Chief Operating Officer

TL;DR

Chief Operating Officer (Space/Climate Tech): Own end-to-end company operations as the internal execution engine, translating strategy into execution with an accent on financial operations, governance, and cross-functional alignment. Focus on building scalable operating systems, resolving trade-offs, and ensuring operational resilience in a capital-intensive, regulated deeptech environment.

Location: Munich or Berlin - Hybrid setup with travel required to both offices.

Company

Fast-scaling company harnessing thermal satellite constellation for climate resilience, national security, agriculture, and infrastructure decisions.

What you will do

• Own end-to-end company operations, acting as internal CEO for execution and delivery
• Translate strategy into clear priorities, executable plans, and measurable outcomes
• Build robust operating systems including processes, KPIs, OKRs, and decision frameworks
• Lead financial operations: budgeting, cash flow, forecasting, and investor reporting
• Establish governance, risk, and compliance frameworks for regulated deeptech
• Drive cross-functional alignment, organisational scaling, and performance culture
• Support board with governance, reporting, and executive decision-making

Requirements

• 8+ years in senior operational leadership in high-growth, capital-intensive, or deeptech environments (e.g., aerospace, space, hardware, climate tech)
• Proven ownership of company-wide operations including Finance, People/HR, Legal/Compliance, governance
• Track record scaling organisations, systems, and teams
• Strong financial leadership: budgeting, cash flow, forecasting, reporting
• Experience in regulated, complex environments; structured execution-first operator
• High ownership, autonomy, pragmatic leadership; effective delegation
• Experience with distributed remote teams; familiarity with high-security environments
• Eligible to obtain and maintain defence security clearance, including NATO

Nice to have

• Experience in aerospace, space, defence, or government-facing environments
• International operations and multi-cultural teams
• Scaling from ~100 to 500+ or 1000+ employees
• Business intelligence, data-driven decisions, or operational analytics

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible work with remote and hybrid options
• Competitive compensation including Virtual Share Option Plan (VSOP) for permanent employees
• Team committed to diversity, inclusion, scientific excellence, and real-world impact
• Performance-driven culture with high ownership, transparency, and delivery discipline