Chief Operating Officer

About Roberts Civil Engineering

Your success is our mission at Roberts Civil Engineering and that starts with our employees. We are made up of talented, responsive people that work with the utmost precision.

Our core values include integrity, efficiency, kindness, and excellence. We take pride in doing our very best at every task regardless of the size and exhibit a “can do” mentality during a challenge. The team treats others with the highest respect. We build others with positive conversation, frequent affirmation, and encouragement.

Our work atmosphere promotes a work/life balance and our employees frequently say this is the best environment in which they have worked. 

About the role

Roberts Civil Engineering is seeking a full time Chief Operating Officer (COO) in our St. Simons Island office to provide strategic and operational leadership across finance, business development, and company operations. The COO will translate the President’s vision and strategic priorities into actionable plans, measurable results, and scalable business practices while ensuring the organization operates efficiently and effectively. This role will strengthen financial stewardship, operational performance, and business development efforts while partnering closely with divisional and functional leaders across the company.

The candidate awarded this position will...

Tactical Work

Operating Cadence and Firm Performance Management 

• Establish and maintain an effective operating cadence, including annual planning, quarterly business reviews, and regular leadership performance reviews.
• Maintain company performance measures and scorecards across financial, business development, operational, and client-service objectives.
• Monitor company-wide priorities, ensuring clear ownership, timelines, accountability, and follow-through.
• Evaluate business processes and implement practical improvements that increase efficiency, consistency, and accountability.
• Coordinate cross-functional initiatives and escalate significant risks, barriers, or decisions requiring executive attention.
• Communicate operational changes, policies, and priorities clearly and consistently across the organization. 

Finance Execution 

• Lead the annual budgeting and forecasting process and regularly review performance against established financial targets.
• Monitor cash flow, accounts receivable, work in progress, backlog, revenue, expenses, and project profitability to identify trends and areas requiring action.
• Provide company leaders with clear financial reporting and support appropriate corrective action when performance falls outside established targets.
• Coordinate key banking, insurance, audit, tax, and other financial-administration relationships in partnership with the President and appropriate internal and external resources.
• Maintain appropriate financial controls, approval authorities, purchasing practices, and contract review processes.

Business Development Execution 

• Maintain visibility into the company’s business development pipeline, including opportunity value, probability, next steps, and accountable leaders.
• Facilitate regular pipeline and pursuit reviews and support informed go/no-go decisions.
• Coordinate with technical leaders and marketing resources to strengthen pursuit planning, proposal strategy, client follow-up, and overall consistency.
• Monitor business development performance and identify opportunities to strengthen client relationships, market positioning, and pursuit effectiveness.
• Incorporate client feedback and lessons learned into business development and operational improvements.

Strategic Work

Enterprise Strategy and Executive Leadership 

• Partner with the President and company leadership to establish and execute RCE’s strategic plan, annual priorities, and long-range growth objectives.
• Translate company strategy into clear operating priorities, financial objectives, performance measures, and organizational accountabilities.
• Assess business performance, organizational capacity, market opportunities, and enterprise risks to support informed executive decision-making.
• Align finance, business development, operations, technology, and organizational resources with the company’s strategic direction.
• Lead significant cross-functional initiatives and organizational changes necessary to support RCE’s continued growth.

Financial Leadership and Stewardship 

• Establish the company’s long-term financial framework, including budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow planning, investment priorities, and financial performance expectations.
• Analyze revenue, backlog, utilization, profitability, overhead, receivables, and other key financial indicators to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Establish financial targets and performance expectations that support sustainable growth and healthy margins.
• Provide the President and leadership team with financial insights, scenario analysis, and recommendations to guide business decisions.
• Partner with technical and divisional leaders on pricing, fee strategy, project economics, and resource decisions to support profitable growth.

Business Development and Growth 

• Develop and oversee RCE’s business development strategy in alignment with revenue goals, geographic priorities, target markets, and service lines.
• Establish consistent expectations and accountability for relationship development, opportunity qualification, pursuit decisions, and client follow-up.
• Evaluate pipeline health, win rates, backlog, client concentration, and business development effectiveness to guide investment and growth decisions.
• Strengthen strategic relationships with key clients, partners, and community and industry stakeholders.
• Align business development goals with operational capacity to ensure growth is profitable, sustainable, and deliverable.

Operational Strategy and Scalability 

• Develop and continually strengthen an operating model that supports consistent execution as RCE grows across offices, markets, and service areas.
• Drive continuous improvement of company-wide workflows, policies, systems, and management practices.
• Establish performance measures that provide leadership with visibility into operational health, efficiency, and organizational performance.
• Evaluate organizational structure, resources, systems, and decision-making processes and recommend changes as business needs evolve.
• Ensure technology, facilities, administrative resources, and key vendors remain aligned with RCE’s operational and growth needs.
• Strengthen organizational resilience through appropriate risk management, business continuity planning, internal controls, and operational safeguards.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, engineering, construction management, or a related field required; MBA or other relevant advanced degree preferred. 

• Ten or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience across operations, finance, business development, or general management; executive-level experience strongly preferred. 

• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow awareness, management reporting, and profitability analysis. 

• Experience leading business development strategy, pipeline management, client growth, and pursuit discipline. 

• Experience in the architecture, engineering, construction, professional services, or a similarly project-based environment strongly preferred. 

• Working knowledge of enterprise technology, cybersecurity risk, business systems, vendor management, and office operations. 

• Excellent analytical, communication, negotiation, and leadership skills. 

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times
• Must be able to travel to various project sites
• Must be able to access and navigate job sites and construction areas