Who we are
Coca-Cola and Pepsi control a $1.5 trillion industry selling sugar water in plastic. We're replacing it. Starting from the workplace.
#2 fastest-growing tech company in the Netherlands (Deloitte Fast50, 2025). #30 in Europe (Sifted250).
The role
We've mapped the milestones that define where this company needs to be in 18 months. Your job is to build the system that gets us there, and then adapt it for what comes next.
This is an operator role. You design the cadence, the boards, the KPIs, the accountability, and you keep the rhythm going.
You're a thought partner to the CEO. You ask the questions others skip. You spot the drift before it compounds. You challenge a senior leader's plan and the relationship comes out stronger, because the plan did.
What you'll own
Internal Operations
The COO owns how the company delivers to the outside world. You own how leadership runs the inside. Cycle after cycle.
Operating system — leadership cadence, agendas, decision logs, follow-ups, action tracking, all-hands. The rhythm of how leadership runs and communicates.
Planning cycles — orchestrates annual and quarterly planning with CFO (numbers) and department leaders (functional plans). Owns the process, not the plan.
Cross-functional clarity — RACI, handoffs, ownership and role clarity where two functions touch.
Operating instrumentation — leverage internal resources/organization to design internal KPI’s and dashboards that leadership uses to see and steer. Use this data to determine which projects need cross-functional execution and drive execution.
Investor operating layer — board prep, investor update cadence, data room readiness. The scaffolding, not the relationship.
2. Strategic Projects
Cross-functional initiatives that don't sit inside one function. New markets, values rollout, offsites, hiring support. The mix changes every quarter. The constant: align stakeholders, set success metrics, deliver. Fill in gaps where necessary and drive execution on projects that need a strong operator.
About you
5+ years in environments with serious operational rigor.
Lean/Six Sigma background strongly preferred, Green Belt/Black Belt ideal. If you've used 5-whys, value stream mapping, or kaizen as practice and not vocabulary, say so concretely.
You've been a CoS, founder's associate, or Strategic Ops lead at a scaling company. You've built management systems from zero or added meaningful improvements. Cadences, boards, KPI systems, RACIs.
Structured under pressure. When the plan breaks mid-quarter, you replan cleanly.
High EQ in service of rigor. You deliver an uncomfortable truth to a C-level peer and they thank you for it. People loop you in because they trust the bar you hold, not because you're easy to work with.
You write clearly. You think in proofpoints and preconditions, not activities. You want to do this craft for years, not months. The role compounds. You should too.
Why this role
A seat where the company is actually run, every cycle. Direct partnership with a CEO who values operational rigor as much as vision. Scope across product, GTM, ops, and people, growing as we do.
Why Aquablu?
🚆 Travel compensation >10km
📈 Equity through our Aquablu for All plan – because everyone shares in what we’re building
🌴 26 paid vacation days
👴 Pension Plan by Zwitserleven
☀️ Quarterly team events at our HQ in Amsterdam (Houthavens)
💧 Unlimited Aquablu (of course)
🎬 Curious about our story & culture? Check our documentaries on Youtube!
Skills Required
- 5+ years in environments with serious operational rigor
- Lean/Six Sigma background strongly preferred, Green Belt/Black Belt ideal
- Experience as CoS, founder's associate, or Strategic Ops lead at a scaling company
- Ability to deliver uncomfortable truths to C-level peers with high EQ
- Excellent writing skills, thinking in proofpoints and preconditions
What We Do
Aquablu provides smart water dispensers, such as the REFILL+ system, offering functional flavored water with added vitamins and minerals, aiming to reduce plastic waste and enhance employee wellness.
