As Global Head of Research & Leadership Advisory at JRG Partners, I prepared this practical guide on how to hire a COO for a Energy & Utilities company. In a sector that is an industry running a reliable regulated core while building an entirely new asset base of renewables, the COO carries the operational weight of the transformation, and the profile that succeeds is an operator who has delivered large capital programs safely and can absorb distributed energy, grid technology, and customer expectations into an organization built for one-way power flow.
Key Takeaways: Hiring a Energy & Utilities COO in 2026
- The winning COO profile is an operator who has delivered large capital programs safely and can absorb distributed energy, grid technology, and customer expectations in.
- Define the COO’s scope precisely; the role varies more than any other C-suite title.
- Operational credibility plus transformation capability is the combination the sector now demands.
- The best candidates are employed operators who must be recruited discreetly.
- Clarify the CEO-COO division of labor before the search, not after.
Defining the Energy & Utilities COO Role
Before searching, define the scope precisely: which functions, sites, and P&L elements report to the COO, and how authority divides with the CEO. In Energy & Utilities, the role typically owns the operational core of the transformation, and ambiguity here is the most common cause of failed COO hires.
What to Look For in a Energy & Utilities COO
The profile that succeeds is an operator who has delivered large capital programs safely and can absorb distributed energy, grid technology, and customer expectations into an organization built for one-way power flow. Boards and CEOs should probe for safety and reliability instincts, observable in how a candidate discusses incidents; regulatory fluency framed as value creation within the compact; capital discipline provable through delivered projects; stakeholder range across commissioners, communities, customers, and investors.
Where Energy & Utilities COOs Come From
Strong candidates emerge from regulated utilities (deepest source of operational, regulatory, and safety leadership); independent power producers and renewables developers (commercial agility); oilfield services and industrial infrastructure (project delivery), and increasingly from adjacent sectors where the transformation capabilities were developed earlier.
Assessing and Closing the Energy & Utilities COO
Assess against operational results verifiable by reference, transformation delivery with measured outcomes, and the specific sector markers above. Anchor to scope and market rather than history, pre-approve the range so decisions never wait on a committee. The CEO-COO relationship is the hire’s foundation, so structured time between the CEO and finalists is essential, not optional.
For the broader sourcing and process discipline, see our guide to executive search in Energy & Utilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What does a Energy & Utilities COO do?
- A: The role owns the operational core of the business, an operator who has delivered large capital programs safely and can absorb distributed energy, grid technology, and cust, though exact scope varies by company and should be defined precisely before hiring.
- Q: What background should a Energy & Utilities COO have?
- A: Operational leadership at comparable scale plus transformation-delivery experience; the strongest candidates pair deep sector operations with capabilities the transition demands.
- Q: How does the COO role differ from the CEO in Energy & Utilities?
- A: The COO owns operational execution while the CEO owns strategy, capital, and external stakeholders; the division should be explicit before the search begins.
- Q: How long does a Energy & Utilities COO search take?
- A: Typically three to five months for a retained search, depending on scope specificity and the candidate pool’s depth.
Related Energy & Utilities Resources
See also Energy & Utilities executive search guide, Energy & Utilities top 10 in-demand roles, Energy & Utilities executive compensation report.
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Tanya Gallardo
Managing Director, Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy
Tanya Gallardo is the Managing Director of Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy at JRG Partners, leading C-suite and Board engagements across key growth sectors including Technology, Financial Services, and Manufacturing.
With over 18 years of experience specializing in disruptive technology leadership, Tanya is recognized as a leading authority on talent architecture for future-focused executive roles, such as the Chief AI Officer (CAIO) and Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Her expertise lies in accurately assessing the cultural fit and technical depth required to ensure a high return on investment (ROI) for critical leadership appointments.
Prior to her role at JRG Partners, Tanya held senior roles directing global talent acquisition strategies at a major publicly-traded technology firm, advising on organizational design and succession planning for emerging executive functions. She is a recognized speaker and contributor to industry events, sharing data-driven insights on executive compensation, leadership development, and the measurable business impact of C-suite talent.
