Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Location: Texas (San Antonio preferred) or U.S. Eastern Seaboard (with regular international travel)

Flyttr is entering a phase of rapid growth around the world. We are expanding R&D and manufacturing capacity, scaling distribution and logistics, integrating new lines of business, and building the global supply chain and technology systems that growth on this scale requires.

As Chief Operating Officer, you will lead a global operations function for turning our science and technologies into product systems at commercial scale. You will own manufacturing and production, facilities, EHS and containment, supply chain and logistics, capital and construction projects, IT and cybersecurity, and program delivery across all sites.

The role supports expanding operations across the United States, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the UK and Europe, including our new global headquarters in the U.S., R&D headquarters in the UK, production operations in Brazil, and rapidly expanding biosecurity operations in Texas and California.

You will design the operations structure, hire into it, and shape the high standards by which Flyttr operates globally. You will report to the Chief Executive Officer and work as a peer to the Chief Technology Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief People Officer. In general, you will advise our engaged CEO on a range of matters, including growth strategy, infrastructure investments, and other topics as needed.

In general, the COO role is designed to help Flyttr manage its rapid growth. It isn't for everyone; the successful candidate will enjoy dynamic, fast-moving, and growth-oriented environments where service-oriented leadership, responsibility and accountability are valued.

Responsibilities

• Building and Leading the Operations Function
• Manufacturing and Production
• Facilities, EHS and Containment
• Supply Chain and Logistics
• Capital and Construction Projects
• Program Delivery
• IT and Cybersecurity

Skills, Experience, and Education Requirements

Required

• 15+ years of progressive operational leadership experience, with a substantial portion at executive level owning multiple operational functions across multiple sites.
• Demonstrated experience scaling manufacturing or production operations from early or pilot scale into reliable, cost-controlled, higher-volume output.
• Proven track record of establishing an operations function, including designing the structure, hiring the leadership, and setting the standards and systems.
• Experience operating in a regulated technical environment such as life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, agricultural science, or defense, where safety, containment, quality, and regulatory compliance carry no margin for error.
• Direct accountability for delivery of a large, complex, externally funded program or contract with hard milestones and a demanding customer.
• Experience owning capital projects, including facility build-out or fit-out and major equipment commissioning.
• Experience leading international operations and multicultural teams across time zones, with genuine comfort adapting to different regulatory and business environments.
• Strong commercial and financial literacy, with the ability to own an operating budget, build a business case, and manage to unit economics.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, a scientific discipline, or a related field.
• The legal authorisation to work in the United States that does not require, now or in the future, any employer sponsorship or support for a change of immigration status.

Preferred

• Experience delivering U.S. federal contracts or grants, and familiarity with the reporting, compliance, and security expectations that accompany them.
• Experience in biological production, live-organism rearing, fermentation, or another biological manufacturing environment.
• Experience with international logistics of biological or otherwise time- and temperature-sensitive material, including import and export permitting.
• Experience integrating an acquired business, operationally, systemically, or geographically.
• Experience operating in Latin America, and Portuguese or Spanish language ability.
• Advanced degree (MBA, MSc, or equivalent) or relevant professional certification.

Behavioral Requirements

• Commitment to, and passion for, the Flyttr mission and values.
• Responsive to the needs of an international business working across different time zones, adapting working patterns in line with business requirements.
• Positive, humble, cooperative and professional always.
• Works with urgency and solves things promptly.
• Resilient and persistent in an innovative and constantly changing environment.
• Proactive, resourceful, and comfortable building processes from scratch.
• Builds trust quickly with technical colleagues, and able to hold a line with them without damaging the relationship.
• Values collaboration and works effectively with global colleagues.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, medical condition, gender reassignment, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.