Chief Operating Officer (COO)

LMSI dba Lighthouse Lab Services • Charlotte, NC

1d

About The Position

The Enterprise Chief Operating Officer will lead Lighthouse Lab Services’ operating model and ensure reliable customer delivery, scalable processes, strong quality and compliance, and consistent operating performance across the business. The COO will work with Finance and Commercial executives to support operational and financial performance—including productivity, margins, cash conversion, and working capital—and align people, processes, systems, and resources for profitable growth and long-term success.

As Lighthouse strengthens coordination and consistency across its service lines, the COO will improve how the business operates while preserving its agility and entrepreneurial spirit. Serving as the CEO’s principal operating partner, the COO will drive accountability, develop operating leaders, and build capabilities to support a substantially larger organization.

The role leads enterprise operations, customer delivery, operating economics, process improvement, quality and compliance, operating talent, continuous improvement, technology enablement, and acquisition diligence and integration. The position is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is preferred, and reports to the Chief Executive Officer.

Requirements

• Experience leading multi-site, multi-service operations with significant P&L accountability.
• Demonstrated success improving service delivery, operating efficiency, quality, and margins while scaling a business.
• Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to translate strategy into operating plans, measurable results, and sustainable performance improvements.
• Experience leading organizational change, standardizing processes, and building scalable operating systems without sacrificing customer service or agility.
• Hands-on experience with continuous improvement, Lean methodologies, or similar approaches to operational excellence.
• Demonstrated success leading acquisition integration, including operational diligence, Day 1 readiness, and post-close stabilization.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to align teams and influence across the organization, executive leadership, and the Board.
• Data-driven approach to decision-making, problem-solving, and performance management.
• Collaborative, people-centered leadership; a track record of building strong teams, developing leaders, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and creating an environment where team members feel valued, supported, and accountable.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team on cross-functional decisions, competing priorities, and enterprise performance.
• Represent Lighthouse with the Board, sponsors, critical customers, and partners, and provide operating leadership during the CEO’s absence when appropriate.
• Design and implement the enterprise operating model, including service-line ownership, decision rights, organizational structure, standard processes, management cadence, and escalation procedures.
• Oversee customer delivery from commercial handoff through onboarding, implementation, service delivery, issue resolution, recovery, and renewal support.
• Establish consistent root-cause identification and corrective-action processes.
• Partner with Finance and service-line leaders to improve gross margins, labor productivity, utilization, cost to serve, procurement, vendor spend, rework, and field productivity.
• Drive operating performance that supports profitability, cash conversion, working capital discipline, and efficient resource use.
• Develop processes, systems, automation, management structures, and reporting to support growth while controlling overhead and operational complexity.
• Integrate quality, compliance, and risk management into daily operations, including regulatory compliance, documentation, training, corrective action, and risk management practices.
• Assess and develop operating leaders, strengthen management capabilities, establish accountability, and build succession plans.
• Lead the enterprise operating system and partner with Transformation on Lean and continuous improvement initiatives; embed improvement in routine management and everyday work.
• Partner with IT and Technology to identify and implement workflow automation, AI, digital customer experience, improved data visibility, and productivity solutions supported by business cases.
• Lead operational due diligence and post-acquisition integration across people, processes, facilities, systems, quality, customer continuity, and operating performance.
• Establish Day 1 readiness and 100-day integration plans, track synergy realization, and ensure acquired businesses are integrated effectively while maintaining service continuity and financial performance.
• Implement a future-state operating model and clear accountability, an enterprise operations scorecard, and a monthly business review cadence.
• Implement standardized commercial-to-operations handoffs, a gross margin and productivity improvement roadmap, customer escalation and corrective-action processes, and capacity planning and resource models.
• Complete operating leadership assessments and development priorities, integrate quality and compliance into routine management, prioritize technology and automation by business impact and ROI, and execute accountable acquisition integration plans.

Benefits

• Competitive executive base salary and performance-based annual incentive, with compensation reflecting experience, role scope, and market requirements.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid time off.
• Paid holidays.
• Volunteer time off.
• Other company-sponsored benefits in accordance with applicable policies and benefit plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed