Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Chief Operating Officer (COO)Location: Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaReports to: Chief Executive Officer and, when required, the Board of DirectorsAbout the companyWe are a Saudi micromobility and technology company operating shared mobility, fleet services, and mobility projects across Saudi Arabia.About the roleWe are seeking a hands-on and highly driven Chief Operating Officer to lead company-wide execution, daily operations, business growth, and organisational performance.This is not a ceremonial role and is not limited to one department. The COO will oversee the company’s major functions, ensure decisions are implemented, hold teams accountable, solve difficult problems, improve performance, and identify opportunities to increase revenue and expand the business.The COO will work directly with the CEO and act as Deputy CEO when the CEO is unavailable or delegates authority.We are looking for someone bold, practical, commercially minded, and highly accountable. The right person does not wait for instructions, avoid difficult conversations, or accept repeated excuses. They take ownership, make decisions, align the team, and get the job done.Key responsibilitiesCompany-wide executionTranslate the CEO’s and Board’s direction into clear plans, responsibilities, deadlines, and measurable results.Follow up on Board resolutions and ensure approved decisions are implemented.Coordinate departments and ensure important tasks are not delayed or left without ownership.Establish management meetings, reporting systems, KPIs, and accountability processes.Identify operational, financial, commercial, and organisational risks early.Ensure commitments to customers, partners, government entities, and the Board are delivered.Intervene directly when an important issue is delayed or handled poorly.Operations and fleet managementOversee daily micromobility and fleet operations across Saudi Arabia.Manage vehicle deployment, collection, charging, maintenance, redistribution, warehousing, and field operations.Improve fleet availability, utilisation, service quality, customer experience, and cost efficiency.Reduce downtime, theft, vandalism, losses, confiscations, and recurring operational failures.Ensure branches, cities, warehouses, maintenance teams, and field operators meet defined standards.Lead the response to operational incidents and urgent situations.Improve systems used to monitor vehicles, employees, maintenance, work orders, and performance.Business growth, opportunities, and revenueIdentify new revenue sources and business opportunities.Explore new cities, customer segments, services, partnerships, projects, and business models.Build relationships with government entities, corporations, universities, developers, tourism destinations, event organisers, and strategic partners.Identify opportunities in shared mobility, fleet management, vehicle rental, technology services, white-label solutions, and related services.Build and maintain a qualified pipeline of commercial opportunities.Participate in client meetings, negotiations, proposals, tenders, and partnership discussions.Evaluate opportunities based on revenue, profitability, operational requirements, risk, and strategic value.Work with the CEO to convert opportunities into signed contracts and operating projects.Increase revenue from existing projects, locations, customers, and company assets.Improve, restructure, expand, or discontinue underperforming projects.Monitor competitors, market changes, and regulations that may create opportunities or risks.Ensure growth is profitable and supported by operational capacity.Projects and expansionOversee government, corporate, university, event, and large-scale mobility projects.Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and according to contractual requirements.Lead the planning and launch of new cities, branches, services, and customer projects.Coordinate operations, technology, finance, procurement, HR, and commercial teams.Define responsibilities, timelines, costs, risks, and expected outcomes.Resolve delays and dependencies between departments.People and performanceLead department heads and establish clear ownership across the organisation.Set KPIs, responsibilities, deadlines, and performance expectations.Follow up on employee performance and take corrective action when results are weak.Participate in recruitment, promotions, restructuring, disciplinary actions, and termination recommendations.Build a culture of urgency, ownership, discipline, cooperation, and measurable results.Develop managers who can operate independently and take responsibility.Resolve internal conflicts and remove obstacles affecting execution.Work effectively with a team and independently when direct ownership is required.Financial and commercial oversightMonitor revenue, budgets, costs, collections, procurement, supplier payments, and project profitability.Improve budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow visibility, and financial discipline.Review spending and challenge unnecessary or inefficient costs.Ensure major projects and opportunities have a clear financial and operational case.Negotiate with suppliers, contractors, customers, landlords, and strategic partners.Review major contracts and commercial commitments before approval.Improve margins through better utilisation, pricing, supplier terms, efficiency, and cost control.Technology and process improvementWork with the technology team to improve products, internal systems, automation, reporting, and customer experience.Identify manual, slow, duplicated, or unreliable processes and lead their improvement.Use data and KPIs to assess performance and make decisions.Support technology products and services that can generate additional revenue.Encourage practical use of automation and artificial intelligence.Executive and governance responsibilitiesAct as Deputy CEO when the CEO is unavailable or delegates authority.Represent the company in important meetings with clients, government entities, partners, and suppliers.Support the CEO in strategy, negotiations, major decisions, and business development.Prepare operational, commercial, financial, and performance reports for the CEO and Board.Present major organisational changes, significant financial commitments, senior employment decisions, policy changes, and strategic commitments before implementation.Execute approved decisions with speed and discipline.Escalate material risks, failures, or conflicts without delay.Protect the company’s interests and reputation.Decision-making authorityThe COO will have authority to manage daily operations, direct employees, negotiate with external parties, approve routine operational matters, and take necessary action to protect the company and maintain continuity.Major changes and strategic commitments must first be presented to the CEO and, where required, the Board. Once approved, the COO will be responsible for implementation and results.Required qualificationsMinimum of five years of relevant professional experience.Previous experience in operational or executive leadership.Experience as a Deputy COO, Head of Operations, Operations Director, General Manager, Chief of Staff, or senior manager working directly under a COO or CEO is preferred.Experience managing teams, projects, budgets, suppliers, and multiple business functions.Experience in a small, growing, or founder-led company.Strong understanding of Saudi business practices, workplace culture, government relations, and stakeholder management.Fluent Arabic and professional working proficiency in English.Strong operational, commercial, financial, and organisational judgment.Ability to understand technology products and work effectively with technical teams.Saudi nationals are preferred.Preferred backgroundExperience in technology, micromobility, transportation, logistics, fleet management, field services, startups, multi-branch operations, or government and corporate project delivery is preferred.Direct micromobility experience is not required. A proven ability to lead, solve problems, grow revenue, build teams, and deliver results is more important.The person we are looking forBold and willing to make difficult decisions.Comfortable challenging weak performance and ineffective practices.Focused on execution and measurable results.Able to operate without constant direction.Practical and resourceful with limited resources.Strong with people but not afraid to hold them accountable.Commercially minded and constantly looking for growth opportunities.Calm and effective during crises and pressure.Direct, honest, and willing to raise problems early.Comfortable moving between strategy, negotiations, data, meetings, and field operations.More interested in results than titles, appearances, or excuses.Success in the first 90 daysUnderstand the company’s operations, employees, projects, finances, technology, customers, and challenges.Identify the most serious risks, delays, cost leaks, revenue gaps, and accountability problems.Establish clear responsibilities and performance expectations.Implement a practical company-wide follow-up and reporting system.Resolve several long-standing operational issues.Identify opportunities to increase revenue and reduce costs.Build a prioritised pipeline of new business opportunities.Present an execution and growth plan to the CEO and Board.Demonstrate visible improvement in discipline, communication, speed, and delivery.This role is for a real operator: someone who can understand a difficult situation, make the necessary decisions, align the team, create commercial value, and get the job done.