COO | AgTech | Series A

About the job
Zanda is an Executive search partner that works exclusively with high-growth start-ups as they look to scale their business with senior talent. Zanda partners with VCs, Founders, CEOs and CFOs when it comes to successfully delivering on key senior appointments.

Who’s the business:
Zanda is partnering with a fast-growing sustainability company that is on a mission to decarbonise one of the planet’s most critical and complex industries. They’re supporting thousands across Europe and driving systemic change in global supply chains.

As the business enters its next phase of international growth following a successful Series A raise, they are hiring a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to act as the architect of its internal engine that will be building the systems, culture, and teams that enable the company to deliver world-class products, delight customers, and scale sustainably.

This is a unique opportunity to work shoulder-to-shoulder with a mission-driven CEO and executive team through a critical period of scale. You’ll need to bring deep startup operational experience, a sharp strategic mind, and the ability to turn chaos into clarity.

What experiences you will gain:

• Act as a key strategic partner to the CEO, translating vision into executable plans across the business
  
  
• Lead annual and quarterly planning cycles, driving alignment across product, commercial, and operational teams
  
  
• Prepare the business for future rounds of funding, geographic expansion, and product diversification
  
  
• Support investor relations and board communications with clarity, precision, and confidence
  
  
• Build and refine the systems, processes, and tools needed to scale across finance, people, legal, compliance, and general ops
  
  
• Ensure operational KPIs are tracked and acted upon; build dashboards that give visibility across the business
  
  
• Drive cross-functional execution of key initiatives with speed, precision, and accountability
  
  
• Establish robust risk management practices and compliance frameworks appropriate for scale
  
  
• Lead the People function, shaping an inclusive, mission-aligned, high-performance culture
  
  
• Define org structure, workforce planning, and performance management systems to support growth
  
  
• Oversee finance operations, including budgeting, forecasting, and unit economics tracking
  
  
• Partner closely with go-to-market and product teams to align operations with commercial strategy
  
  
• Drive improvements in pricing, customer onboarding, sales ops, and delivery models
  
  
• Champion sustainability at every level of the business
  
  
• Help operationalise ESG metrics and reporting to align with investor and regulatory expectations
  
  
• Ensure the business scales in a way that’s both commercially and environmentally sustainable
  
  

What background should you have before you press apply!

• 10+ years of experience in operational leadership roles, ideally in high-growth, venture-backed environments
  
  
• A track record of scaling teams and systems from Series A/B to Series C and beyond
  
  
• Deep understanding of business operations, with fluency across finance, legal, people, and commercial functions
  
  
• Strong leadership skills with emotional intelligence, exceptional communication, and a bias for action
  
  
• Analytical mindset with a love for metrics, dashboards, and scalable process design
  
  
• Passion for sustainability, climate innovation, and building a business with purpose
  
  

Bonus points for:

• Experience in B2B SaaS, climate-tech, agri-tech, or energy systems
  
  
• Familiarity with European regulatory frameworks, ESG compliance, or carbon markets
  
  
• Hands-on experience working in or alongside product and engineering teams

MUST be willing to consider relocation to Germany in the future.

Please note that due to the expected volume of applications, we will only be able to respond to those candidates whose experience matches the requirements of our client. If you have not heard from us within the next ten days, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.