COO - PE-backed HVAC platform $250-275k plus 30-50% bonus, future equity

COO - PE-backed HVAC platform

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$250-275k plus 30-50% bonus, future equity

Phoenix, AZ - relocation assistance available

Bell & Associates has been engaged to help our client recruit their next Chief Operating Officer. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for overseeing daily operations, driving business performance, developing leadership, and supporting the continued growth. This position requires thorough knowledge of the HVAC and plumbing industries, residential service and installation operations, customer experience, regulatory requirements, and operational financials.

The COO must be a decisive, hands-on executive who can make timely business decisions, resolve complex customer concerns, develop effective training programs, and hold department leaders accountable for results. This individual is responsible for improving efficiency, maintaining consistent standards across locations, protecting the company's reputation, and ensuring operations support profitable, sustainable growth.

RESPONSIBILITIES

HVAC Industry and Operational Leadership

• Maintain thorough working knowledge of residential HVAC and plumbing operations, including service, installation, replacement, maintenance agreements, dispatch, equipment, permitting, inspections, and warranty processes.
• Oversee daily operations across service, installation, plumbing, dispatch, customer service, warehouse, and other operational departments.
• Identify operational inefficiencies and implement solutions that improve productivity, workmanship, scheduling, customer satisfaction, and profitability.
• Establish and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), performance expectations, and consistent operating standards across departments and locations.
• Make timely, informed decisions regarding staffing, scheduling, resource allocation, operational priorities, and business disruptions.
• Ensure the company is prepared for seasonal demand, staffing shortages, equipment delays, and unexpected operational challenges.

Customer Experience and Escalation Management

• Maintain a customer-first approach while balancing customer satisfaction, company policies, financial responsibility, and business objectives.
• Personally oversee significant customer escalations involving service failures, installation concerns, billing disputes, warranty issues, missed appointments, and potential reputational damage.
• Make prompt, reasonable decisions to de-escalate customers, resolve complaints, and determine appropriate remedies, including corrective work, return visits, credits, or refunds within authorized limits.
• Establish clear escalation procedures and empower department leaders to resolve customer concerns without unnecessary executive intervention.
• Review customer complaints, online reviews, callbacks, and service recovery trends to identify root causes and prevent recurring issues.
• Ensure customer-facing teams communicate professionally, set realistic expectations, and follow through on commitments.

Regulatory Compliance, ROC, BBB, and Risk Management

• Maintain familiarity with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC), including applicable licensing requirements, complaint procedures, workmanship standards, and regulatory obligations.
• Understand the Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint process, response expectations, business ratings, and reputational implications.
• Oversee timely, professional, fact-based responses to ROC complaints, BBB complaints, and significant customer disputes, ensuring proper investigation, documentation, and corrective action.
• Ensure operational practices comply with applicable licensing, permitting, inspection, safety, environmental, and consumer protection requirements.
• Partner with HR, safety personnel, and legal counsel on employment, workplace safety, regulatory, and other business risks.
• Ensure accurate records are maintained for estimates, customer approvals, installations, warranties, permits, inspections, complaints, and corrective work.
• Escalate significant legal, financial, safety, or regulatory matters to the appropriate executive leadership and legal counsel.

Training, Development, and Accountability

• Create, implement, and continuously improve structured training programs for technicians, installers, plumbers, dispatchers, customer service teams, supervisors, and department leaders.
• Develop training standards covering technical knowledge, customer communication, safety, compliance, operational pro