Construction · COO
Construction COO search
We recruit chief operating officers who turn growth into an operation that can keep up with it.
The role
Most companies hire a COO when growth outruns the systems
The founder or CEO is in too many decisions. Projects are bigger and further apart. The company is winning work it's nervous about delivering.
A good COO builds the operating structure that lets the company keep growing. They sit between the CEO's direction and the daily reality of the field, and they make one match the other.
Why it's hard
Why the COO hire is hard to get right
- They need field credibility and executive presence. A COO who's never run a job loses the operations team; one who can't face a bonding company limits the company.
- They have to add structure to a culture that runs on relationships and long memories, and keep the culture intact.
- They manage a portfolio. Every job is a temporary organization, and the COO keeps safety and margin steady across all of them.
- They have to complement your CEO. A big-picture CEO needs an operator. An operational CEO may need a systems builder. Getting the pairing wrong sinks plenty of COO hires.
What we look for
What a strong construction COO looks like
We test for four things, in interviews and in references from people who've worked under them.
- They've walked into operational disorder and built the systems that fixed it.
- They use metrics to hold people accountable and still walk the jobs.
- They hold the standard when the company is winning more work than it can staff.
- They develop project executives and division leaders, so the company never depends on one person.
How it works
How the search runs
The Bullseye Meeting
We meet the CEO, the owners and the leaders who'll work with the COO, and agree on the operational priorities, the decision rights and how the CEO and COO will split the work.
Mapped search
We approach proven construction operators, most of whom aren't looking, and make the case for why this company is worth a conversation.
Mutual-fit assessment
We assess systems-building, leadership and fit with your executive team, and we design the interviews to show how the COO and CEO will work together.
Onboard & follow through
We advise on the offer, title and scope, then stay in touch through the first 90 days, when the operating rhythm gets set.
Questions
Construction COO search: common questions
It depends on what the person will own. A COO usually runs the whole operation and partners with the CEO on strategy. A VP of Operations usually runs project delivery across the portfolio. We work out which seat you're hiring for in the Bullseye Meeting, before we go to market.
Typically one to three weeks to calibrate, candidate recommendations from around week four to week eight, and an offer to your top candidate between weeks eight and twelve for a leadership role or twelve and sixteen for an executive role. Searches finish faster when you're ready to move as soon as the right person surfaces.
You pay a deposit to launch the search, nothing more until you hire, a payment at hire, and a final payment thirty days after your new leader starts. Fees depend on the role, and we quote them plainly in the first conversation.
Every FireSeeds search carries a guarantee. If the placement doesn't work out within the agreed period, we re-run the search. The specifics are set out in the engagement letter before we start.
Ready to hire a COO?
Tell us about the seat you need to fill. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team to fill it.