Chief Operations Officer

Charlie Gilmur with Robert Half is searching for an experienced Chief Operations Officer to lead operational excellence, workforce compliance, and organizational consistency across multiple offices in Portland, Oregon. This newly established leadership role is designed for a strategic operator who can strengthen processes, guide risk management decisions, and bring greater structure to a fast-moving staffing environment. The ideal candidate will combine strong knowledge of HR and labor compliance with the ability to partner across teams, support branch performance, and help protect both the business and its workforce.

Responsibilities:

• Lead operational and compliance strategy across multiple branch locations, ensuring consistent practices throughout the organization.
• Establish and refine wage-and-hour, payroll, and workforce compliance processes to reduce risk and improve accuracy.
• Oversee HR-related operational matters, including employment classifications, policy application, and compliance decision-making.
• Provide leadership to branch teams and internal stakeholders to standardize procedures and strengthen accountability across offices.
• Evaluate current workflows and introduce practical improvements in areas such as timekeeping, communication tools, and operational efficiency.
• Partner with ownership and HR leadership to address legal, contractual, and risk-related issues with sound judgment and clear recommendations.
• Support client-facing compliance conversations when needed to confirm safe working conditions, required documentation, and shared expectations.
• Monitor field and site-level practices in an on-demand labor environment to help maintain compliance across customer locations.
• Drive operational transformation initiatives that improve scalability while balancing organizational mission with regulatory responsibilities.

Please reach out to Charlie Gilmur with Robert Half to review this position. Job Order: 03600-0013542643

• Demonstrated leadership experience in operations, compliance, or risk management within the staffing or contract labor industry.
• Strong working knowledge of wage-and-hour regulations, HR compliance, employment law, and worker classification standards.
• Experience overseeing payroll accuracy, workforce policies, and compliance controls in a multi-site environment.
• Ability to build and implement systems, processes, and operational improvements across distributed teams.
• Strong decision-making skills with the ability to manage sensitive legal, contractual, and compliance matters.
• Effective relationship-building and communication skills, including the ability to work with executives, branch teams, HR partners, and clients.
• Familiarity with timekeeping software and other workforce management tools used in high-volume staffing operations.