Chief Operating Officer

Building the Business of Sustainability. 

Five Winds International is a management-consulting firm that helps organizations improve the economic, environmental and social performance - the sustainability - of their operations, products and services. 

Its team of 30 consultants located around the globe help companies understand and harness the environmental and social forces shaping their business, and turn this knowledge into competitive advantage. In business since 1998, the company has grown from a small environmental-management consultancy to a multidisciplinary firm serving clients in North America, Europe and around the globe.  

Poised for growth in a rapidly expanding market, Five Winds International is determined to maintain their leadership position by responding to the escalating and evolving needs of their clients. 

Position Overview: 

Key to this is the need to recruit a Chief Operating Officer (to be based in Chester County, PA, outside of Philadelphia), to oversee key strategic and operational elements of the business, and to help formulate plans and processes to facilitate that growth. 

Responsibilities: 

The new COO will bring strong leadership and business discipline to bear in helping the company both identify and achieve its overarching business goals.  He or she will work with the Directors to negotiate a vision and strategy and set objectives, and then manage the business to reach those goals.  The COO will have to understand and translate the Directors' objectives, and a strategy, and then build systems and process to support those goals. 

Qualifications: 

As an ideal candidate, you possess a strong business background, an understanding of the consulting world, and the ability to bring people together.  You may or may not have been exposed to issues surrounding sustainability, but you have a belief in the business case that can be built around it. 

You have a track record of improving performance through the development and implementation of business processes, but more importantly, can motivate those around you, working through difficult times and differing opinions to achieve overall success.  Your style is inclusive and diplomatic, yet you have the ability to make decisions and develop the business cases that allow others to understand your rationale. 

In considering this role, you are looking for the opportunity to take a small, successful company and turn it into something bigger and better, and for the chance to lead a team of creative, values-driven, dedicated staff in an important and growing field. 

To Apply: 

To apply for this position, please submit your resume and related information online.  

For more information, or to explore this opportunity further, please contact Richard Rankin of Ray & Berndtson Executive Search or email him your resume in complete confidence.