THIS SEARCH WAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED.
About the Company
Our client is a rapidly growing innovator that is transforming the consumer telecommunications landscape by providing consumers with ultra-affordable, contract free plans that feature unlimited talk and text by leveraging both Wi-Fi and traditional cellular connectivity. Billed as the world’s first all-IP, cloud-based phone carrier, the company’s products and services have been adopted by 50 million users globally and in 5 short years the company has gone from start-up to revenues of $20M +.
Recognized as a Deloitte FAST 50 company, funded by a Silicon Valley based Venture Capital firm and led by a visionary founder, CEO, our client’s future is bright.
Scope of Position
Reporting to the CEO, the Chief Operating Officer will be tasked with ensuring that the company’s potential is realized by through the delivery of superior customer experience while achieving operational excellence and efficiency. More specifically, the COO will oversee all day to day activities related to customer support, QA, and fulfillment.
Functional Tasks
- Develop and execute a strategy that drives excellence across the operational organizations, leveraging best-of-class processes, technology and team members to meet and exceed customer expectations as measured by output and efficiency.
- Ensuring that scalable processes, policies, procedures are in place to help build future growth.
- Participate as an open, engaged and committed member of the Executive Team in the formulation and execution of the corporate vision, strategy and business objectives.
- Direct and delegate the development of operational policy, procedures and practices, both short and long term, as they pertain to customer support, quality assurance, (product development, project management and sales).
- Understand and apply efficient and cost effective operations knowledge and practice and, to sustain a profitable day to day business operations that enable service delivery which meets or exceeds customer expectation.
- Ensure operational milestones are met on time, with high quality and that they meet the cost objectives that are established; reporting on a monthly basis.
- Create and sustain a viable organizational structure to make optimum use of human resources, technology and systems.
- Build and facilitate the development of strong relationships and synergies with all other areas of the company and with the company’s technical partners and customers in order to achieve the corporate goals, objectives and revenue targets.
- Foster a culture of team spirit and innovation into the longer and short-term operations of the organization.
- Inspire and lead a talented group of customer-centric employees, helping them manage their careers and grow as professionals
- Instill a culture of innovation within the customer support team to ensure the team is effective at managing the existing and anticipated growth in customer issues
- Serve as a partner to the product team to ensure that the right product feedback from customers is provided and is incorporated into the company’s product roadmap
- Recruit highly engaged, high achieving individuals to join the customer support and fulfillment team as the company continues to grow and adopt more users and subscribers
- Instill an intensely customer service mindset within the customer support and fulfillment organizations
- Devise ways to scale the customer support and fulfillment organizations as the company grows, so that 10x the number of subscribers will not require 10x the spending and human capital resources in customer support and fulfillment
Key Performance Deliverables
In light of the identified responsibilities, the following are specific deliverables that the position is designed to achieve.
- Specific deliverables will be discussed and agreed upon with the successful candidate.
Competency Profile
The following competencies listed below define the role of Chief Operating Officer:
People Management
Establishes and communicates clear priorities and sense of direction; Clarifies roles and responsibilities; adapts management style to achieve optimum results.
Developing & Coaching Others
Accurately assess strengths and development needs of employees; Challenges others to improve their abilities and actively supports their development; Continually provides timely and constructive feedback, coaching and challenging learning opportunities; Adjusts coaching style based on each employee’s ability and motivation level.
Quality Orientation
Strive for excellence in products, processes and/or services through continued evaluation, enhancement and redefinition of quality standards.
Results Orientation
Focus strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met; Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure; Aims to improve upon past performance; Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.
Customer/Client Orientation
Strives to provide customers/clients with personalized and efficient service; Anticipates customers’/clients’ needs; Quickly follows up on customer/client contacts and complaints; Monitors and acts on measures of customer/client satisfaction.
Planning & Objective Setting
Systematic in approach to work; Produces action plans in which objectives are defined and steps for achieving them are clearly specified; Plans by breaking down large task into subtasks; Develops plans that anticipate obstacles; is realistic about time-scales and builds in appropriate checkpoints, milestones and controls in order to ensure that desired results are realized.
Preferred Experience / EducationThe following indicates specific industry, academic and functional experience/qualifications that are important to the successful achievement of the identified responsibilities and performance deliverables.
- A driving management style that leverages the strengths of the existing team while stretching and motivating them in attaining breakthrough results.
- Proven ability to coach and mentor teams in a fast-paced, growth oriented technology company.
- Experience working with entrepreneur/founders in scaling a company from $25M to $100M will be highly valued.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to plan, prioritize and organize effectively and to make sound, logical decisions.
- A strong bias for customer service working in a price-sensitive consumer market.
- Experience in implementing best practices in operations, customer support and quality assurance.
- Post-secondary degree is required, preferably in a technical or engineering discipline and an MBA will be an asset.
Remuneration & Benefits
- Highly competitive base, variable and stock plan for the successful candidate.