Chief Operation Development Officer

Role Overview

The organization is seeking a senior leader to oversee its full development and operations portfolio. The Chief Development & Operations Officer will drive strategic planning, infrastructure development, investor-facing services, and operational excellence for a rapidly growing economic ecosystem. The role requires strong engineering expertise, large-scale project leadership, and the ability to build an operational model that supports business growth and investment attraction.

The CDOO will join the executive team and play a central role in shaping long-term development priorities, ensuring world-class project delivery, and elevating the overall operational performance of the organization.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategy & Master Planning
• Lead the organization’s long-term development strategy and translate it into actionable programs.
• Oversee master planning, land-use optimization, infrastructure requirements, and future growth areas.
• Drive feasibility studies, investment assessments, and strategic prioritization of development initiatives.

2. Development Leadership
• Direct end-to-end planning, design, and execution of major infrastructure, commercial, and industrial projects.
• Ensure engineering standards, regulatory compliance, sustainability requirements, and quality benchmarks are met.
• Engage with consultants, contractors, and technical partners to ensure timely and efficient delivery of assets.

3. Operations & Service Delivery
• Build and enhance operational processes and service delivery models to support partners, investors, and tenants.
• Establish and monitor KPIs covering project delivery, customer satisfaction, service turnaround times, and operational performance.
• Oversee readiness of new assets, facilities, and services.

4. Program & Project Management
• Manage a large portfolio of multi-year development programs.
• Implement strong governance frameworks, risk management, reporting structures, and performance tracking tools.
• Guide procurement, contracts, and vendor performance.

5. Investor & Stakeholder Engagement
• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to enable seamless project approvals, infrastructure connections, and operational coordination.
• Act as a senior point of contact for strategic partners, private-sector entities, and government counterparts.

6. Executive Leadership
• Lead multidisciplinary teams across development, engineering, operations, and PMO.
• Provide clear executive reporting to top leadership and support decision-making through robust analysis and insight.

Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (mandatory).
Civil, mechanical, industrial, electrical, or related disciplines are acceptable.
• Master’s degree in Business, Engineering Management, or a related field is preferred.
• 20+ years of leadership experience across development, engineering, capital projects, or operations.
• Strong track record managing complex, large-scale projects and multi-year development programs.
• Experience in investor-facing environments, service delivery models, or regulated development ecosystems is an advantage (without naming the sector).
• Excellent financial acumen and ability to develop business cases for major initiatives.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.