Chief Operating Officer

Summary:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is the strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer, responsible for translating the company's vision and mission into a high-performance operating model. The COO oversees core operational and growth functions, acting as the "go-to" leader for business transformation initiatives. The role also requires the ability to interpret financial data, anticipate cost and revenue impacts of operational decisions, manage cash flow across multi-year programs, and partner with the CFO to ensure compliance, competitive pricing, sustainable growth, and responsible risk management.

The successful candidate will integrate the company's functions, focusing on building capability, scaling operations to support growth within the Special Operations Forces and the Intelligence Community to foster a culture of accountability, integrity, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the company. Success will be measured by achievement of increased enterprise value.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Execution and Vision Enablement:
  • Translate the CEO's vision and strategic direction into operational plans and measurable results.
  • Institutionalize a culture of continuous improvement to enhance mission readiness and competitiveness.
  • Collaborate with the management team to develop and implement systems, processes, and personnel structures that align with growth objectives and operational excellence.

• Operational Leadership and Management:
  • Provide day-to-day leadership and management that reflect FRDA’s core values.
  • Own P&L accountability, ensuring alignment between cost structure, resource deployment, and growth targets.
  • Lead, integrate, and optimize the corporate cross-functional operating model.

• Capability Building and Sustainable Growth:
  • Build organizational capability and secure the resources necessary to meet top-line growth and bottom-line performance objectives.
  • Drive process optimization and operational efficiencies to ensure scalability and sustainable growth.
  • Partner internally and externally to drive and win new business.

• Leadership and People Development:
  • Motivate and lead a high-performance team; attract, recruit, and retain top talent aligned with FRDA’s mission, vision, and strategy.
  • Foster a success-oriented, accountable environment throughout the organization.
  • Hold managers accountable for compliance, execution, deliverables, and development of their teams.

• Security:
  • Liaise between internal operations and external customers, partners, and stakeholders.
  • Maintain close relationships with clients and industry partners to inform proactive strategy and ensure satisfaction.
  • Represent FRDA externally with professionalism and credibility.

• Cross-Functional Leadership and Alignment:
  • Build strong relationships with all internal team members and manage relationships with partners and clients.
  • Lead a data-driven culture, utilizing analytical and predictive insights to drive informed decision-making.
  • Ensure accountability and effective resource allocation across business units to support strategic priorities.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business or related field required.
• A minimum of 10 years of operational leadership experience in support of Department of Defense services or the intelligence community.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing finance, accounting, HR, contracts, and IT functions.
• Possess understanding of government contracting structures such as Cost-Plus, T&M, and Firm Fixed Price, along with the ability to forecast and manage program profitability within the constraints of FAR, DFARS, and audit requirements.
• Adept building scalable financial and operational systems, overseeing indirect rate structures, and aligning corporate budgets with long-term strategic objectives and contract pipelines.
• Strong familiarity with capture pipelines and the dynamics of backlog development and conversion, enabling the anticipation revenue trajectories, resource needs, and operational risks tied to bid activity and contract awards.
• Strong leadership, business acumen, and effective decision-making skills.
• Proven success leading multi-functional teams and implementing organizational change initiatives.
• Skilled in organizational development, personnel management, and budget and resource planning.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with the ability to partner effectively across executive and operational levels.
• Personal integrity, credibility, and commitment to the company's mission and values.
• Flexible and able to operate effectively within a dynamic, fast-moving environment while maintaining focus and resourcefulness.
• Integrate these responsibilities in a manner that ensures quality delivery and drives growth and scale to accelerate and deliver long term enterprise value.
• Active Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in business, management, or related field.
• Active Top Secret clearance or higher.