Chief Operating Officer​/Chief Officer

Position Summary

Safeware is seeking a Chief Experience Officer based in Lanham, Maryland, reporting to the President, to lead and transform the full experience our customers have with the company, from first engagement through quote, order, delivery, and post-sale support.

Lanham, Maryland is in the greater Washington, D.C. area, and the person in this role should be located within a reasonable commuting distance of Safeware’s headquarters in Lanham as well as the company’s main distribution location in Columbia, Maryland. Many Safeware employees live in Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and other surrounding counties, making the role well suited for a leader based in the broader central Maryland and D.C. region.

Safeware is a sales‑led distribution organization serving customers nationwide, with the largest majority of its business centered on government and public sector accounts. While Safeware is often described as a distributor, the business is not currently built around a traditional inventory‑heavy distribution model. Much of the business is fulfilled through supplier drop‑ship relationships. As a result, customer experience depends not only on internal process excellence, but also on strong commercial discipline, cross‑functional coordination, supplier alignment, and clear communication.

Importantly, leveraging traditional and emerging technologies will be a key to our future success.

This is a critical executive role at the intersection of customer strategy, commercial execution, operations, and business‑led technology modernization. The right leader will understand how to create a world‑class customer experience in a complex environment where customers are buying solutions, speed, trust, and accountability, and not simply products.

Founded in 1979, Safeware Inc. is a trusted distributor and service provider of safety products for use before, during, and after emergencies and in mission‑critical operations. Headquartered in Lanham, Maryland, with locations nationwide, Safeware is built on a foundation of dedicated professionals committed to protecting those who protect others. As the company continues to grow, it builds on a long‑standing reputation for expertise, responsiveness, strong relationships, and reliable execution.

The Chief Experience Officer is Safeware’s senior executive leader for the end‑to‑end customer journey, from the moment a customer engages with Safeware through order placement, fulfillment, and post‑sale support. This leader is accountable for customer experience outcomes and for the operational systems and cross‑functional coordination that make the Safeware brand promise real. This role sits at the intersection of customer experience, operations, and technology.

The Chief Experience Officer does not need to be a technologist but must be a strategic technology leader who can set the vision, define business requirements, and hold vendors and internal partners accountable for outcomes.

• Define and own Safeware’s customer experience strategy, setting the standard for what it means to be the best and easiest company to do business within the markets Safeware serves.
• Own and drive customer experience outcomes across the full lifecycle, including satisfaction, retention, long‑term customer value, repeat business, and broader growth progress.
• Architect and deliver a fully integrated customer experience platform, including self‑service capabilities, AI‑enabled account support, e‑commerce excellence, and punch‑out marketplace functionality.
• Ensure Safeware’s brand promise is embedded into every customer touchpoint, so customers experience customization, accessible expertise, and frictionless purchasing.
• Use data, customer intelligence, and frontline insight to continuously improve the experience and build feedback loops that surface problems before they become losses.
• Provide consistent operational leadership for the company, and in particular the managers and employees tasked with operations within the company.

• Shape the customer…