Chief Operating Officer

Job Description

Job Description

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

About Us

Welcome to Flyttr, the world’s biosecurity platform to combating the world’s critical pest threats.

We are a team of passionate individuals from 15 countries developing the world’s first biosecurity platform built to combat critical pest threats to human health, food security and the environment.

With a deep commitment to trust, integrity and collaboration, Flyttr has become the trusted partner of governments, industries, philanthropies and communities seeking to make bold advancements on the biggest pest threats of our time. We work with urgency because lives and livelihoods depend on it. Successful candidates will find Flyttr to be an exhilarating place to do their best work and will find that every person at Flyttr plays a critical role in a dynamic, exciting, team-oriented culture.

Purpose of the Job

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

• Establish and lead a new, expanded global operations function spanning manufacturing, facilities, supply chain, capital projects, IT, and program delivery.
• Bring operational functions together under a single global structure through a phased transition that maintains continuity of delivery throughout.
• Establish clear operations-related decision systems with the CEO, a standing operating rhythm, and escalation paths across sites and functions, and own the review cadence for major programs.
• Recruit, develop, and retain senior operational leadership across all regions, partnering closely with the Chief People Officer.
• Serve as a full member of the executive leadership team, contributing to company strategy, resource allocation, and board-level reporting.
• Support the CEO on special initiatives, as required.

Manufacturing and Production

• Own global production across all sites, strengthening all sites and harmonizing operations systems globally.
• Lead manufacturing scale-up for new products and new sites, translating production systems designed with R&D into repeatable, validated, cost-controlled operations.
• Establish production planning, capacity modeling, and cost-of-goods discipline, and drive unit economics toward commercial targets.
• Own manufacturing QA/QC, including batch documentation, product release, and manufacturing compliance in every jurisdiction in which we produce.

Facilities, EHS and Containment

• Own the operational readiness, safety, and compliance of all Flyttr sites, including containment laboratories, insect production facilities, and field operations bases.
• Hold accountability for biosafety, radiation safety, occupational health and safety, and environmental compliance, together with the institutional relationships and approvals that underpin them.
• Own site standards, permitting, inspections, and audit readiness, so that every site can withstand scrutiny from regulators, funders, and customers.
• Lead facilities strategy, including footprint, lease and exit decisions, and utilities and services planning, in partnership with Finance.

Supply Chain and Logistics

• Own global supply chain end to end: procurement, supplier qualification, inventory, warehousing, and the international movement of biological material, devices, and consumables.
• Build a supply chain capable of supporting live-organism logistics across borders, covering import and export permitting, customs clearance, cold chain integrity, and time-critical delivery windows, with sufficient redundancy to protect program commitments.
• Establish supplier performance management, dual sourcing, and risk mitigation for single points of failure in critical inputs and specialist equipment.
• Own logistics performance metrics and the systems that give the business real-time visibility of shipment status.

Capital and Construction Projects

• Own delivery of Flyttr’s capital programs, including new facility build-outs, laboratory and manufacturing fit-out, and major equipment procurement, installation, and commissioning.
• Manage external project delivery partners, contractors, and design teams, with ownership of scope, schedule, budget, and commissioning acceptance.
• Partner with the CFO on capital planning, business cases, and investment governance, bringing operational judgment to capital decisions.

Program Delivery

• Build and lead the delivery structures required by our largest funded programs, holding joint accountability with R&D teams for milestone delivery, technical reporting, and the credibility of our commitments to funders and customers.
• Establish portfolio-level visibility of schedule, cost, risk, and dependency, and drive the trade-off decisions that keep programs on track.
• Work with the Chief Strategy Officer and commercial leadership to scope new engagements against real operational capacity before they are committed.

IT and Cybersecurity

• Own Flyttr’s IT function, including enterprise systems, ERP, and the digital infrastructure supporting manufacturing, inventory, and field operations.
• Own information and cyber security and build the controls and documentation expected of a company delivering sensitive, government-funded work.
• Drive systems consolidation across acquired and legacy businesses, prioritizing investments by operational return.

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.