Job specification: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

• Position: Chief Operating Officer (COO)
• Location: The Grainstore at The Digital Hub, Dublin 8 / Hybrid
• Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
• Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent
• Sector: Not-for-Profit / Social Enterprise / Energy & Climate Action

About Codema

Codema is Dublin’s Energy Agency, a public-good social enterprise dedicated to accelerating Dublin's low-carbon transition. For nearly 30 years, we have worked on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities to mitigate climate change and improve the lives of citizens. We achieve this through innovative energy planning, policy research, citizen engagement, and facilitating the delivery of large-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects (such as district heating networks and Energy Performance Contracting).

At Codema, we believe our success is driven by our highly-skilled, passionate team. We offer a culture focused on growth, inclusivity, and a strong work-life balance, proudly operating as a participating employer in the Four-Day Work Week model.

Role Purpose

As Codema continues to expand its impact and drive multi-million-euro energy projects, the CEO is seeking a trusted "right-hand person" to assume oversight of day-to-day operations.This is primarily a cross-functional leadership role focused on driving alignment, to bring structure to rapid growth, streamline internal workflows, and mitigate operational stress points. You will act as the vital strategic bridge linking our on-the-ground project delivery teams with our centralised Finance and HR functions. 

This is a senior, high-impact leadership role requiring a values-aligned executive who can hit the ground running, make decisive calls under pressure, and confidently champion Codema’s operations at the Board level. The role will be supported by appropriate operational and administrative resources,  following an assessment of requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Operational leadership and governance

• Act as a close strategic partner and trusted advisor to the CEO, providing reliable operational oversight
• Instill operational structure, clear workflows, and scalable processes into a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Confidently prepare operational reports and present directly at Board of Directors meetings, providing clear updates on organisational KPIs, risks, and performance.

• Oversee risk management frameworks across the organisation, demonstrating a healthy tolerance for risk while ensuring smart mitigation strategies are in place.

Cross-functional translation (Projects to Finance & HR)

• Serve as the central connection point between project teams on the ground and internal corporate functions (Finance and HR)
• Translate fluid project variables, scopes, and timelines into structured, relevant financial and resource inputs, ensuring timely and accurate financial information is provided for reporting, forecasting and grant compliance.
• Monitor project performance metrics, tracking variances such as under/overruns, delays, and scope adjustments, and ensure these are properly accounted for in organisational budgets and cash-flow forecasting.
• Promote financial accountability and informed decision-making across operational teams.

• Lead capacity planning across the project portfolio, maintaining a clear view of resource requirements and collaborate closely with HR to forecast and plan resource allocation, identifying talent gaps based on project pipelines.

Cross-team collaboration & culture

• Provide supportive, high-leverage leadership to an established, highly technical team of energy engineers, planners, and project managers.
• Nurture a collaborative workspace, utilising exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to build trust, manage change smoothly, and resolve friction points.

The Ideal candidate: key attributes & experience

Leadership & decision-making style:

• Structure Catalyst: Proven track record of entering dynamic, fast-evolving environments and successfully establishing structure, clarity, and accountability.
• Resilient under Pressure: Exceptional ability to navigate organisational stress points with a calm, solutions-oriented demeanor.
• Decisive & Risk-Tolerant: Comfortable making firm, strategic decisions even when data is incomplete or the way forward is ambiguous.
• Self-Starter: A proactive operator with high emotional intelligence who requires minimal onboarding to begin adding strategic value.

Skills & experience:

• More than 5 years experience in a senior operational leadership role (e.g., COO, Operations Director, Head of Operations)
• Excellent financial literacy; deep understanding of commercial/financial terms, corporate governance, budget management, and operational forecasting.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills—a true "people person" capable of influencing cross-functional teams and external stakeholders alike.
• Proficient in project and resource management tools, digitally fluent and  comfortable leveraging AI and automation tools to streamline reporting, planning and decision-making
• Experience with a variety of income streams; EU/National grants, contracts, sales, etc.
• Desirable: Direct experience within the energy, sustainability, utilities, or climate action sectors is highly advantageous, but not essential.

• Desirable: Experience in operations in a commercial setting.

Why work with Codema?

We believe that to take care of the planet, we must take care of our people. Codema is a learning organization with a growth mindset, recently shortlisted for the Workplace Excellence Awards in the Flexible and Hybrid Working category.

Benefits include:

• The 4-Day work week: 100% pay for 80% time, maintaining 100% output to champion true work-life balance (eligible after 6 months probationary period).
• Flexible & hybrid working: Blended working options from our historic Dublin 8 office.
• Time off: 4 weeks annual leave plus additional designated Christmas leave.
• Financial & security: Competitive salary, Company Pension with Employer Contribution, Life Assurance, and Critical Illness Protection.
• Health & wellbeing: Employee Wellness Programme, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), and Cycle-to-Work / Taxsaver Schemes. 12 weeks paid family leave available equally to new parents
• Development: One paid professional subscription per annum and excellent personal development and training opportunities.
• Salary: This role fits into Codema’s pay band Level 2 ‘Senior Executive Manager’. The salary range for this band is €75,000 - €100,000. The exact salary will depend on relevant experience and how the candidate fits the role description as set out above.