Chief Operating Officer - Sarnova - Dublin, OH

Sarnova is the leading national specialty distributor of health care products in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Respiratory Markets and is the industry leader in Revenue Cycle Management within Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The company operates through several market-leading companies including Tri-anim Health Services, the largest specialty distributor of respiratory products, Bound Tree Medical, the largest supplier of EMS products, and Cardio Partners, a full Sudden Cardiac Arrest Solution provider, and Digitech, the leader in EMS revenue cycle management.
Summary:
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for driving operational excellence, product innovation, and scalable execution across Sarnova's end-to-end operating model, including Purchasing, Supply Chain, Customer Care, Warehouse Operations, Distribution, Logistics, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Contract Manufacturing Management. Reporting directly to the CEO and serving as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, the COO translates enterprise strategy into operational and product outcomes that support sustainable growth, margin expansion, regulatory compliance, innovation, and exceptional customer experience.
This role provides strategic leadership across the full value chain, from product concept and development through sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and customer support. The COO ensures that operational capabilities, engineering resources, manufacturing processes, systems, and teams are fully aligned to support Sarnova's long-term growth objectives and market leadership position. The COO partners closely with the CEO, Board of Directors, and executive peers to optimize performance, accelerate innovation, integrate acquisitions, and position the organization for continued national growth.
Organizational Impact:
At Sarnova, operational and product leadership directly enables our mission to serve first responders and healthcare professionals nationwide. As COO, your leadership shapes how strategy becomes reality through people, processes, products, and performance. You influence company-wide results by building resilient, high-performing teams, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and quality, and ensuring operational and manufacturing disciplines support profitability, customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and scalability.
In addition to driving operational excellence, this role provides executive leadership over product development and manufacturing capabilities, ensuring the successful design, production, and delivery of innovative products that meet customer needs, quality standards, and regulatory requirements. This position is instrumental in advancing Sarnova's Mission, Vision, Values, and Guiding Principles while balancing operational rigor with an entrepreneurial mindset.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Define, communicate, and execute the company's operational, engineering, and manufacturing strategies in alignment with corporate objectives, growth plans, and shareholder expectations.
Lead all core operating functions, including Purchasing, Supply Chain, Customer Care, Warehousing, Distribution, Logistics, Engineering, Manufacturing, Assembly/Kitting Operations, and Contract Manufacturing Management, with full accountability for performance, quality, cost, service, compliance, and scalability.
Provide strategic leadership for the end-to-end product lifecycle, including product development, design engineering, lifecycle management, and manufacturing readiness.
Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Information Technology, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Human Resources, Legal, and Compliance functions to ensure alignment with enterprise objectives.
Ensure engineering teams maintain robust product development practices, including design controls, risk management, technical documentation, verification and validation, and design transfer processes, consistent with applicable regulatory and quality standards.
Infuse new technologies into the business in order to drive innovation initiatives that enhance customer value, strengthen competitive differentiation, and support long-term business growth.
Oversee all manufacturing operations, including production planning, assembly, kitting, process optimization, automation initiatives, capacity planning, and continuous improvement activities.
Establish and maintain high-performing relationships with suppliers, contract manufacturers, logistics providers, and other strategic partners to ensure quality, reliability, scalability, and cost effectiveness.
Provide executive oversight of third-party manufacturing partners, including partner selection, performance management, quality oversight, contractual compliance, and ongoing operational governance.
Drive operational excellence across the enterprise through performance measurement, process improvement, standardization, technology enablement, and Lean business practices.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) related to customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, delivery, inventory, safety, service levels, and profitability.
Lead the design, optimization, and expansion of Sarnova's distribution, manufacturing, and operational infrastructure to support current and future business requirements.
Champion a culture of safety, quality, accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and customer focus throughout the organization.
Build, lead, develop, and retain a high-performing leadership team while fostering succession planning and leadership development at all levels.
Serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and Senior Leadership Team in establishing enterprise priorities, evaluating business performance, and executing key strategic initiatives.
Support mergers, acquisitions, and strategic growth initiatives through operational due diligence, integration planning, organizational alignment, and value realization activities.
Provide regular updates to the CEO and Board of Directors regarding operational performance, strategic initiatives, business risks, opportunities, and organizational readiness.
Serve as the executive escalation point for critical operational, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and customer experience issues.
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Skills/Experience Required:
Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, or related field required.
MBA, Master's Degree in Engineering, or other relevant advanced degrees strongly preferred.

Experience and Competencies

Minimum of 15 years of progressive healthcare and medical device leadership experience, including significant executive-level responsibility for operations, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and customer-facing functions.
Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-site operations in the medical device, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, distribution, or other highly regulated industries.
Proven experience overseeing product development organizations and successfully bringing products from concept through lifecycle management.
Strong understanding of medical device development processes, quality systems, regulatory requirements, design controls, and risk management methodologies.
Significant experience leading manufacturing operations, assembly and kitting environments, production planning, operational scaling, and contract manufacturing relationships.
Demonstrated success driving operational excellence, continuous improvement, productivity gains, margin expansion, and organizational scalability.
Strong financial and business acumen with experience managing budgets, capital investments, operational performance metrics, and profitability objectives.
Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, or comparable process improvement methodologies.
Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change and successfully execute large-scale strategic initiatives.
Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic thinking skills.
Outstanding leadership skills with a proven track record of building high-performing teams, developing leaders, and fostering accountability.
Strong communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across all organizational levels, including Board-level audiences.
Executive presence and the ability to represent the organization effectively with customers, suppliers, partners, investors, regulators, and industry stakeholders.
Results-oriented leader capable of balancing innovation, operational execution, quality, compliance, customer satisfaction, and financial performance in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated commitment to integrity, ethical leadership, diversity, inclusion, and employee engagement.

Sarnova is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We offer a competitive salary, commensurate with experience, along with a comprehensive benefits package, including 401(k) Plan. EEO/M/F/Veterans/Disabled. Our mission is to be the best partner for those who save and improve patients' lives. Excellence in delivering upon our mission is dependent upon having a diverse team that is empowered to bring their full, authentic self to work each day. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve, and we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity.