COO | Public Sector

Chief Operations Officer (COO) - Executive Leadership Opportunity

Our client, a highly respected national organisation operating within the public and social impact sector, is seeking to appoint an experienced and strategic Chief Operations Officer (COO) to join its Executive Leadership Team.

This is a significant leadership opportunity for an accomplished operational executive who is passionate about delivering meaningful social impact through high-performing, accountable and digitally enabled services.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the COO will play a pivotal role in translating organisational strategy into operational excellence across large-scale, complex programme delivery portfolios. The successful candidate will lead multi-disciplinary operational teams, strengthen governance and assurance frameworks, drive innovation and digital transformation, and support the continued evolution of a modern, resilient and values-led organisation.

The Opportunity

The COO will provide strategic and operational leadership across critical operational functions, ensuring service delivery remains effective, compliant, customer-focused and aligned with organisational priorities and public accountability requirements.

Working closely with the CEO, Board Committees and senior leadership colleagues, the COO will contribute to strategic decision-making, organisational performance, risk management and long-term sustainability.

This role will suit a senior leader with exceptional operational capability, strong judgement, and the ability to lead large, geographically dispersed teams through periods of growth, transformation and change.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead large-scale operational and programme delivery functions across complex national portfolios
• Drive operational excellence, service improvement and organisational performance
• Strengthen governance, assurance, compliance and risk management frameworks
• Lead organisational transformation, digital enablement and continuous improvement initiatives
• Develop and implement operational strategy aligned with organisational and Government priorities
• Ensure high-quality stakeholder engagement across Government, oversight bodies and delivery partners
• Foster a high-performing, collaborative and values-driven culture
• Champion data-driven decision-making, innovation and operational resilience
• Provide strategic leadership on workforce planning, capability development and organisational effectiveness

Key Requirements:

• 7-10+ years' senior leadership experience within complex operational environments
• Significant experience leading large-scale, data-driven service delivery operations
• Strong knowledge of governance, risk management and public accountability frameworks
• A proven track record in organisational transformation and change leadership
• Exceptional people leadership and stakeholder management capability
• Strong strategic thinking, communication and influencing skills
• Experience operating within public sector, regulated, mission-driven or social impact environments
• A strong commitment to social inclusion, public value and service excellence

Qualifications

• Relevant third-level qualification (NFQ Level 8 or equivalent) essential
• Postgraduate qualification in leadership, business, public administration or related discipline desirable

If you are interested in being considered for this opportunity, please send an up to date version of your cv for review to Laura Craughwell at Staffline Recruitment via the enclosed link.

To discuss in confidence call Laura directly on 086 1409232.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday, June 10^th at 12.00pm.