COO / General Manager – Operations & Growth
Battery & Power Products Distributor — Toronto, Ontario
Full-Time | On-Site
About the Company
We are a growing Canadian distributor of stored energy and power products based in the Toronto area, serving commercial, industrial and consumer markets.
We are looking for an experienced, hands-on COO / General Manager to help lead the company through its next stage of growth.
This is not a traditional corporate COO position. The role requires someone who is comfortable operating hands-on in a growing business, solving day-to-day issues while simultaneously building the systems and management infrastructure needed to scale.
This is a senior leadership position in a privately owned, entrepreneurial company. The successful candidate will work closely with ownership and have significant responsibility and decision-making authority across operations, financial performance, systems, internal controls, compliance and business growth.
We are specifically looking for someone who has experience professionalizing and scaling a growing business, strengthening what already works, fixing what does not, and building the systems, controls and management infrastructure required for continued growth.
The Role
Take responsibility for the day-to-day performance of the business while helping build the operational and organizational foundation for its next stage of growth.
A major part of this role will be evaluating how the company currently operates and determining what needs to be improved, formalized, replaced, automated or built from the ground up.
This includes financial and operational controls, management reporting, purchasing, inventory, compliance, operating procedures, approval processes, technology, employee accountability and performance measurement.
You will have the authority and responsibility to make operational and financial decisions, implement new systems and processes, establish appropriate controls and ensure the company has the infrastructure required to scale.
We are looking for someone who knows how to build and implement better ones.
Key Responsibilities
Business Operations
- Take responsibility for the company's day-to-day operating performance.
- Oversee key functions including customer service, purchasing, inventory, logistics, warehouse operations and administration.
- Identify operational problems, determine root causes and implement solutions.
- Establish clear responsibilities, operating procedures and accountability throughout the organization.
- Make practical business decisions and ensure initiatives are carried through to completion.
- Ensure operations remain efficient, controlled and scalable as the business grows.
Systems, Processes & Scalability
Building and improving business systems will be a major part of this position.
- Evaluate existing business systems, processes and workflows.
- Identify weak, outdated, inefficient or missing processes and controls.
- Determine what should be improved, replaced, automated or created.
- Design and implement scalable operating systems and procedures.
- Develop and document SOPs for critical business functions.
- Establish appropriate approval processes, authorization levels and segregation of responsibilities.
- Evaluate existing software and technology and identify opportunities for better systems and automation.
- Lead the implementation of new systems and ensure they are properly adopted and maintained.
- Build infrastructure that allows the company to grow without unnecessary complexity or overhead.
- Continuously identify opportunities to simplify, automate and improve the way the company operates.
Financial Management & Decision-Making
- Take an active role in financial decision-making and responsibility for the financial performance of operations.
- Develop and manage operating budgets and forecasts.
- Monitor profitability, margins, expenses, cash flow, inventory and working capital.
- Review expenditures, purchasing decisions and capital requirements.
- Make informed resource-allocation decisions based on financial and operational priorities.
- Establish and maintain appropriate financial controls and approval processes.
- Identify financial risks, unnecessary costs and opportunities to improve profitability.
- Develop meaningful management reporting that provides clear visibility into business performance.
- Work closely with ownership, accounting staff and outside accountants on financial planning and reporting.
The successful candidate must have a strong understanding of business finance and be comfortable analyzing financial information and making financially significant decisions.
Internal Controls & Risk Management
- Review existing financial and operational controls and identify weaknesses or gaps.
- Establish appropriate controls around purchasing, inventory, payments, expenses, system access and other critical business functions.
- Establish clear approval authorities and appropriate checks and balances.
- Ensure responsibilities and authority levels are clearly defined.
- Develop processes to reduce operational, financial and compliance risk.
- Establish methods for monitoring whether controls and procedures are being followed.
- Regularly review and update controls as the company grows and changes.
Compliance
- Develop and maintain a structured approach to the company's compliance obligations.
- Ensure appropriate policies, procedures, documentation and controls are in place.
- Establish systems for tracking filings, renewals, licences, inspections, policies and other recurring requirements.
- Assign clear responsibility and accountability for compliance obligations.
- Coordinate with accountants, lawyers, insurance professionals and other outside advisors where specialized expertise is required.
- Ensure compliance systems remain current as the company's operations grow and evolve.
U.S.–Canada Cross-Border Operations
Cross-border business between Canada and the United States is an important part of our operations.
- Oversee and improve processes supporting business and trade between Canada and the United States.
- Ensure appropriate systems and controls are in place for cross-border purchasing, sales, payments, shipping and inventory movements.
- Understand the operational and financial implications of conducting business in both countries.
- Coordinate with customs brokers, freight providers, accountants, legal counsel, tax advisors and other professional advisors.
- Ensure appropriate processes are maintained for customs, duties, import/export documentation, tax requirements and regulatory obligations.
- Identify opportunities to improve cross-border logistics, costs and operational efficiency.
- Help build the systems and organizational structure required to support continued growth in both Canadian and U.S. markets.
Purchasing, Inventory & Working Capital
- Oversee purchasing and supplier relationships.
- Manage inventory levels while balancing product availability and working capital.
- Improve inventory accuracy, forecasting and replenishment processes.
- Identify opportunities to improve purchasing terms, supplier performance and landed costs.
- Develop appropriate reporting and controls around inventory and purchasing.
Performance Management & Reporting
- Establish meaningful KPIs across the business.
- Develop regular management reporting and dashboards.
- Create clear visibility into financial and operational performance.
- Establish measurable objectives for departments and key employees.
- Identify negative trends and operational issues early and take corrective action.
- Provide ownership with clear, accurate and actionable information about business performance.
People & Organizational Development
- Lead and manage employees and supervisors.
- Establish clear responsibilities, expectations and accountability.
- Identify organizational gaps and determine where additional management or specialized expertise is required.
- Recruit and develop key employees.
- Build a professional, productive and accountable workplace.
- Develop an organizational structure capable of supporting a larger and more complex business.
Growth & Business Optimization
- Work closely with ownership to develop and execute growth initiatives.
- Determine what systems, people and infrastructure are required to support continued growth.
- Identify operational bottlenecks before they become constraints.
- Ensure financial and operational controls evolve appropriately as the company grows.
- Identify opportunities to improve margins, productivity and return on working capital.
- Evaluate where additional people, technology, equipment or infrastructure are justified.
- Translate strategic objectives into practical operating plans and ensure they are executed.
Who We're Looking For
We are looking for an experienced business operator and builder, not simply an administrator.
The ideal candidate has previously helped a privately held, entrepreneurial or small-to-mid-sized company become more structured, controlled and scalable.
You may currently or previously have been a:
- GM
- VP of Operations
- Director of Operations
- COO of a smaller company
- President or General Manager of a privately held business
- Senior finance and operations leader with broad operating responsibility
We are less concerned with your exact title than with what you have actually built, improved and accomplished.
Experience & Qualifications
Strong candidates should have demonstrated experience in several of the following areas:
- Managing a small-to-mid-sized business or business unit.
- Successfully helping scale a growing company.
- Building or significantly improving business systems and processes.
- Establishing financial and operational controls.
- P&L responsibility and financial decision-making.
- Budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and management reporting.
- Inventory and working-capital management.
- Implementing SOPs, KPIs and accountability systems.
- Compliance and risk-management processes.
- Managing employees and developing organizational structure.
- Selecting or implementing business software, technology and automation.
- Distribution, wholesale, e-commerce, industrial products or another operationally complex business.
- Managing or supporting business operations in both Canada and the United States.
- Cross-border trade, logistics and commercial operations.
- Working with customs brokers, freight providers, accountants, legal counsel and other professional advisors.
CPA designation is considered a strong asset, but is not required.
Candidates with a financial or accounting background must also demonstrate significant hands-on operational leadership and general business management experience.
Experience helping build, professionalize or scale a privately held or entrepreneurial business is particularly valuable.
Experience in batteries, electronics, electrical products, automotive components, industrial products, power systems or energy storage would be beneficial but is not required.
The Person We're Looking For
The ideal candidate is:
- Hands-on and practical.
- Financially sophisticated and commercially minded.
- Comfortable making independent decisions.
- Strong at creating structure from ambiguity.
- Experienced in building systems and controls.
- Able to identify weaknesses without waiting to be told where the problems are.
- Comfortable challenging existing processes and implementing better ones.
- Able to move between detailed operational issues and high-level financial and strategic decisions.
- Comfortable working directly with employees, suppliers, customers and outside professional advisors.
- Highly accountable for results.
- Experienced in a privately owned or entrepreneurial environment.
- Motivated by building and improving a company rather than simply maintaining the status quo.
Most importantly, we are looking for someone who can walk into an existing business, understand how it works, determine what needs to change, and then build and implement the systems necessary to make the company stronger, more controlled and more scalable.
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to have a significant impact on an established and growing business.
You will work directly with ownership and have substantial authority to improve how the company operates.
This is not a narrowly defined corporate management position. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to influence operations, financial performance, systems, controls, organizational structure and the future direction of the company.
For the right person, there is significant opportunity to grow with the business and take on increasing responsibility as the company expands.
Compensation
Competitive senior-management compensation consisting of base salary and performance-based incentive compensation, commensurate with experience.
Additional long-term incentives may be available for an exceptional candidate.
Location
Toronto, Ontario
This is a hands-on, on-site leadership position.
How to Apply
Please submit your resume along with a brief description of your experience building, improving or scaling a business.
We are particularly interested in specific examples of:
- Systems or processes you personally built or significantly improved.
- Financial or operational controls you implemented.
- Businesses or operations you helped scale.
- Improvements you made to profitability, working capital or operational efficiency.
- The measurable impact your work had on the organization.
Pay: $175,000.00-$195,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
