Role OverviewNovarc Technologies is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead the company's operating system through its next phase of scale. As Novarc grows across SWR, NovAI, NovPlan, NovHub, and future AI-powered welding solutions, the COO will be responsible for ensuring the company can execute reliably, profitably, and at increasing complexity.
The COO will oversee Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Customer Operations, IT/IS, Facilities, PMO, and Special Projects. This role is designed for an operator who can translate strategy into execution, build scalable systems, strengthen cross-functional accountability, and reduce operational friction as Novarc expands globally.
The successful candidate will be a hands-on, systems-oriented executive with experience scaling complex hardware, automation, robotics, industrial technology, or advanced manufacturing businesses.
Reporting RelationshipThe COO will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and serve as a key member of the executive leadership team.
Key ResponsibilitiesOperational Leadership- Lead Novarc's core operating functions, including Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Customer Operations, IT/IS, Facilities, PMO, and Special Projects.
- Build the management systems, cadence, dashboards, accountability structures, and decision-making processes required to support rapid growth.
- Translate Novarc's strategic plan into executable operating plans across departments, with clear priorities, owners, milestones, risks, and KPIs.
- Ensure operating functions are aligned with company revenue targets, EBITDA targets, quality objectives, customer commitments, and product roadmap priorities.
Manufacturing and Supply Chain- Scale manufacturing capacity to support Novarc's growth across SWR, NovAI, and future product lines.
- Improve manufacturing throughput, quality, cost, predictability, and on-time delivery.
- Strengthen supplier strategy, vendor negotiations, supplier diversification, lead-time reduction, tariff mitigation, inventory planning, and supply chain risk management.
- Lead supplier capacity audits and ensure key suppliers can support Novarc's multi-year growth plan.
- Drive operational excellence across production planning, assembly, refurbishment, quality, logistics, and customer-ready delivery.
New Product & Operational Readiness:
- Partner closely with Product Management and Engineering on the New Product Introduction (NPI) stage-gate process to ensure manufacturing, supply chain, vendor sourcing, and field service readiness for all new hardware, software, and AI releases.
Customer Operations- Oversee customer installation, service, support, training, field operations, and customer success execution.
- Ensure Novarc has the field capacity, systems, talent, and processes required to support a growing installed base and increasingly complex product portfolio.
- Improve customer response times, support ticket management, installation quality, training effectiveness, and post-installation experience.
- Partner with Sales, Product, and Technology to ensure customer feedback is converted into product improvements, operational readiness, and scalable support models.
PMO and Special Projects- Build and lead a disciplined PMO function to ensure strategic projects are prioritized, resourced, tracked, and delivered.
- Create consistent project governance across high-impact initiatives, including cross-functional operating projects, product launch readiness, facilities expansion, systems implementation, M&A integration support, compliance projects, and operational transformation.
- Ensure executive-level visibility into project status, dependencies, risks, trade-offs, and decision points.
- Lead special projects assigned by the CEO, particularly where cross-functional execution, ambiguity, and rapid problem-solving are required.
IT / Information Systems- Oversee IT and information systems to ensure Novarc has secure, scalable, and reliable infrastructure for growth.
- Partner with Finance, HR, Operations, Product, and Customer Operations to improve business systems, data flows, cybersecurity, ERP/CRM/service systems, reporting, and internal productivity tools.
- Support enterprise readiness, cybersecurity maturity, compliance initiatives, and public-company readiness requirements.
- Ensure IT/IS strategy supports global operations, customer support, manufacturing, engineering productivity, and operational reporting.
Facilities- Oversee facilities strategy, planning, expansion, utilization, and operational readiness across Novarc's locations.
- Support the scaling of customer experience centers, manufacturing space, training facilities, application labs, and future operating hubs.
- Ensure facilities decisions are aligned with growth, customer experience, manufacturing capacity, employee experience, cost discipline, and long-term strategic needs.
Quality Management Systems (QMS) & Compliance
- Drive company-wide quality standards, ISO compliance, and safety programs across manufacturing, field operations, and facilities.
- Oversee the evolution of Novarc's Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure operational readiness for global scaling, enterprise audit standards, and public-company preparation.
Operational Strategy & Gross Margin Optimization
- Direct ownership of product COGS (Cost of Goods Sold), manufacturing yield, and field service margin efficiency to drive structural gross margin expansion across all product lines.
- Establish a formal New Product Introduction (NPI) framework in partnership with Technology, Product, and Hardware Engineering to ensure seamless transition from design to scalable manufacturing and field deployment.
Leadership and Team Development- Build, coach, and strengthen the leadership capability of the teams reporting into the COO.
- Create a culture of accountability, urgency, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
- Develop scalable management practices that reduce executive firefighting and increase departmental ownership.
- Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing leaders across operations, manufacturing, supply chain, IT/IS, customer operations, PMO, and facilities.
Key OutcomesWithin the first 12-18 months, the COO will be expected to:
- Establish a clear operating cadence and accountability system across core operating functions.
- Improve manufacturing throughput, quality, delivery predictability, and capacity planning.
- Strengthen supplier readiness and reduce supply chain risk.
- Improve customer operations scalability, including installation capacity, support response, service quality, and training delivery.
- Build a functional PMO with clear project governance and executive reporting.
- Improve IT/IS maturity, cybersecurity posture, and business systems scalability.
- Support Novarc's path to EBITDA targets while enabling continued high growth.
- Reduce CEO and executive team involvement in day-to-day operational firefighting.
- Build the operational foundation required for public-company readiness or strategic exit optionality.
- Drive measurable reduction in COGS, manufacturing lead times, and support costs.
Ideal Candidate ProfileThe ideal candidate will have experience scaling a complex industrial technology business from approximately $50M-$100M+ revenue toward $300M+, ideally in robotics, automation, manufacturing technology, industrial equipment, hardware-enabled software, or advanced manufacturing.
They will bring a strong combination of operational discipline, commercial awareness, technical fluency, and people leadership. Strong track record of partnering with Product Management and R&D leaders to translate product roadmaps into scalable manufacturing processes, bill-of-materials (BOM) cost targets, and field support models.
Required Experience- Executive-level operations leadership experience in a high-growth company.
- Experience overseeing multiple operating functions, ideally including manufacturing, supply chain, customer operations, IT/business systems, facilities, and PMO.
- Demonstrated success scaling manufacturing and operational capacity in a complex hardware or industrial technology environment.
- Strong understanding of supply chain, vendor management, production planning, inventory, quality systems, and operational risk.
- Experience building systems, processes, dashboards, operating cadences, and cross-functional accountability.
- Experience supporting customer delivery, field service, support operations, or post-sale customer experience.
- Strong financial discipline, including budget ownership, cost control, gross margin improvement, EBITDA accountability, and resource planning.
- Experience leading through ambiguity, rapid growth, organizational change, and scaling complexity.
- Proven ability to build and coach strong management teams.
Preferred Experience- Robotics, automation, welding, industrial equipment, or advanced manufacturing experience.
- Experience with AI-enabled hardware, hardware/software systems, or complex mechatronic products.
- Experience scaling operations across Canada and the U.S.
- Experience with ISO 9001, quality systems, cybersecurity/compliance programs, or public-company readiness.
- Experience with customer experience centers, application labs, or field deployment organizations.
- Experience integrating acquisitions or leading post-merger integration.
- Exposure to ERP, CRM, service ticketing, manufacturing systems, and operational analytics.
Leadership Attributes- Operator first: practical, disciplined, execution-oriented.
- Systems thinker: able to design scalable processes without creating bureaucracy.
- High accountability: sets clear expectations and follows through.
- Commercially aware: understands the link between operations, revenue, margin, customer success, and valuation.
- Technically fluent: able to work effectively with engineering, product, manufacturing, and customer-facing teams.
- Low ego, high ownership: willing to solve hard problems directly while building durable systems.
- Strong communicator: able to align executives, managers, employees, customers, vendors, and board stakeholders.
- Change leader: comfortable professionalizing a company without slowing down its entrepreneurial energy.
Work Location and TravelThis is an on-site executive leadership role based primarily at Novarc's headquarters in Burnaby, BC. Given the COO's responsibility for Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Customer Operations, IT/IS, Facilities, PMO, and cross-functional execution, regular in-office presence is expected to ensure strong operating cadence, leadership visibility, and effective coordination across teams.
The COO will also be expected to travel up to 20% of the time to support Novarc's other facilities, customer experience centers, suppliers, key customers, strategic partners, and future operating hubs. This may include travel within Canada, the United States, and other priority markets as required.
CompensationCompetitive executive compensation package, including base salary, performance bonus, benefits, and equity participation, commensurate with experience.
