Chief Operations Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Confidential Search

Location: Dublin, Ohio (Columbus metro) — on-site executive role

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Department: Executive Leadership / Senior Leadership Team

Travel: Approximately 30%, primarily domestic; occasional international

Scope: Purchasing, Supply Chain, Customer Care, Warehousing, Distribution, Logistics, Engineering, Manufacturing, Assembly/Kitting, Contract Manufacturing

Classification: Full-time, exempt, executive

The Opportunity

Our client, a national leader in emergency medical and healthcare products, is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to own the company’s end-to-end operating model and product engine: from product concept and engineering through sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and customer support. Reporting directly to the CEO and serving on the Senior Leadership Team, the COO is the executive who turns enterprise strategy into measurable operational results — sustainable growth, margin expansion, regulatory compliance, and an exceptional customer experience for the first responders and healthcare professionals our client serves nationwide.

This is a build-and-scale mandate, not a caretaker role. The right leader will strengthen and expand our client’s manufacturing, distribution, and operational infrastructure; bring new technology and automation into the business; integrate acquisitions; and develop the next generation of operating leaders — all while holding the line on quality, safety, and compliance in a regulated medical environment.

What You Will Own

Enterprise Operations

Lead all core operating functions — Purchasing, Supply Chain, Customer Care, Warehousing, Distribution, Logistics, Engineering, Manufacturing, Assembly/Kitting, and Contract Manufacturing Management — with full accountability for performance, quality, cost, service levels, compliance, and scalability.

Define and execute the company’s operational, engineering, and manufacturing strategies in alignment with corporate objectives, growth plans, and shareholder expectations.

Design, optimize, and expand our client’s distribution, manufacturing, and operational footprint to support current and future business requirements.

Establish and monitor the KPI framework for customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, on-time delivery, inventory, safety, service levels, and profitability; report performance and risk regularly to the CEO and Board of Directors.

Serve as the executive escalation point for critical operational, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and customer experience issues.

Product, Engineering, and Manufacturing

Provide executive leadership over the full product lifecycle — product development, design engineering, lifecycle management, and manufacturing readiness.

Ensure engineering maintains rigorous, audit-ready product development practices: design controls, risk management, technical documentation, verification and validation, and design transfer, consistent with applicable medical device regulatory and quality standards.

Oversee manufacturing operations end to end, including production planning, assembly and kitting, process optimization, automation, capacity planning, and continuous improvement.

Bring new technologies into the business to drive innovation, strengthen competitive differentiation, and increase customer value.

Partners and Supply Base

Build and govern high-performing relationships with suppliers, contract manufacturers, logistics providers, and other strategic partners to ensure quality, reliability, scalability, and cost effectiveness.

Provide executive oversight of third-party manufacturers, including partner selection, performance management, quality oversight, contractual compliance, and ongoing operational governance.

Growth, M&A, and Leadership

Partner with the CEO and Senior Leadership Team to set enterprise priorities, evaluate business performance, and execute key strategic initiatives.

Lead operational due diligence, integration planning, organizational alignment, and value realization for mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic growth initiatives.

Drive operational excellence through performance measurement, standardization, technology enablement, and Lean business practices.

Build, develop, and retain a high-performing operations leadership team; own succession planning and leadership development across the operating organization.

Champion a culture of safety, quality, accountability, innovation, and customer focus, and advance our client’s Mission, Vision, Values, and Guiding Principles.

Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Finance, IT, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Human Resources, Legal, and Compliance to ensure enterprise-wide alignment.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first 12-24 months, the COO will be measured on outcomes such as:

A unified, scalable operating model across purchasing, supply chain, distribution, and manufacturing with clear ownership and a single set of performance metrics.

Measurable improvement in margin, productivity, on-time delivery, inventory performance, and customer satisfaction.

Product development and manufacturing processes that are consistently audit-ready and compliant with applicable medical device requirements.

Successful operational integration of acquisitions with realized synergies.

A deep, credible leadership bench with succession plans in place for every key operating role.

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field.

15+ years of progressive leadership experience in medical device or healthcare products, including executive-level (VP or above) accountability for operations, manufacturing, supply chain, and customer-facing functions.

Proven success leading complex, multi-site operations in a regulated medical device, healthcare, or life sciences enviro