Chief Operating Officer

Job Description

Job Description

GadellNet Consulting Services is a team of exceptional IT specialists who provide critical IT solutions and support to small and mid-sized businesses across St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Denver. We treat our clients' missions as our own, and we're looking for a Chief Operating Officer who will bring that same ownership to how GadellNet runs. 

GadellNet is growing across three markets, and the next chapter depends on efficient and growth-minded operational leadership. Our CEO sets the vision for where the company is headed. As Chief Operation Officer, you lead the effort
to make that vision real for our clients and the roughly 85 percent of the company that sits in Operations. You will work side by side with our Integrator, the leader responsible for aligning teams, priorities and execution across the company.  Your role will be to turn strategic direction into a clear operating plan and ensure progress against key goals every quarter. If you are energized by leading a large operation, building leaders, and being a trusted partner at the executive table, this is that seat. 

Key Areas of Responsibility:  

Operational leadership: 
Strengthen day-to-day operations across service delivery, project management, procurement, and cybersecurity, rebuilding confidence and consistency across the leadership team. 

Vision to execution: Take the CEO's vision and, alongside the Integrator, translate it into quarterly Rocks, scorecard measurables, and operating plans that the Operations leadership team can run. Make the vision concrete and consistent for every Operations leader and individual contributor, and harmonize it with the leadership team's day-to-day execution. 

Technical and operational excellence: Identify and implement quarterly, annual, and long-term priorities to elevate and instill technical and operational excellence across Operations. Establish principles of self-reliance and accountability throughout leadership and individual contributors. 

Unit economics: Own the cost-to-serve and labor economics of Operations: capacity, utilization, and staffing models by role, with clearly defined rehiring points for every role in the company. Partner with the Integrator to make these the basis for staffing and pricing decisions. 

Scaling the team: Build the systems, structure, and bench strength needed to sustain a high-performing technical services team as GadellNet grows across markets. 

Performance & accountability: Establish and monitor KPIs that measure operational effectiveness, service quality, customer satisfaction, and profitability, and act decisively when metrics call for it. Run LMA (Lead, Manage, hold Accountable) for the Operations leadership team and expect the same from every leader in the seat. 

Customer experience: Ensure consistently excellent client experience across all markets, in close partnership with the CXO and the client-facing teams. 

Executive partnership: Partner closely with the CEO, Integrator, and the rest of the Executive Team to set and deliver on short
and long-term company goals. Bring forward challenges, risks, and opportunities with transparency, participate in productive leadership discussions, and help ensure the organization moves forward with clear priorities and shared commitment.  Work in partnership with our Integrator, who aligns teams and priorities across the company, while leading Operations to execute plans, achieve goals and drive results.  

Culture: Build a culture of transparency, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement, and model it personally. 

Executive Qualifications:  

Proven operating leadership: Demonstrated success leading operations at a senior level (COO, VP Operations, General Manager, or comparable) in a fast-growing, service
or technology-driven organization. IT/MSP experience is a strong plus, though it is not a requirement. 

Operational and technical depth:
A track record of building, developing, and scaling high-performing teams with enough technical fluency in IT services, project delivery, or cybersecurity to lead credibly and make sound calls. 

Structured operating discipline:
Familiarity with EOS or a comparable operating framework (Traction, Scaling Up) is a strong plus; at minimum, real comfort operating inside a structured, metrics-driven system with a Visionary and an Integrator at the top. 

Authentic leadership and followership: You are a credible and influential leader with experience guiding large teams through growth and change. By building trust, communicating transparently, and fostering accountability, you help teams stay engaged and achieve ambitious goals. 

Executive presence:
Comfortable in a room of any size, with any and all stakeholders.
Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to build credibility in one-on-one, small group and large audience settings and represent GadellNet confidently at industry and community events. 

Trust-builder: The judgment and steadiness to build trust with a team coming out of transition, balanced with the courage to drive meaningful change once that trust is established. 

Strategic and analytical: Sharp analytical instincts paired with the ability to zoom out to strategy and back into the details that matter, including a working command of labor-cost unit economics. 

Strong communicator and collaborator:
A track record of resolving conflict, aligning stakeholders, and negotiating effectively across functions and markets. A genuine team player on the executive team who makes the group healthier by being in it. 

Hungry, with a sustainable pace: Eager to put in the work and hold a high bar, and equally serious about protecting work-life balance for yourself and your team. 

Mission-driven: Genuine enthusiasm for using technology and operational excellence to power our clients' missions. 

Experience & Requirements:  

• 5+ years of progressive operations leadership, including 5+ years at the Vice President level or above with P&L accountability. 

• 5+ years in a managed services provider or comparable recurring-revenue professional services firm; MSP experience strongly preferred. 

• Proven command of labor-cost unit economics, including capacity, utilization, and staffing models. 

• Experience running a company on EOS or a comparable operating system preferred; experience reporting to or working alongside an Integrator is a plus. 

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience. MBA or master's preferred. Lean Six Sigma is a plus. 
• Must be located within the Denver, St. Louis, and Indianapolis areas. 

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