Chief Operating Officer

Cary Estate Planning•Cary, NC

17h•Hybrid

About The Position

Cary Estate Planning is a 43-person, three-office firm that uniquely combines estate planning law, tax planning and preparation, and wealth management under one roof. This integration is their competitive edge but also presents an operational challenge. The firm is seeking a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to manage the day-to-day operations, enabling the founder to focus on practice and vision, and to support continued growth. The COO will be responsible for people, process, finance, technology, and client experience across all offices and service lines. They will build the firm's operating system, including meetings, scorecards, and accountability structures, and will be accountable for the firm's P&L. This is a growth-oriented role, not a turnaround situation.

Requirements

7+ years of progressive operations leadership experience.
Experience in a senior operations role at a growth-stage organization.
Direct P&L ownership.
Strong financial fluency, including budgeting, forecasting, and margin management.
Proven track record of building scalable systems and processes.
People leadership experience across multiple functions and/or locations.
Fluency with modern operational technology, automation, and AI tools.
Ability to regularly work on-site at the Cary, NC headquarters, with some WFH/Hybrid flexibility.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent operating experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience in professional services (law, tax, accounting, financial services), healthcare, or another regulated or multi-site environment.
Experience implementing a structured operating system (e.g., EOS / Integrator model).
Multi-location management experience.
Exposure to M&A, integrations, or new-location launches.
MBA or comparable business training.

Responsibilities

Serve as the founder's operating partner, translating vision and strategy into priorities, owners, and deadlines.
Own the firm's day-to-day operations end-to-end across three offices and three service lines (legal, tax, wealth), with plans for expansion.
Build and run the firm's operating cadence, including leadership meetings, scorecards, and quarterly planning.
Own and improve the cross-service-line client journey to ensure seamless handoffs between legal, tax, and wealth teams.
Standardize and document the full matter lifecycle (intake → planning → drafting → signing → funding → ongoing maintenance) into repeatable, measurable processes.
Establish firm-wide KPIs and dashboards and manage by data.
Carry accountability for the firm's P&L, leading budgeting, forecasting, and cash-flow management.
Lead hiring, onboarding, performance management, and retention for a 43-person, multi-site team.
Own the operational technology stack and champion the responsible use of automation and AI.
Build the operational infrastructure necessary for expansion, supporting new office launches and potential acquisitions.