Chief Operating Officer

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.

Key Responsibilities

The ideal candidate is a hands-on, high-horsepower operator who has successfully built and scaled operating systems in venture-backed technology companies, and who can operate at multiple altitudes: from aligning executives and running weekly operating rhythm, to building cross-functional planning and accountability, to removing blockers and making fast, high-quality decisions with incomplete information. Success in this role requires clarity, urgency, and strong stakeholder orchestration, with excellent communication and follow-through, and a demonstrated ability to shape leadership behaviors, coaching systems, and performance expectations that result in sustained high performance.

This leader must also be a trusted partner to the founders, with a track record of stewarding founder-led companies, protecting founder intent, and operating with discretion and consistency as an extension of the founding team.

What success looks like in the first 180 days:

• Establish a clear company operating cadence that is lightweight, repeatable, and decision-oriented, including weekly executive operating reviews, cross-functional program reviews, and a monthly operating review tied to company priorities.

• Implement a single source of truth for company health, including delivery, quality and performance, customer outcomes, pipeline and forecast quality, margin and burn discipline, employee morale, and hiring plan versus budget.

• Improve delivery reliability by defining commitment and launch criteria, clarifying ownership, and installing program management for cross-team initiatives that touch engineering, operations, and customer delivery.

• Build systems and evaluate processes across the organization that could benefit from AI tools to increase speed and automation.

• Strengthen cross-functional handoffs from go-to-market to delivery and customer success by establishing clear intake, scoping, and change-control practices that protect delivery capacity and customer trust.

• Partner with finance to tighten budget-to-actual discipline, identify margin levers, and strengthen vendor and capacity planning.

• Assess leadership and organizational gaps, clarify accountability, and propose targeted changes that improve effectiveness without creating bureaucracy.

• Establish high-performance operating norms across the leadership team, including clear goals, explicit ownership, measurable standards, regular feedback, and consistent consequences, and ensure these norms cascade into how teams plan, communicate, and deliver.

Operating Leadership and Execution

• 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.

High-Performance Culture and Leadership Effectiveness

• 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.

Delivery and Program Operations

• 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.

GTM and Customer Operations

• 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.

Finance and Business Operations

• 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.

People, Organization, and Communication

• 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.

Risk, Compliance, and Governance

• 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.

Must-have Qualifications:

• 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.

Strong Plus:

• 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.

Pay Transparency

The base salary range for candidates in the SF Bay Area, New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, or the Seattle metro region is $250,000 to $350,000 depending on skill level, track record, and experience. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location, and are informed by current market data provided by Carta Total Comp.

Within those ranges, individual pay is determined by exact region and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. The hiring manager can share more about the specific salary range for your geographic region during the hiring process. Employee must continue to reside within 90 miles of location used to determine starting salary, otherwise Aclima reserves the right to make regional adjustments to pay.

Benefits

Aside from the fulfillment of working alongside world-class colleagues to make a positive impact in people’s lives, while improving planetary and public health, Aclima offers competitive compensation, equity potential, and excellent benefits. Benefits include medical/dental/vision/Life/AD&D/LTD, 401K, wellness credits, company events, and an extraordinary culture.

To Apply

Please submit your resume. Be prepared to show off your track record of success and explain to us why you’re especially qualified.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Aclima is committed to diversity in our organization and building an equitable and inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and experiences, and has proudly made the Kapor Capital Founders' Commitment. Aclima provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Aclima complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people, veterans, and people with disabilities. Full-time position only. Out of area candidates will be considered, but SF Bay Area is strongly preferred.