Chief Operating Officer

Aclima•San Francisco, CA

1d•$250,000 - $350,000

About The Position

Aclima is seeking a startup-to-scale Chief Operating Officer to build and run a disciplined operating system that increases execution speed, delivery predictability, and cross-functional alignment across product, engineering, go-to-market, and finance. The right leader creates structure from ambiguity in a hybrid services-plus-software and data business, translates strategy into measurable outcomes through clear cadence and accountability. We seek a high-trust, low-ego operator who raises leadership effectiveness, reduces friction, and delivers complex programs in regulated and public-sector environments while upholding a culture of high performance. A demonstrated skillset of utilizing AI tools to improve speed, automation, and efficiency across the org is vital. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and partnering closely with the board and founders, this role is accountable for turning priorities into repeatable execution. About Aclima Aclima is pioneering an entirely new way to scientifically monitor and respond to air pollution in communities, and track the effectiveness of focused mitigation efforts. We leverage cutting-edge sensor technology mounted on fleets of mapping vehicles to measure air pollution, greenhouse gases, methane, and air toxics across entire cities, states, and regions at block-level resolution. Aclima’s platform gathers and translates billions of scientific measurements into insights at the source level, providing Environmental Intelligence for governments, industry, and communities. Our free app delivers address-level air pollution insights for the communities we serve. Aclima is a purpose-driven technology company helping to catalyze bold climate action that protects community health, reduces emissions, and supports smart government. Aclima is one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential companies. Other awards include Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World, #1 in Data Science, Inc. Magazine’s Best in Business, a Fast Company 2022 World Changing Idea, a WEF Technology Pioneer, and one of the top 100 companies in GovTech for 2023. Aclima is headquartered in San Francisco. To learn more about Aclima, please visit https://aclima.earth . About the Role Aclima is looking for a Chief Operating Officer who can help turn strategy into consistent execution as we grow. This role will work closely with the CEO and leadership team to align priorities, strengthen how teams operate, and ensure we deliver on our commitments across product, engineering, go-to-market, and operations. We’re looking for a thoughtful operator who brings structure to complex environments, improves how teams collaborate, and helps the company move faster with clarity and accountability. The right person will raise the bar on execution while helping maintain a culture that values trust, ownership, and high performance. This is a unique opportunity to help shape how Aclima scales, building systems and rhythms that support both strong results and a healthy, mission-driven culture.

Requirements

Experienced operating leader: 10 plus years of experience leading operations in venture-backed technology companies, with senior leadership experience in a chief operating officer, general manager, head of operations, or equivalent role.
Proven culture builder: Demonstrated experience building and sustaining high-performance cultures in small to mid-size technology organizations, including setting clear standards, coaching leaders, strengthening feedback and accountability systems, and making decisive talent calls when needed.
Hybrid offering experience: Has operated a business that combines services delivery with software and data products, and understands how to manage capacity, margin, and quality across both.
Execution discipline: Demonstrated ability to install operating rhythm, define metrics, improve predictability, and drive follow-through in ambiguous environments.
Cross-functional leadership: Credible partner to product and engineering leaders as well as go-to-market and finance; strong stakeholder management and change leadership.
Regulated or public-sector delivery familiarity: Experience operating in environments where defensibility, compliance, and public scrutiny matter.
Strategic and tactical: Can set direction, make tradeoffs, and also roll up sleeves to unblock teams, build systems, and deliver outcomes.
Resilient operator: Thrives in startup environments, operates with urgency and grit, and brings a calm, structured approach in periods of uncertainty.

Nice To Haves

Experience in environmental monitoring, geospatial analytics, climate programs, emissions measurement, or public health data.
Experience operating alongside government customers, including procurement, privacy, communications, and community-facing stakeholders, with clear role boundaries.
Experience scaling from early commercial traction to repeatable operating cadence and metrics-driven management.
Experience with security and compliance readiness in government technology products and services.

Responsibilities

Build and run Aclima’s operating system, including planning, weekly cadence, decision logs, and accountability mechanisms that drive follow-through.
Align priorities across product, engineering, operations, sales, and customer success so commitments match capacity and delivery remains predictable.
Establish and track operating metrics that connect inputs to outcomes, and drive decisions when metrics drift.
Lead cross-functional execution on the company’s highest-priority initiatives and customer programs, ensuring risks are surfaced early and resolved quickly.
Set and reinforce clear performance standards across the company, and ensure leaders translate strategy into measurable goals, ownership, and outcomes.
Build out management operating frameworks that enable high performance, including crisp communication, strong planning hygiene, effective one-on-ones, effective feedback loops, and accountability for commitments.
Partner with the CEO, board, and functional leaders on organizational design, leadership development, and talent upgrades as needed to ensure the right people are in the right roles.
Strengthen hiring, onboarding, and performance management practices so Aclima consistently attracts, develops, and retains high performers.
Create a culture where teams learn & iterate quickly and improve continuously through postmortems, retrospectives, and practical process fixes.
Install program management for complex initiatives that require coordination across engineering, data operations, field operations, and customer delivery.
Improve roadmap and program delivery predictability through clear sequencing, capacity planning, and explicit commitment practices.
Strengthen quality practices, including incident response and post-incident learning loops, to reduce repeat issues and improve reliability.
Partner with go-to-market leadership to improve forecast accuracy, pipeline hygiene, and the internal deal and delivery review process.
Ensure customer onboarding and delivery have clear milestones, measurable outcomes, and a repeatable path to renewal and expansion.
Drive disciplined scoping and change management so customer commitments remain defensible and delivery teams stay focused.
Partner with finance on budget-to-actual management, model accuracy, margin improvement, vendor management, and operating planning.
Improve internal processes around contract management, procurement support, and delivery economics in a hybrid services plus software business.
Clarify roles, responsibilities, and decision rights across teams; establish operating norms that encourage fast, high-quality decisions.
Support hiring plan and performance management discipline, ensuring the organization scales responsibly.
Raise the quality of internal communication so teams understand priorities, tradeoffs, and what success looks like.
Ensure operating practices support work in regulated and public-sector environments, including documentation discipline, privacy and security readiness, and audit-friendly execution.
Ensure clear, documented, and repeatable safety, compliance, and training protocols across all physical operations.
Provide clear, regular operating updates to the Chief Executive Officer and board-level stakeholders as needed.