Chief Operating Officer - Food and Restaurant Services

The COO Food and Restaurant Services will have responsibility for driving operational excellence, sales growth, and long-term sustainability

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead our Food and Restaurant Services Division with responsibility for driving operational excellence, sales growth, and long-term sustainability. The COO will lead day-to-day operations while ensuring the implementation of efficient systems and scalable business practices to support future growth.

This role also carries strategic responsibility for the overall direction and performance of the portfolio companies within the division. Reporting to the CEO, the ideal candidate will bring strong commercial acumen, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills, working closely with executives and functional heads across the Group.

 Principal Duties and Responsibilities

•  Oversee daily operations and sales activities across the division
• Monitor business performance, establish corrective actions, and provide detailed reporting and forecasts
• Lead sales and marketing strategy development, including pricing, revenue targets, and budgeting
• Drive resource allocation (capital, equipment, and talent) to meet operational goals
• Optimize cost structures and manage capital expenditures to exceed growth and profitability targets
• Provide leadership across distribution, supply chain, procurement, HSE, and quality functions
• Coach and guide regional and sales managers in performance and distributor management
• Strengthen vendor and stakeholder relationships
• Translate strategic plans into actionable goals and operational frameworks
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities, markets, partnerships, and products
• Lead expansion efforts including investments, acquisitions, and alliances
• Evaluate potential business deals, assess risk, and negotiate contracts
• Promote continuous improvement using LEAN/Kaizen principles
• Support the CEO in fundraising and stakeholder engagement initiatives
• Develop and implement a Stakeholder Relationship Management Program

  Minimum Qualification and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Management, Accounting, Finance or related field, or the equivalent in practical and specialized training
• A minimum of ten (10) years’ experience in a management capacity in the FMCG industry
• In depth knowledge of budgets and financial statements.
• Comfortable with team coaching and communication.
• Strong proficiency in MS Office Software; comfortable working with new technologies.
• Excellent reading, writing and comprehension in English, working knowledge of Spanish or French an asset