COO

Chief Operating Officer

Trustmark

Fargo, ND

Full-Time

About The Opportunity

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a strategic enterprise leader accountable for delivering consistent operational excellence across Goldmark Property Management and Sterling Management. This role aligns strategy, culture, and execution, ensuring people, processes, technology, and performance systems drive exceptional experiences for residents, commercial tenants, investors, and team members. The COO champions winning, excellence, service, accountability, and innovation, while developing leaders and fostering cross-functional collaboration that elevates customer experiences, property performance, and organizational results.

Grounded in servant leadership, the COO inspires the organization to make "Creating a Better Living" a daily reality for those served, delivering best-in-class service and performance to residents, commercial tenants, team members, and ultimately the property owner and REIT shareholder clients.

Success in this role is evidenced by consistent, high-level performance across every residential and commercial property within the managed portfolio. The COO leads a high-impact team of direct reports spanning the full operational enterprise, including the Senior Vice President of Commercial Portfolio, Vice Presidents of Property Management and Maintenance Operations, Vice President of Construction, Director of Marketing, and Director of Business Analytics.

The Culture

Living our culture is not optional. It is required. Every team member is expected to embody these principles every day:

• Choose Positivity: We foster a supportive, upbeat environment where every team member is empowered and expected to make a difference.
• Chase Excellence: We pursue best-in-class standards in our work, always striving for improvement and innovation.
• Champion Results: We deliver on our promises, celebrate successes, and hold ourselves accountable for outcomes.

Key Responsibilities To Achieve Success

The Key Accountabilities for the position include but are not limited to the following:

• Leadership Effectiveness, Team Member Engagement & Development
• Build accountable, resilient leaders who model professionalism and values-aligned behaviors.
• Strengthen bench strength through clear expectations, intentional development, and succession readiness.
• Embed organizational values and culture into everyday leadership practices.
• Drive excellence through a high-performing coaching and feedback culture.
• Maximize property and enterprise performance through cross-functional collaboration.
• Achievement of Enterprise Operating & Financial Performance
• Achieve operating and financial performance aligned to annual operating and capital plan targets.
• Ensure disciplined, accurate budgeting and forecasting.
• Drive rigorous KPI monitoring and initiate aggressive corrective action when needed, with tight alignment across Finance, Accounting, and Asset Management.
• Ensure growth budgets, forecasts, and capital plans are reliable, prioritized, and executable.
• Customer Experience Excellence Across Residential & Commercial Portfolios
• Deliver sustained, best-in-class satisfaction through consistent, high-quality experiences across all operational touchpoints.
• Strengthen responsiveness through clear expectations, effective service recovery, and timely communication that builds resident and tenant trust.
• Sustain and strengthen Trustmark's brand standards through a relentless focus on front-line execution.
• Organizational Alignment, Operational Excellence & Scalability
• Translate enterprise strategy into clear, executable operational plans across departments.
• Drive consistent execution of standardized processes, regulatory compliance, and internal safety standards.
• Improve efficiency through process optimization, system improvements, and technology adoption.
• Manage operational risk through alignment with OSHA, EPA, Fair Housing, and safety standards.
• Enterprise Impact & Long-Term Strategic Outcomes
• Align operational decisions with organizational vision, profitability, and growth objectives.
• Lead enterprise-wide initiatives that deliver measurable, sustainable results.
• Advance innovation and technology adoption to improve scalability and organizational resilience.
• Guide teams effectively through change to strengthen adaptability and long-term durability.
• Stakeholder Trust, Transparency & Strategic Influence
• Build trust through transparent communication of performance, risks, and priorities across all stakeholder groups.
• Strengthen relationships with residents, tenants, team members, investors, and partners.
• Represent the organization professionally across internal and external forums from investor and board presentations to industry events reinforcing strategic alignment and long-term objectives.
• Define decision authority, escalation paths, and accountability models to drive speed, consistency, and enterprise-aligned outcomes.

Critical Skills & Attributes

• Models accountability, integrity, and ethical standards, setting a clear bar for performance and conduct.
• Thinks strategically and executes pragmatically, balancing short- and long-term organizational objectives.
• Builds trust-based relationships across diverse internal and external stakeholders and communicates with clarity and influence across all audiences, orally and in writing.
• Inspires, coaches, and develops leaders and teams to achieve high-level performance and engagement.
• Demonstrates superior mental acuity, including the ability to analyze data, solve complex problems, and make timely, high-quality decisions.
• Possesses strong business acumen with advanced financial analysis and negotiation skills to support operational and strategic decision-making.
• Manages a high volume of complex, detail-intensive work with accuracy, prioritization, and follow-through.
• Brings exceptional energy, resilience, and adaptability to a fast-paced environment with evolving conditions.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint) with professional fluency in English.

Experience, Education, & Licensure

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, real estate, or related field required.
• MBA preferred.
• A minimum of ten years in senior operational leadership experience roles, preferably in real estate, property management, or investment advisory services is required.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver consistent, high-level results across individual, team, and organizational outcomes is required.
• Proven ability to lead large, cross-functional teams and manage complex operations is required.
• Proven success in motivating and developing talent, navigating complex customer and employee situations, and driving operational excellence is required.
• Minimum of seven years overseeing financial operations and/or back-end business processes is required.
• Experience with marketing, branding, and public relations across an enterprise preferred.

The Search

Sagency, an executive search and leadership consulting firm, has been retained for this Chief Operating Officer search.

Sagency consultants will review and evaluate all interested parties to help the hiring team review a final group for consideration.

The search will be conducted in a professional manner and all potential candidates will be given consideration. Candidate conversations and information will be handled with great discretion and confidentiality. Sagency and Trustmark are equal-opportunity employers.

If, after reviewing this Opportunity Profile, you believe your experience, capabilities, and passion align with the requirements of this role, we welcome your interest. The application and selection process will proceed as follows:

Step 1: Submit Your Application - Complete the online application and upload your resume. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Step 2: Interview with Sagency - Qualified candidates may first be contacted for a brief phone conversation, followed by a 60-minute video interview with a Sagency Executive Search Consultant.

Step 3: Client Interviews - Top candidates will be invited to participate in the first round of interviews with Trustmark leadership.

Thank you for your time and interest in this role.