Chief Operating Officer - (F/M)

Created in 2009, ESSP is a young and dynamic pan‑European service provider, certified by EASA and operating on behalf of the EUSPA to provide safety‑critical communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) services.

Position Overview

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will coordinate and align operational units—System Operations, Service Provision, Compliance Management, and Service Managers—to ensure effective coordination, structure, and coherence in day‑to‑day operations.

Core Responsibilities

• Reinforce transversal coordination between the operational units, ensuring consistent delivery and alignment across all units.
• Oversee service delivery, system operations, and operational compliance.
• Manage operational risks, incidents, and escalations.
• Supervise complex multi‑unit projects, optimizing costs and seeking efficiency and synergies.
• Support implementation of standards and audits.
• Drive operational efficiency and continuous improvement.
• Anticipate and prepare for future technical developments.

How to Achieve the Responsibilities

• Report and work closely with the CEO on technical, critical, and strategic operational issues.
• Collaborate with the three operational directors to harmonise resources and support unit management.
• Work with the CFO and Strategy & Business Development Unit to align operational execution with company objectives and financial performance.
• Support the System Operations Unit and Service Provision Unit with technical improvement methods.
• Supervise Service Managers, ensuring delivery, quality, and compliance with standards across all service lines.
• Ensure Service Managers coordinate with Key Account Managers and Strategy & Business Development to align operational priorities with customer and market needs.
• Coordinate with the Compliance Management Unit to adhere to certifications and standards, oversee audits, and support findings closure.
• Assist the Compliance Management Unit on corporate improvements related to the operating system (security, quality management, project & service control, risks, and business continuity).
• Identify and address operational risks, serving as the main escalation point between units and services to anticipate issues and de‑risk execution.

Generic Skills

• Ability to manage and organise multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to manage a plurality of stakeholders.
• Leadership and autonomy.
• Team and corporate spirit.
• Ability to share, listen, communicate, reconcile, and report.
• Pragmatism, rigor, and organisation.
• Very good priority management.
• Ability to anticipate and be proactive.
• Creativity and out‑of‑box thinking.
• Customer‑service oriented.
• Facilitation of internal collaboration.
• Proficient with Microsoft suites (MS Office, MS Project, etc.).
• Strong command of English (B2–C1).

Specific Skills

• Knowledge of ESSP services (scope and types).
• Knowledge of the stakeholder landscape.
• Basic knowledge of satellite‑system architecture.
• Decision‑making in complex, risk‑laden contexts.
• Operational decision‑making under urgent conditions.
• Ability to accompany business transformations and show initiative.
• Financial management—optimising organisational and cost structures.

Job Requirements

• Engineering degree or equivalent.
• At least ten years of team‑management and transversal‑coordination experience in the aeronautical or aerospace domain, or COO experience in an operations and service delivery company.
• Experience in risk management, operational compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Availability for regular travel within Europe, subject to minimum presence during normal vacation periods (July/August, Christmas, February, Easter).
• Financial and contractual experience.

Remuneration Package

• Variable component: bonuses based on objectives.
• Teleworking.
• Tickets restaurant (card).
• Family health insurance.
• Sustainable mobility package: reimbursement for home‑to‑office travel when using car sharing or bicycling.
• Reimbursement of part of the public transport subscription.

Location

Toulouse (France) / Madrid (Spain)

Contract Type

Full time – Permanent Contract

Equal Opportunity Statement

ESSP is committed to cultural diversity, gender equality, and the employment of disabled workers.