COO – Regional Operations — Enterprise-Software Suite

The mandate

A multinational-owned enterprise-software suite delivers across regions using incompatible operating models. Customer onboarding, support, professional services, partners and product operations follow different definitions and accountabilities, producing uneven execution. A global go-to-market redesign now requires one regional operating system that can scale without suppressing justified market difference.

The COO – Regional Operations will steward activity supporting approximately €2,150 million in annual recurring revenue and lead around 950 employees and material partners. Scope includes regional delivery, customer operations, implementation, service management, capacity, quality, productivity, partners, operating governance and talent. Formal accountability runs to the Group Chief Executive or the executive committee sponsor nominated for regional delivery.

The first requirement is a comparable service baseline. Demand, backlog, lead time, completion, defects, incidents, customer effort, capacity and cost should be reconciled across sites and channels. The COO will expose where differences reflect customer or regulatory needs and where they come from historical process, local tooling or unclear ownership.

One operating system should define outcomes and interfaces rather than mandate identical methods. Customer commitments, implementation, support, escalation and renewal need common owners and service measures. Local teams can adapt the method when consequence demands it, but exceptions require evidence, cost and an accountable decision.

The go-to-market redesign must be operationally feasible. Segment coverage, partner routes, pricing and customer promises should connect to skilled capacity and service economics before launch. Commercial momentum cannot create hidden delivery obligations. A contract-to-capacity gate should reveal implementation and support consequence.

Service reliability will be managed end to end. Product, engineering, delivery and customer operations need a common view of incidents, recurring causes and remediation. Regional operations should not absorb product defects through manual effort so effectively that upstream investment remains unfunded.

Scalable capacity requires a portfolio of options. Hiring, location, partners, automation, workflow redesign and demand reduction each carry speed, quality, cash and knowledge implications. The COO will allocate based on customer need and uncertainty. Utilisation targets should not encourage queueing or discourage critical reliability work.

Productivity will be measured through flow and durable completion. Rework, transfers, waiting and failed hand-offs often matter more than individual activity. The leader will simplify governance and remove reconciliations that consume expert time without changing a decision.

Partners should operate inside the same customer and control framework. Contracts, skill, quality, data handling, economics and knowledge transfer need evidence. A lower rate is not a benefit when failures or client management add cost elsewhere.

The regional organisation will be reshaped around service and market accountabilities. The COO will assess leaders, clarify site and functional roles and build succession. A single review will join delivery, customer, cash, risk and people so deviations trigger action early.

Why this seat is open

An accelerated transition has created an urgent replacement. Interim ownership protects current delivery, but the global go-to-market redesign cannot remain under split operational authority. The board seeks appointment within six to eight weeks through a confidential search.

What you will own

• Establish comparable delivery and service facts across the region.
• Steward operations supporting approximately €2,150 million of annual recurring revenue.
• Create one operating system with governed local exceptions.
• Link go-to-market commitments to capacity and service economics.
• Lead approximately 950 employees and material partners.
• Improve reliability through shared end-to-end ownership.
• Release scalable capacity through flow, automation and demand reduction.
• Strengthen site leadership, partner governance and succession.

The first 12 months

In the first 90 days, reconcile the regional baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders closest to incompatible delivery and assess leaders. Stabilise critical service risk. Agree operating standards, exception rights and capacity gates with the board.

Months four to nine should implement the common cadence, remove priority hand-offs and align partners. Put the go-to-market gate into use, fill leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable capacity or customer improvement.

At twelve months, one operating system, service reliability and scalable capacity should be evidenced across the region. Results must remain within 10% of approval, supported by three forecasts aligning demand, delivery, cash, customers and people. Severe service deviations require an owned decision inside 30 days.

What the board will measure

• Comparable outcomes and governed variation across sites and channels.
• Reliability, resolution and customer effort improving end to end.
• Commercial commitments accepted only with available service capacity.
• Capacity released through lower rework, waiting and repeat demand.
• Retention above 90% for pivotal talent and ready succession for 70% of direct reports.
• Partner delivery meeting the same quality, control and economics standards.

The person

You are a Regional COO, Operations President or Delivery Executive with 22–28 years in technology or an adjacent service enterprise. You have held end-to-end delivery accountability across multiple sites, channels or markets with quantified service and cost outcomes.

Your accountable P&L, book, budget or portfolio has been at least €1,250 million, and you have led 950 or more people. Evidence should show a common operating model sustained over two reporting periods.

You understand enterprise software delivery, service economics and regional governance. You can distinguish valuable local adaptation from avoidable variation and challenge commercial promises without losing customer or leadership followership.

Compensation and terms

Base pay is €330,000–450,000 plus annual incentive and LTI. The permanent role is onsite in Amsterdam and supports international relocation. Notice of up to six months can be managed.

Confidentiality

The company, predecessor, regional footprint and service evidence are protected. Identity will be shared after a confidential fit discussion under mutual terms; scale and circumstances are rounded.