture built on relationships, loyalty and practical expertise.

Reporting to the CEO, you will take ownership of the business's operational operating rhythm, ensuring people, processes and performance are aligned with commercial objectives.

You will work across service and operations to improve execution, strengthen customer delivery and enable leaders to take greater ownership of their areas.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Establish clear organisational structures, role responsibilities, decision-making authority and escalation pathways to reduce ambiguity
• Introduce a consistent operating cadence, including weekly KPI reporting, leadership meetings, monthly operational reviews and quarterly planning
• Improve visibility and control over margins, productivity, working capital, inventory and operational costs, ensuring operational decisions support profitable growth
• Strengthen and scale the service offering, protect key customer relationships and develop a repeatable model that can be expanded across additional regions
• Improve coordination between service and operations, creating better handovers, stronger forecasting, improved responsiveness and opportunities to grow existing customer relationships
• Identify and remove bottlenecks across quoting, procurement, inventory, scheduling, dispatch, workshop activities and customer delivery
• Coach and develop functional leaders, establish clear performance expectations and build a stronger, more accountable leadership team
• Introduce practical systems, processes and standard operating procedures that improve consistency, reduce friction and support growth
• Maintain strong standards across health and safety, quality, compliance and operational risk
• Build an organisation that can operate effectively without unnecessary dependence on individual people, strengthening resilience and long-term enterprise value

About you

You are an experienced operational leader who combines commercial judgement with the ability to bring people together, establish structure and deliver measurable improvements.

You will ideally bring:

• Proven experience as a COO, General Manager, Head of Operations or equivalent senior leader – ideally within industrial distribution or engineering sector (or similar)
• Experience implementing or leading quality management systems, ideally within an ISO 9001 environment – desirable
• A strong track record of improving operational performance through KPIs, reporting disciplines, process improvement and leadership accountability
• Commercial acumen, including an understanding of gross margin, profitability, productivity, inventory and working capital
• Experience leading across multiple functions, with the ability to align sales, service and operations around shared outcomes
• The ability to develop managers, clarify responsibilities and empower teams to make sound decisions
• Experience scaling a business, improving organisational maturity or supporting integration following an acquisition will be highly regarded
• A practical understanding of health and safety and quality systems in an industrial environment

 

Why consider this opportunity

• Join an established New Zealand business with a strong customer reputation and loyal relationships
• Competitive remuneration package
• Play a pivotal role in shaping the next phase of business growth
• Work in partnership with the Managing Director, with the opportunity to influence strategy and execution
• Build leadership capability and create lasting improvements across the organisation
• Help scale a valuable service offering alongside an established industrial supply business
• Make a genuine impact on business performance, culture and long-term enterprise value

 

If you are an experienced operational leader ready to make a meaningful impact in an established business with ambitious plans, we would welcome a confidential conversation. Apply now or contact Sapna 09 912 0774/027 7887 712, [email protected]