Chief Operating Officer - EPC/landscaping

Designation – COO

Location: New Delhi
Industry: Landscape EPC | Horticulture | Irrigation | Green Infrastructure
Experience: 15+ years

Role Purpose

The Chief Operating Officer will be responsible for driving the overall business operations, project execution, strategic growth, and profitability of our client. The incumbent will lead large-scale landscape, horticulture, irrigation, and green infrastructure projects while ensuring operational excellence, client satisfaction, financial performance, and sustainable business expansion.

The role requires a commercially astute leader capable of scaling operations, strengthening client relationships, developing new business opportunities, and building a high-performance organization.

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Strategy & Growth

• Partner with the promoters to define and execute the organization's long-term business strategy.
  
• Identify and develop new business opportunities across commercial real estate, industrial parks, airports, hospitality, educational institutions, healthcare, government, and infrastructure sectors.
  
• Expand Grotech's presence into new geographies, market segments, and service offerings.
  
• Develop strategic partnerships with developers, architects, consultants, PMC firms, and government agencies.
  
• Drive sustainable revenue growth while strengthening the company's market position.
  

2. Operations & Project Delivery

• Lead end-to-end execution of multiple landscape, horticulture, irrigation, and EPC projects across India.
  
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
  
• Establish operational excellence through standardized processes, SOPs, and project governance.
  
• Monitor project schedules, resource utilization, procurement, quality, safety, and client deliverables.
  
• Improve operational efficiency through continuous process improvement and technology adoption.
  

3. Financial Leadership & P&L Management

• Own the overall business P&L and drive sustainable profitability.
  
• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and cash flow management.
  
• Improve gross margins through effective commercial management and cost optimization.
  
• Monitor project profitability, working capital, receivables (DSO), and overall financial performance.
  
• Establish financial discipline across projects and business functions.
  

4. Business Development & Client Management

• Build and nurture relationships with developers, corporates, government agencies, consultants, architects, and key stakeholders.
  
• Support business development by participating in strategic client engagements, negotiations, and bid reviews.
  
• Identify opportunities for repeat business and long-term client partnerships.
  
• Serve as the executive escalation point for key clients and strategic accounts.
  

5. Project Commercials & Contracts

• Oversee project commercial management, tender reviews, contract negotiations, and change order management.
  
• Ensure effective risk identification and mitigation throughout the project lifecycle.
  
• Monitor contractual obligations, claims, vendor management, and project profitability.
  
• Strengthen governance around procurement, subcontractor management, and commercial controls.
  

6. Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead and mentor senior leadership across Operations, Projects, Commercial, Procurement, Finance, HR, and Business Development.
  
• Build a culture of ownership, collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence.
  
• Drive succession planning, capability development, and leadership pipeline initiatives.
  
• Ensure effective workforce planning for both corporate and project teams.
  

7. Operational Governance & Compliance

• Establish robust governance frameworks across all business functions.
  
• Ensure compliance with statutory regulations, environmental norms, labour laws, contractual obligations, and safety standards.
  
• Drive implementation of quality management systems and operational audits.
  
• Promote best practices in risk management, sustainability, and corporate governance.
  

8. Performance Management & Reporting

• Develop MIS dashboards and business intelligence reports for leadership review.
  
• Track key business KPIs including:
  
• Revenue Growth
  
• EBITDA
  
• Project Profitability
  
• Order Book
  
• Project Timelines
  
• Client Satisfaction
  
• Resource Utilization
  
• Cash Flow
  
• DSO
  
• Present periodic business reviews and strategic recommendations to the Managing Director.
  

Desired Candidate Profile

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, or a related discipline.
  
• MBA or Postgraduate qualification preferred.
  

Experience

• 15–25 years of leadership experience in Landscape EPC, Infrastructure, Construction, Irrigation, Facility Management, Green Infrastructure, or allied industries.
  
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-location operations and large-scale project execution.
  
• Proven track record of owning P&L and driving business profitability.
  
• Strong exposure to commercial management, contracts, procurement, and project delivery.
  
• Experience leading organizations through periods of growth and operational transformation.
  

Core Competencies

• Strategic Business Leadership
  
• P&L Management
  
• Operations & Project Management
  
• Business Development
  
• Client Relationship Management
  
• Commercial & Contract Management
  
• Multi-location Operations
  
• Large Workforce Leadership
  
• Financial Planning & Cost Optimization
  
• Governance & Compliance
  
• Risk Management
  
• Change Management
  
• Negotiation & Stakeholder Management
  

Preferred Industry Background

Candidates from:

• Landscape Contracting
  
• Horticulture & Green Infrastructure
  
• EPC & Infrastructure
  
• Irrigation Systems
  
• Real Estate Project Delivery
  
• Facility Management
  
• Urban Infrastructure
  
• Environmental Engineering
  
• Smart City Projects
  

Success Metrics (First 12 Months)

• Improve overall project delivery performance and on-time completion.
  
• Increase operational efficiency and profitability across business units.
  
• Strengthen client retention and generate repeat business.
  
• Build a scalable operational structure to support future expansion.
  
• Enhance governance, compliance, and reporting frameworks.
  
• Develop a high-performing leadership team and succession pipeline.