Chief Operating Officer

Key Executive Appointment / Direct report to the Managing Director
- Position the business for future growth and stability
- Provide leadership in establishing the operational & production requirements

**About the Organisation**

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Rheinmetall Defence Australia (RDA) is an Australian and New Zealand defence prime, operating as a regional hub providing specialist defence capability to the Commonwealth of Australia. RDA is a subsidiary of Rheinmetall Group, an internationally successful Defence and Automotive technology group headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany. RDA is a trusted partner to armed forces and specialises in:

- Vehicle Systems;
- Electronics Solutions; and
- Weapons, Ammunition & Protection.

With current operations in Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, and Sydney, RDA are rapidly growing their Australian footprint to deliver system solutions and capability in the areas of mobility, lethality, reconnaissance, protection, and sustainment.

**About the role**:
Reporting directly to the Managing Director (MD), the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for developing, implementing and overseeing RDA’s operational roadmap to manufacturing and ensuring that RDA and the associated Rheinmetall entities overseas deliver Australia’s new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle, the Boxer 8x8 CRV, for LAND 400 Phase 2 Mounted Combat Reconnaissance Capability, the LAND 121 Phase 5B follow on order for next generation logistics trucks, and other Rheinmetall products to the customer in Australia and overseas customers.

It is the Chief Operating Officer’s responsibility to provide critical leadership and direction in establishing the operational and production requirements in the new manufacturing plant in Brisbane.

Leading a team of multi-disciplinary professionals and working collaboratively with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, the Chief Operations Officer will ensure the delivery of customer focussed and cost-effective business services.

Critical to the success of this appointment will be ensuring strong governance frameworks are established that align with RDA’s systems and processes.

**Specifically, key accountabilities include**:

- Partner with the MD on the overall management and operational delivery
- In consultation with the Senior Leadership Team, develop and implement the RDA’s strategic and operational plan that reflect the strategic direction and priorities of the Board
- Develop strong internal and external stakeholder relationships, which includes clients, government, corporate service groups, employees and relevant influencers and decision makers to ensure ongoing access and communication channels are maintained on behalf of the Company
- A manufacturing plan that aligns with the Company’s global strategy and quality standards
- Financial management, organisational reporting, risk management and compliance for ultimate reporting for delivery to the Board of Directors
- Manage operational and product related risk
- Supply Chain Management

**The Person**:
To be considered for the position, you will be a strong people leader who demonstrates extensive experience and record of achievements in managing an operations division at a COO / GM Operations level within a multinational organisation from the manufacturing or heavy industry sectors.

You will have solid leadership and emotional intelligence skills with demonstrated ability to develop and deliver operational requirements through a complex customer-oriented environment through strong transformational leadership, analytical and strategic thinking. Experience in the end-to-end manufacturing, plant management as well as supply chain management will be essential requirements for this position.

It is essential that you demonstrate superior presentation and communication skills, demonstrate integrity in all dealings; be honest and open; listen to and consider stakeholder views; demonstrate empathy; and act in a way that reflects the culture and values of the organisation.

Exceptional stakeholder relationship skills will be critical for this role as you will need to develop and foster essential networks and partnerships necessary to achieve organisational objectives through periods of growth and change. Background in imbedding a culture of continuous improvement.

Ability to identify opportunities for change and lead improvement initiatives along with a strong financial, governance and risk compliance skill will be needed for this leadership position.

This is an exciting opportunity, where you will provide whole of organisation leadership to enable RDA purpose and values, and to deliver its strategic and operational objectives.

Please note: You will need to be an Australian Citizen for this position.