About Activate Global

Activate empowers scientists to reinvent our world and address climate change by bringing their research to market. We partner with leading funders and research institutions to offer the Activate Fellowship, providing the funding, technical support, networking, community, and time that scientists need at the outset of their entrepreneurial journey.

Activate Fellows have launched 74 new companies since 2015. These companies have raised more than $370M in follow-on funding, created more than 360 U.S.-based high-tech jobs, reached scientific breakthroughs, and defined new market categories. Activate supports fellows in Berkeley, CA, Boston, MA, New York, NY, and now supports fellows across the U.S. through Activate Anywhere.

Activate exists to create a better future, for all. In service of this purpose, we are building a foundation of equity and inclusivity across our business, including our operations, our fellowship, our partnerships, and our brand.

Position Summary
Activate seeks an experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to define and manage how we work at the next level of scale. We seek a strategic leader with experience scaling an organization, managing a diverse team, and developing high performance systems and processes that reinforce a strong working culture. The COO will report to the CEO and be a senior member of Activate’s Executive Team.

Primary Responsibilities

  • Lead the teams, systems, and processes that define how we work at Activate, in alignment with our organizational values and culture. 

  • Build Activate’s operations for scale and manage the team responsible for ensuring that the Activate’s culture is reinforced in our systems,  processes,  and integrated into all facets of our business.

  • Manage organizational strategic planning, goal setting, performance management, and evaluation processes.

  • Work in partnership with the CFO and executive leadership to manage budgets, risk, and compliance for the organization.

  • Manage and coordinate the functional groups responsible for the technology, people, and operations systems that support our staff and fellows.

  • Set up and maintain an internal operational review process that measures and evaluates progress against goals for the organization.

The Ideal Candidate…

  • Has 10+ years as a leader in growing organizations from startup phase to 50+ employees.

  • Is a strong operational leader and manager of highly diverse teams.

  • Excels at developing organizational processes and systems that are effective, efficient, and reinforce a strong and inclusive working culture.

  • Is a strategic operational leader, with exceptional ability to analyze, prioritize, plan, communicate, and execute effectively.

  • Is able to drive change and evolution in systems, culture, and behavior.

  • Is familiar with best-in-class organizational management and operations systems, processes, platforms, and vendors.

  • Is metrics-oriented.

  • Can balance the need for systems to increase efficiency and productivity with the need to serve innovators that thrive in a low-overhead, creative culture. 

  • Has experience with multi-office, cross-functional, or dynamic organizations.

  • Is comfortable leading operations for a partially distributed/remote team. 

About the Role
This is a full-time position with a competitive salary and a comprehensive suite of benefit offerings. Activate has a preference but not a requirement for applicants interested in working in the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, or New York.

Values

Activate’s culture is built around the following values:

  • We put people first through mutual support, respect, and continuous improvement

  • We live in trust, acting with authenticity, integrity, and a presumption of good intention 

  • We appreciate experimentation, using data to improve, and accepting that failure and discomfort are necessary for growth

  • We create value through connection and building community

  • We are guided by intention and are purpose-driven to improve society

Activate Global, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.