Position: Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Location: New York, NY (Hybrid/In-Person)
Contract Type: Full-Time
Clearance: Not required (ability to obtain is a plus)
Compensation: Competitive executive salary + performance incentives + equity participation (milestone-based)
Job Summary
Our team is seeking a highly structured, execution-first Chief Operating Officer (COO) to build and run the operating system of a fast-growing maritime unmanned aerial systems (UAS) company based in New York.
The COO will own day-to-day operations and delivery excellence—leading program execution, operational scaling, process design, manufacturing readiness, and cross-functional performance. This leader will partner closely with the CEO and technical leadership to ensure our team delivers reliable, mission-ready systems to defense and commercial maritime customers.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Execution & Scaling
- Own day-to-day operations across engineering execution, program management, testing, deployment, and field operations.
- Build scalable processes for R&D cadence, productization, manufacturing readiness, QA, and continuous improvement.
- Establish performance rhythms (KPIs, OKRs, operating reviews) to drive accountability and speed.
Program & Delivery Leadership
- Ensure programs meet schedule, cost, and performance requirements across customer deliverables.
- Lead program management, risk management, configuration control, and milestone execution.
- Improve operational reliability and mission performance through disciplined testing and feedback loops.
Team & Infrastructure Building
- Build and lead high-performing teams across operations, program management, supply chain, and field support.
- Stand up operational infrastructure—facilities, vendors, suppliers, tools, and documentation systems.
- Develop hiring plans, onboarding, and leadership development to support rapid growth.
Financial & Resource Management
- Partner with finance to manage budgets, forecasting, burn-rate discipline, and resource allocation.
- Optimize cost structure, supplier relationships, and operational efficiency without sacrificing quality.
- Support contract execution requirements and reporting for government and commercial programs.
Compliance & Readiness
- Ensure compliance with UAS regulations, export controls, and applicable defense contracting expectations.
- Establish operational readiness for customer audits, cybersecurity requirements, and supply chain traceability.
- Support safety, reliability, and documentation standards suitable for maritime and defense environments.
Qualifications
Required
- Senior operations leadership experience (COO, VP Operations, VP Programs, GM, or similar) in defense, aerospace, robotics, autonomy, or advanced manufacturing.
- Strong track record of scaling operations in a technical environment—taking products from development into deployment.
- Demonstrated excellence in program execution, process building, and cross-functional leadership.
- Experience managing complex engineering programs with external customers and high accountability.
Preferred
- Experience with maritime operations, naval environments, or shipboard integration/testing.
- Familiarity with defense program execution and compliance (FAR/DFARS, OTA, IDIQ, SBIR/STTR).
- Exposure to ISR platforms, autonomy, AI-enabled sensing, and advanced sensor payload integration.
- Experience building supply chains for hardware + software integrated systems.
Key Leadership Attributes
- High ownership and operational rigor—builds systems that scale.
- Calm, decisive execution under ambiguity and time pressure.
- Strong cross-functional leader who earns trust from technical teams and customers.
- Process-minded, metrics-driven, and mission-oriented.
Location & Travel
This role is based in New York with periodic travel required for testing, deployments, customer meetings, and partner sites.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pacgroupllc/