Overview
Chief Operations Officer Jobs in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia at GWG Recruitment
Title: Chief Operations Officer
Company: GWG Recruitment
Location: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Lead People. Drive Change. Scale a High-Performing Design & Construct Business – not your average Operations Leadership Role!
About the Opportunity
GWG Recruitment is proud to be partnering with a highly regarded Newcastle-based Design & Construct organisation as they seek an exceptional Chief Operations Officer to join their Executive Leadership Team.
- Join the Executive Leadership Team of a respected and growing Design & Construct business
- Lead high-performing Design & Delivery teams through the next stage of growth
- Own continuous improvement, innovation and operational excellence across the business
While you'll bring a strong understanding of construction and project delivery, your greatest strength will be your ability to lead people, build capability and create an environment where high-performing teams thrive.
With a well-established reputation, strong organic growth and an impressive pipeline of work, the business has reached an exciting point in its journey. Their sales and client engagement functions continue to grow, and they are now seeking a strategic leader who can scale the Design & Delivery function to support the next phase of sustainable growth.
You'll lead teams across design and construction while taking ownership of continuous improvement, operational excellence and leadership development across the business.
About Our Client
Our client has built an outstanding reputation by delivering high-quality commercial projects throughout the region.
Unlike many businesses in the industry, the majority of their work is secured through long-standing relationships, referrals and repeat clients – not competitive tendering. Their reputation has been built on trust, quality and consistently delivering exceptional outcomes.
With continued growth comes new opportunity, and they're looking for a leader who can ensure their people, systems and processes continue to evolve alongside the business.
About the Role
This is a genuine leadership role.
You'll be responsible for leading and developing multidisciplinary teams across project management, contract administration, site management, architecture, design and estimating.
Success won't be measured by how many problems you solve personally.
Instead, you'll be measured by the capability you build, the confidence you create and the environment you foster, one where their great people consistently deliver outstanding outcomes.
As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, you'll balance strategic thinking with operational execution while ensuring the business continues to improve, innovate and scale.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, mentor and develop multidisciplinary Design & Delivery teams
- Drive operational excellence through continuous improvement initiatives
- Identify bottlenecks and implement scalable systems and processes
- Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture focused on accountability and trust
- Partner with Project Managers to ensure projects are delivered safely, profitably and to exceptional standards
- Strengthen capability across the business through coaching, mentoring and leadership development
- Work closely with the Executive Leadership Team to support strategic business objectives
- Maintain strong relationships with clients, consultants and key stakeholders
- Champion innovation, simplicity and continuous improvement across the organisation
- Ensure commercial, quality and safety outcomes remain front of mind across all projects
About You
You're an experienced operational leader who understands that your role isn't to be the smartest technical person in the room, but to create an environment where others can perform at their very best.
You're humble, emotionally intelligent and genuinely enjoy helping people succeed. You build trust quickly, communicate openly and confidently lead teams through change while bringing people with you.
You'll likely bring:
- Tertiary Qualifications in relevant fields (Construction, Civil Engineering, Architecture)
- Extensive leadership experience within construction, design or project delivery environments
- Strong understanding of construction and design principles, with the credibility to lead technical professionals
- Executive-level communication skills with experience influencing diverse stakeholders
- Strong commercial acumen with demonstrable experience improving operational performance and profitability
- Demonstrated success leading organisational change, process improvement and business transformation
- The ability to build high-performing teams through coaching, mentoring and capability uplift
- A collaborative leadership style built on trust, accountability and respect
Leadership qualifications, project management certifications or formal change management training will be highly regarded.
What Next?
If you’re a C-Level leader who leads with humility, authenticity, takes ownership of continuous improvement and you’re ready to shape the future of our client’s business while leading exceptional people through its next phase of growth, we'd love to hear from you.
For a confidential discussion, contact Alan Kinder [email protected] or Julie Gearie – [email protected] or 02 4905 0130 of GWG Recruitment today or apply via the link below.
As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to building inclusive and respectful workplaces, strengthened by diversity and encourage applications from First Nations Peoples, all genders, those from culturally diverse backgrounds, LGBTIQA+ community and people with disability, of all ages and backgrounds. We strive to provide a barrier free and equitable recruitment experience. If you do require an adjustment during the recruitment process, please contact your consultant via the phone number or email above.
