COO Jobs in Kansas
COO jobs in Kansas are steadily active, with demand concentrated in agriculture-linked agribusiness, financial services, healthcare systems, and manufacturing, and openings at both the division-leader and enterprise-wide executive level. Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City draw the most postings, anchored by employers such as Spirit AeroSystems, Security Benefit, and the University of Kansas Health System. Operational leadership in supply chain, healthcare administration, and corporate finance are the most consistently sought specialties. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Start a Watco Career and Discover the Difference
Keep the world's supply chain moving. That's what the Watco team does every day at our short line railroads, switching sites, terminals, ports, and logistics hubs. Whether you're at one of these locations or in a support-services role, there's one thread that ties everyone together. We're all on the same team. One Watco.
Here's what you can expect from Watco:
- Outstanding culture recognized by Forbes and Newsweek
- Competitive compensation and benefits
- Leadership and development programs offered through Watco University
- Career advancement opportunities
Job Summary
The Director of Operations Solutions will provide project leadership, support, and technical expertise across varied improvement-focused initiatives that are aligned with corporate and individual business unit objectives. The position serves as a technical liaison between Watco’s operating units and other supporting functional departments, engaging particularly close with the Information Technology department. The role will develop and maintain open lines of communication to improve business unit satisfaction while implementing technical process solutions and managing overall business unit expectations.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Facilitates preliminary investigations for all Business Solution’s project requests with business unit personnel.
- Develops requirements, specifications, project plans, and training plans to ensure they are in line with business unit objectives and deliver the expected results.
- Manages the delivery and rollout of business solutions with varying scope and complexity, up to and including enterprise level initiatives.
- Networks with internal/external partners both within and outside own area of expertise; actively identifies synergies between projects and initiatives, elevating conflicting efforts or requirements to senior leadership.
- Ensures effective communication and coordination on assigned projects between all project stakeholders.
- Participates in root cause analysis to recommend product enhancements or other appropriate actions required to improve performance for both the business units and the enterprise.
- Position will manage direct reports as needed.
- High level of interaction with field team members at their locations.
- Travel required 30% - 40%.
Personal Attributes
- Strong customer service focus.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Self-motivated and ability to work with minimal direct supervision
- Enjoys complicated challenges in a fast-paced growing company.
- Passionate about providing solutions that continuously improve the business.
- Able to effectively manage ambiguity and balance multiple stakeholders needs.
Qualifications
- Five (5) or more years of experience in business systems/process improvement engineering to include developing product requirements and specifications.
- Project management experience for enterprise level projects (PMP certification a plus).
- Experience in software application database structures, including querying, mining, and analyzing relational database information through SQL, as an example.
- Ability to quickly become a “power user” in multiple instances of complex software based on project requirements.
- Must be able to adapt quickly to change, work well within a team environment, and communicate clearly in verbal and written form (across various organizational levels).
- Experience training others through both formal and informal training methods.
Industry and Protocol Knowledge
- Understanding of Transloading (Terminal and Port 3PL Operations) and Railroad Operations is a plus.
Education
Start a Watco Career and Discover the Difference
Keep the world's supply chain moving. That's what the Watco team does every day at our short line railroads, switching sites, terminals, ports, and logistics hubs. Whether you're at one of these locations or in a support-services role, there's one thread that ties everyone together. We're all on the same team. One Watco.
Here's what you can expect from Watco:
- Outstanding culture recognized by Forbes and Newsweek
- Competitive compensation and benefits
- Leadership and development programs offered through Watco University
- Career advancement opportunities
Job Summary
The Director of Operations Solutions will provide project leadership, support, and technical expertise across varied improvement-focused initiatives that are aligned with corporate and individual business unit objectives. The position serves as a technical liaison between Watco’s operating units and other supporting functional departments, engaging particularly close with the Information Technology department. The role will develop and maintain open lines of communication to improve business unit satisfaction while implementing technical process solutions and managing overall business unit expectations.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Facilitates preliminary investigations for all Business Solution’s project requests with business unit personnel.
- Develops requirements, specifications, project plans, and training plans to ensure they are in line with business unit objectives and deliver the expected results.
- Manages the delivery and rollout of business solutions with varying scope and complexity, up to and including enterprise level initiatives.
- Networks with internal/external partners both within and outside own area of expertise; actively identifies synergies between projects and initiatives, elevating conflicting efforts or requirements to senior leadership.
- Ensures effective communication and coordination on assigned projects between all project stakeholders.
- Participates in root cause analysis to recommend product enhancements or other appropriate actions required to improve performance for both the business units and the enterprise.
- Position will manage direct reports as needed.
- High level of interaction with field team members at their locations.
- Travel required 30% - 40%.
Personal Attributes
- Strong customer service focus.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Self-motivated and ability to work with minimal direct supervision
- Enjoys complicated challenges in a fast-paced growing company.
- Passionate about providing solutions that continuously improve the business.
- Able to effectively manage ambiguity and balance multiple stakeholders needs.
Qualifications
- Five (5) or more years of experience in business systems/process improvement engineering to include developing product requirements and specifications.
- Project management experience for enterprise level projects (PMP certification a plus).
- Experience in software application database structures, including querying, mining, and analyzing relational database information through SQL, as an example.
- Ability to quickly become a “power user” in multiple instances of complex software based on project requirements.
- Must be able to adapt quickly to change, work well within a team environment, and communicate clearly in verbal and written form (across various organizational levels).
- Experience training others through both formal and informal training methods.
Industry and Protocol Knowledge
- Understanding of Transloading (Terminal and Port 3PL Operations) and Railroad Operations is a plus.
Education
See All 26 COO Jobs in Kansas
Find roles in Kansas that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find COO Jobs in KansasCOO Jobs by City in Kansas
Where Kansas roles are concentrated, by current openings.
COO Job Market in Kansas
A snapshot from current Kansas openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
What Kansas Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in COO jobs across Kansas.
- Ten or more years of progressive leadership experience in operations, finance, or a related field
- Bachelor's degree in business administration, management, or a directly related discipline required
- Master's degree in business administration strongly preferred by Kansas enterprise and healthcare employers
- Proven ability to drive operational efficiency, manage large budgets, and lead cross-functional teams
- Experience in agriculture, aviation manufacturing, financial services, or healthcare aligns with Kansas market demand
- Strong background in strategic planning, process improvement, and executive-level stakeholder communication
COO Jobs in Kansas: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a coo in Kansas?
Becoming a coo in Kansas follows a career progression rather than a state-issued license, as the role carries no Kansas-specific credential or exam requirement. Most employers expect a bachelor's degree in business, finance, or operations, with a master's in business administration giving candidates a clear edge. Kansas hiring tends to favor executives with deep sector experience in agribusiness, aviation, healthcare, or financial services, so building a track of operational leadership in one of those industries is the most direct path.
Which companies hire coos in Kansas?
Employers hiring coos in Kansas right now include The University of Kansas Health System, Watco, and Sodexo, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Kansas's concentration of agribusiness headquarters, aviation manufacturers, and regional healthcare systems means executive operations roles appear regularly across both private companies and large nonprofit institutions in the state.
Which Kansas cities have the most coo jobs?
Overland Park, Topeka, and Kansas City account for the largest share of coo openings in Kansas. Wichita's aviation and manufacturing sector anchors demand there, while Overland Park and the broader Kansas City metro draw postings from financial services firms, corporate headquarters, and regional healthcare networks that have planted significant operations on the Kansas side of the state line.
Are there remote coo jobs in Kansas?
Yes, but they're rare. About 43% of coo openings tied to Kansas are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the hands-on, cross-departmental nature of the role that most boards and CEOs expect to be filled in person. Strategic and analytical portions of the job, such as financial modeling or vendor negotiations, are the functions most likely to be performed off-site when hybrid arrangements exist.
How can I get hired as a coo in Kansas with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is building operational depth in a director or vice president role first, then stepping into the coo seat, which is the progression Kansas employers consistently expect. Candidates without executive tenure should target operations manager or chief of staff positions at mid-size Kansas companies in agribusiness, manufacturing, or healthcare, where exposure to P&L ownership and cross-functional leadership comes quickly. An MBA from a Kansas institution such as the University of Kansas or Kansas State University signals readiness and builds local networks that matter at the executive level.
Where can I find and apply to coo jobs in Kansas?
Migrate Mate lists current coo openings in Kansas so you can see which roles are active right now. Search the listings, find the positions that fit your experience and target sector, and apply directly to the ones that match. No extra steps are needed to get your application in front of Kansas employers posting on the platform.
See All 26 COO Jobs in Kansas
Find roles in Kansas that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find COO Jobs in Kansas