Chief Operating Officer (Bilingual in Korean)

Cesna Recruitment•Fort Lee, NJ

44d•Onsite

About The Position

We're a New Jersey-based importer and distributor of flat-rolled steel. For more than 30 years, USP has served customers nationwide through longstanding international supplier relationships, disciplined logistics and inventory management, and responsive service. This role reporting to the President and working closely with the Chairman, the COO will own day-to-day operations, lead the department heads, materially reduce ownership's involvement in routine matters, and serve as a strategic partner in shaping and executing the company's direction. The COO will have authority over day-to-day decisions within approved strategy, budgets, policies, and delegated limits. Within that scope, department heads will report to and act on the COO's direction without seeking secondary approval, and the President and Chairman will support those decisions unless an agreed escalation threshold or material risk is involved. The COO must earn continuing confidence through sound judgment, clear communication, respect, collaboration, and consistent follow-through. Material strategy, capital, acquisition, investment, and ownership decisions remain with the President and Chairman.

Requirements

Substantial executive operating leadership as a COO, President, General Manager, Managing Director, EVP, VP of Operations, or comparable senior leader, with genuine company-wide or business-unit accountability.
Professional fluency in spoken English and Korean, sufficient to communicate effectively with Korean-speaking ownership, employees, overseas suppliers, and business counterparts.
Track record of leading department heads and overseeing several business functions, such as supply chain, finance, IT, HR, sales, customer service, or administration.
Executive responsibility for P&L performance, budgets, cost management, working capital, and operating results.
Experience building accountability, management processes, internal controls, performance metrics, and decision-useful reporting.
Sound independent judgment, strong ownership alignment, early escalation of material risks, and a collaborative record of leading change through credibility and follow-through.
Ability to learn a specialized industry and product line quickly; bachelor's degree or equivalent education and executive experience.
Experience in a privately held, family-owned, or founder-led business with clearly defined governance and decision rights.
Experience in import, distribution, trading, manufacturing, logistics, or another inventory-intensive operating model.
Knowledge of steel, metals, building materials, chemicals, automotive parts, raw materials, commodities, or similar products, together with experience managing overseas supplier relationships.
Experience supporting M&A preparation or transactions, including management presentations, due diligence, data readiness, and work with bankers, advisors, or strategic acquirers.
Experience scaling a sales organization, developing next-generation talent, and implementing or improving ERP systems and data-driven reporting.

Nice To Haves

Written Korean proficiency
Experience conducting complex negotiations in Korean
MBA or relevant advanced degree

Responsibilities

Own day-to-day operations and serve as the primary decision point for cross-functional operating matters.
Lead, coach, and develop department heads; establish clear objectives, accountability, decision rights, and succession depth.
Translate ownership's priorities into operating plans, budgets, milestones, owners, and measurable targets; drive execution through completion.
Establish a disciplined management cadence, dashboards, financial and operating KPIs, internal controls, reporting, and follow-through.
Assess the organization, processes, systems, and management capabilities; prioritize improvements and move stalled initiatives to resolution.
Coordinate supply chain, customs and logistics, inventory, third-party processing, customer service, budgeting, costs, working capital, credit, risk, and compliance.
Contribute ideas, constructive challenge, and well-supported feasibility proposals to one-, three-, and five-year planning.
Partner with existing sales leadership to strengthen commercial processes, forecasting, management capability, talent development, and succession.
Support USP's M&A preparation and transaction work with ownership, counsel, investment banks, advisors, and prospective strategic acquirers.
Represent USP with suppliers, processors, customers, and partners while promoting timely decisions, collaboration, and continuous improvement.