Chief Operating Officer - International Telecoms

About the role

An international telecoms business based in Dubai is seeking an accomplished Chief Operating Officer to lead operational performance. The COO translates the Board's strategy into measurable results across country operations, sales and distribution, customer experience and business transformation, holding country leadership teams accountable for delivery and driving profitable growth across prepaid, postpaid and digital channels.

Key responsibilities

• Lead operational delivery across international markets with clear ownership, targets and escalation processes, and hold country leaders accountable for revenue, profitability, subscriber growth, service quality and execution.
• Translate strategy into annual operating plans, country budgets and quarterly priorities, and set up recovery plans for underperforming markets.
• Drive execution across retail, dealer, distributor, field sales and digital acquisition channels, improving distribution coverage, outlet productivity, SIM availability, activation quality and channel profitability.
• Own operational delivery against budget and profitability targets, work with Finance to improve EBITDA, operating efficiency, working capital and cash generation, and challenge expenditure and supplier costs.
• Improve the customer journey across onboarding, activation, billing, payments, customer care and retention, reduce complaints and service failures, and coordinate with Technology and commercial teams.
• Simplify processes, drive automation and shared services, strengthen management information and dashboards, and lead major change programmes and new market launches.
• Work with Legal, Regulatory, Finance and Technology on operational controls, audit findings and compliance, build capable country leadership teams and report to the Board on results, risks and decisions.

Required profile

• Significant senior leadership experience in MNO or MVNO businesses, including as COO, CEO, Managing Director or a comparable operating executive.
• Proven accountability for multi-country operations and substantial P&L performance.
• Experience managing country leaders and coordinating delivery across commercial, finance, technology and support functions.
• Track record of turnarounds, transformation programmes or international expansion, and experience reporting to a Board, Chairman or Group CEO.
• Degree in business, finance, engineering or a related discipline; an MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification is advantageous.