Chief Operations Officer

Satelligence is a leading and fast-growing scale-up that uses satellite images to empower corporations to make their supply chain more sustainable. The Chief Operations Officer readies the organization for rapid expansion by building teams and implementing scalable processes and structures. A great opportunity to contribute to a net-zero future and combat deforestation.

About Satelligence

Satelligence provides global corporations – such as Mondelez, PepsiCo, Cargill, Unilever, Rabobank, and many more – with critical sustainability insights to empower them to minimize their global environmental footprint. The scale-up helps them get a profound understanding of their own supply chains, which are often complex and scattered. By combining data from ESA and NASA satellites with AI-powered predictive modelling and in-depth local expertise, Satelligence presents actionable intel that supports their clients in protecting the planet and achieving net-zero supply chains.

Satelligence’s subscription services offer value to every company directly or indirectly involved in agriculture, e.g., farmers, traders, manufacturers, agribusinesses, and financial institutions with agricultural investments. The scale-up constructs real-time dashboards and reports that allow their clients to track their progress against climate objectives, protecting them from risks like deforestation and inspiring them to operate more sustainably. 

“We want to make sustainable agriculture the norm. Our insights empower large corporations to combat deforestation, protect biodiversity, decrease carbon losses, and prevent land degradation.” – Niels Wielaard, founder & CEO

The scale-up – founded in 2016 – currently employs about 27 people, working out of offices in Utrecht, Washington DC, and several locations in Asia-Pacific, Africa, and South-America. Satelligence has been growing fast and works tirelessly to expand their client base and extend their services. To further accelerate growth the scale-up is looking for specific expertise to add to their team.

Vacancy: Chief Operations Officer

The Chief Operations Officer (COO) prepares the organization for rapid growth. They will put in place structures and processes that allow Satelligence to operate effectively now – with about twenty clients – and in the future when the scale-up will have grown towards hundred plus clients and employees. The COO will be part of the Leadership Team, work closely with the directors, and contribute to the overall direction and strategy. Strong performance by the COO – being a potential key contributor to the future of the scale-up – can be awarded with equity.

A key part of readying Satelligence for rapid growth is to implement frameworks, such as KPIs or OKRs, that help the organization work towards shared and measurable objectives. The COO will introduce goal setting practices that facilitate business steering and contribute to the operationalization of the overall strategy.

“The COO will be involved in all our activities, from Sales and R&D to Finance and Legal. They will have a broad scope and play a crucial role in setting us up for rapid growth across the board.” – Arjen Vrielink, Director

Internally, the COO will define future-proof processes, roles, and responsibilities that smoothen operations. Additionally, they will play a crucial role in service delivery. The COO will be responsible for implementing ways of working that guarantee timely and high-quality delivery to clients. The approach needs to be scalable to uphold Satelligence’s high standards for each and every client and transaction, even      when volumes are much higher than today. 

The COO will lead the growing Operations Team, currently consisting of five employees. They will coach and develop them and be able to offer (hands-on) support on technological challenges the team faces in their day-to-day work. This will require the COO to have a basic understanding of IT (geospatial and cloud) and auxiliary topics. 

All in all, the role offers a unique combination of strategic process design and hands-on team management in a well-funded, financially robust, fast-growing, and socially responsible scale-up that strives to make the world a more sustainable place.

Interested? 

Satelligence has appointed Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Annelijn Nijhuis at annelijn.nijhuis@topofminds.com.