Chief Operating Officer (COO) in Sydney

Dental Empire is looking for a proven COO to take operational ownership of our rapidly growing, ~30-person digital business. Your first mandate is clear: Within 90 days, build the structure, leadership and accountability required to remove the founder from day-to-day operations — without compromising growth, client results or culture. This is not a step-up role. Previous experience successfully operating as a COO with genuine P&L, people and operational responsibility is essential.

About Dental Empire

Dental Empire is an Australia-wide dental growth company working exclusively with practices focused on high-value dental implant treatment. We partner with clinics across the patient acquisition and conversion journey — generating demand, qualifying prospective patients, booking consultations directly into clinic calendars, driving attendance and providing concierge support throughout the patient journey. Our commercial model aligns us directly with our clients. Alongside a fixed monthly fee, we participate in the revenue growth we help our clinic partners generate. When our clients grow, we grow.

The business operates across three core functions:

• Sales & Patient Concierge
• Marketing
• Technology & Systems

The Role

You will take operational ownership of the Australian business. Your first priority is getting the founder out of day-to-day operations within approximately 90 days. Your job is to build the operating machine: capable functional leaders, clear accountability, the right KPIs, effective management rhythms and systems that allow the company to perform without relying on either the founder or COO for routine decisions.

You will own:

• Company-wide operational performance and execution
• Leadership and accountability of functional managers
• KPI frameworks, scorecards and management reporting
• Weekly, monthly and quarterly operating rhythms
• Cross-functional execution across Sales, Marketing, Client Success and Technology
• Workforce planning and organizational structure
• Identifying and resolving performance issues
• Continuous improvement of systems and processes
• P&L performance and the operational drivers behind it

Your functional leaders own their teams. You own the operating system that makes those leaders successful and accountable.

Who We're Looking For

If you're currently an Operations Manager or Head of Operations looking to step into your first COO role, this position isn't for you. We want somebody who has already operated successfully as a COO and can demonstrate their performance with numbers. You should have proven experience:

• Operating as a COO with genuine P&L responsibility
• Leading managers and senior functional leaders
• Scaling a multi-department organization
• Professionalizing a founder-led business
• Reducing founder and key-person dependency
• Building KPI, reporting and accountability systems
• Leading distributed and remote teams
• Making difficult people and performance decisions
• Driving measurable improvements in revenue, profitability, retention or productivity

Agency, digital or professional-services experience is advantageous, but not essential. Experience helping prepare or take a business through an acquisition, investment or exit is highly regarded. We're looking for a builder, not a caretaker. You need to be commercially sharp, highly numbers-driven, strong with people and comfortable challenging the founder when required.

The Package

$240,000 base + superannuation
$300,000 OTE + super + earned equity opportunity

Your performance incentives will be tied to clearly defined operational and financial outcomes, including founder independence, client retention, company performance and profitability. For exceptional long-term performers, there will also be an opportunity to earn equity in the business based on sustained performance and value creation. This is a fully remote executive position. You can work from anywhere in Australia.