Chief Operating Officer

We are excited to be working in partnership with Norse Group to appoint a motivated and driven individual to become their next Chief Operating Officer. This is an exceptional and rare chance to join the leadership team of one of the country's fastest growing service organisations who provide a breadth of facilities management, property and specialist care services to the public sector.
As Chief Operating Officer, you will direct the day-to-day operations of Norse Group, tasked with primary leadership of all Group businesses. You will drive efficiency, compliancy, quality, customer satisfaction and sustainable growth, ensuring that the Group's goals and objectives are met. In collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer, you will help design and deliver the Norse Group strategy, with a focus on driving operational performance across the organisation.

This is a pivotal role for a strategic leader who can balance operational rigour with a genuine commitment to developing people and embedding organisational values into everything they do, championing a culture where values are lived, not just stated.

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee all operational functions across Norse Group, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and delivery of key performance indicators.
• Drive operational excellence through continuous improvement, innovation, and best practice implementation.
• Ensure that operations across the Group are run in a safe and compliant manner at all times, working closely with the SHEQ Director and their team as required.
• Develop and implement operational strategies that support business growth while maintaining commitment to quality and values.
• Manage operational budgets, resources, and risk across the organisation.
• Work closely with the CFO to ensure robust financial planning, forecasting, and reporting processes.
• Establish and monitor financial KPIs and performance metrics, implementing corrective actions when targets are at risk.
• Drive a culture of financial accountability throughout operational teams, ensuring all managers understand their financial responsibilities.

Essential Candidate Requirements:
You should have proven experience in strategic management at a senior level, demonstrating your ability to lead complex operations and deliver long-term business success. This includes a strong track record of overseeing commercial activities and financial performance, ensuring that business objectives are achieved. Candidates will either have a blended background across relevant private and public sectors or (if coming from a purely commercial background), be able to demonstrate significant exposure to working with public sector customers.
You will be comfortable making high-level decisions that influence the direction of the organisation and have a clear understanding of how to balance strategic vision with practical execution. Alongside this, you should have:

• Knowledge of the powers and duties of local government regarding services provided by joint venture companies.
• Hold a degree (business or similar), and / or equivalent professional management qualifications and training.
• Extensive experience in performance evaluation methods and key metrics, with a strong expertise in data analysis, reporting, and budgeting.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to distil complex concepts into clear, concise reports and engaging, persuasive presentations.
• Ability to trade risks and benefits to achieve effective outcomes.
• Sound judgement and the flexibility of thought and approach to produce effective results in a matrix environment.
• Able to demonstrate a high level of political and business awareness.
• Familiarity with financial planning and establishing and monitoring KPIs at a senior level.
• Full, Clean, UK Driving Licence as national travel is required.
• The role is 100% office-based and candidates must live within commutable distance of Norwich or be committed to relocation (relocation package available)

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to make a lasting impact at the heart of a purpose-driven organisation. If you are a strategic and values-led leader with the operational expertise to drive performance and growth, we would love to hear from you.
Please contact Stuart Fryer or Louisa London at Hays for further information. All applications will be directed to Hays.

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