Chief Operating Officer

About BEAM Circular: BEAM Circular is unlocking the power of communities to transform waste into opportunity by building a vibrant regional ecosystem for the circular bioeconomy in California’s agricultural heartland. Anchored in the North San Joaquin Valley, we are facilitating collaboration through the BioEconomy, Agriculture, & Manufacturing (BEAM) Initiative to scale the most promising innovations in bioindustrial manufacturing. Our work includes public-private projects and programs in the areas of innovation, access to capital, infrastructure, talent development, and cross-cutting partnerships to advance economic and environmental value for local communities. We have a dynamic, mission-driven team and are looking for partners to join us who believe in rolling up their sleeves to contribute to a bold vision, who have a results-oriented, “get things done” record, who lead with curiosity, collaboration, and kindness; and who are dedicated to positive impact for people and the planet. BEAM Circular is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and encourages individuals identifying with any race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, and abilities to apply.

Position Summary: The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves as BEAM Circular’s senior internal leader, organizational integrator, and the Chief Executive Officer’s most senior operating partner. The COO is responsible for translating BEAM’s strategy into effective execution by overseeing organizational operations, performance management, and internal systems, and holds delegated authority from the CEO for day-to-day internal decisions. Working in close partnership with the Chief Executive Officer, the COO ensures that BEAM’s programs, operations, and teams are aligned, well-resourced, and deliver results. The COO leads and develops BEAM’s internal leadership team and is accountable for the operational, financial, and administrative backbone of the organization as well as a major capital project in development. This role is designed to strengthen internal coordination and accountability, enabling the CEO to focus on external strategy, partnerships, and fundraising as BEAM enters its next phase of growth.

Requirements

Essential Functions, Duties, and Responsibilities:

Organizational Leadership and Integration

• Serve as a strategic partner to the CEO in operationalizing BEAM’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities.

• Exercise delegated authority from the CEO for internal operating decisions within agreed parameters, and act decisively so that issues are resolved at the COO level rather than escalated by default.

• Translate organizational strategy into clear annual and quarterly work plans with measurable goals and timelines.

• Drive cross-functional decision-making to align programs, operations, and finance with external-facing initiatives, funding requirements, and long-term organizational strategy.

• Supervise and support senior internal leaders, provide coaching and accountability; set clear expectations, manage performance, and build the capacity of teams and functions that must mature as BEAM does.

Operations, Finance, and Systems Oversight

•Oversee organizational operations, including finance, human resources, legal compliance, and internal policies, in partnership with the Senior Director of Finance & Operations.

• Serve as the organization’s senior financial strategist: own the annual budget and multi-year financial model, monitor cash position and runway, evaluate the financial implications of program and capital decisions, and advise the CEO and Board on where resources are available and where constraints are real.

• Ensure sound financial management, internal controls, and compliance with nonprofit, federal, and grant requirements.

• Oversee grants management systems, reporting processes, and contract administration.

• Oversee legal, risk, insurance, and entity-governance matters across BEAM Circular and its affiliated entities, including contracts and compliance, working with outside counsel and advisors; identify and mitigate operational and organizational risks.

• Provide operational and financial oversight for real estate, facilities, and capital projects in partnership with the campus development team, including procurement, contracting, and owner-side project controls.

Performance Management and Impact

• Establish and oversee systems for performance tracking, impact measurement, and organizational learning, including an impact-measurement framework suitable for reporting to funders and the Board.

• Lead regular internal planning, performance review, and accountability processes.

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, transparency, and results-oriented execution.

Team Leadership and Culture

• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing organizational culture.

• Directly manage, coach, and develop directors and team leads; identify functions that are underperforming or under-built and lead them to maturity, including through hiring, restructuring, and professional development.

• Strengthen internal communication and clarity of roles, decision-making, and workflows.

Executive Partnership and Representation

• Act as the CEO’s primary internal proxy for day-to-day organizational leadership.

• Collaborate closely with the Leadership Team to ensure strong internal support and execution.

• Prepare Board and committee materials on operations, finance, and organizational performance, and support Board governance as delegated by the CEO.

• Represent BEAM Circular in select external meetings related to operations, financial partnerships, or implementation, as appropriate.

General BEAM Circular Team Collaboration

• May drive on company business.

• Comply with all BEAM Circular policies and procedures, including but not limited to workplace safety, reporting work-related injuries, and preventing potential safety risks for staff, partners, and others.

• The list of job duties and requirements is not all-inclusive. Management, at its discretion, may assign additional duties.

Education and Experience:

Education

- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred, or equivalent professional experience. Educational background or professional experience in fields aligned with the circular bioeconomy is an asset but not required, including biotechnology, manufacturing, sustainability, agriculture, or related disciplines; a demonstrated ability to learn a new sector quickly and credibly is essential.

Experience - Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including senior-level management of complex organizations, initiatives, or portfolios. Demonstrated experience as a senior deputy to a founder, CEO, or executive director (e.g., COO, deputy director, general manager, or equivalent) with delegated authority over day-to-day operations and direct management of senior staff. Experience spanning both nonprofit and private sector environments is highly valued. Experience supporting organizational growth, systems-building, and scaling initiatives required, including building or maturing functions that were previously underdeveloped. Direct responsibility for organizational budgets, financial planning and forecasting, and financial reporting to a board or funders required. Prior responsibility for managing significant philanthropic funding and/or public-sector grants, including federal awards, strongly preferred. Experience with real estate, facilities, or capital projects; legal, risk, or contract management; and multi-entity structures (e.g., a nonprofit with an affiliated LLC) preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Trusted-partner orientation: the judgment, discretion, and follow-through to take on significant delegated authority from the CEO, combined with deep personal alignment with BEAM’s mission and values.

• Deep expertise in nonprofit and mission-driven operations, including governance, financial management, compliance, and regulatory oversight, with a demonstrated ability to oversee core functions such as operations, finance, and cross-functional teams.

• Strong quantitative and financial reasoning: comfort building and interrogating budgets, forecasts, and financial models; the ability to translate numbers into strategic choices; and the candor to communicate real constraints clearly to leadership and the Board.

• Demonstrated people-leadership skills, including managing underperformance constructively, developing manager capability, and structuring teams and workflows for clear accountability.

• Proven experience navigating public-sector and multi-sector environments, including public-private partnerships, stakeholder alignment, collaborative governance structures, and exposure to impact investing and blended capital models.

• Strong understanding of early-stage and growth-oriented organizational dynamics, including resource constraints, systems development, and the ability to scale operations while maintaining discipline and focus.

• Demonstrated strategic and operational leadership capability, with the ability to translate organizational vision into executable strategies, prioritized initiatives, and measurable outcomes in complex environments.

• Advanced prioritization, execution, and decision-making skills, enabling effective leadership across multiple initiatives and cross-functional teams in fast-evolving contexts that can present competing and complex demands on resources.

• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence, align, and engage diverse stakeholders, partners, and communities across sectors.

• Working knowledge of legal, risk, insurance, real estate, and facilities matters sufficient to direct outside counsel and advisors effectively (preferred).

• Leadership grounded in integrity, sound judgment, and accountability, with consistent alignment to organizational mission, values, and ethical standards while delivering results.

Environmental Conditions

• Indoors in a typical office environment approximately ninety percent (90%) of the time.

• Frequent computer use at the workstation for up to eight hours.

• Frequently work at a fast pace with unscheduled interruptions.

• Ability to occasionally move (walk or drive) from one work location to another, including project and partner sites.

Physical Demands

• Ability to walk, reach, sit, stand, stoop, crouch, and climb stairs.

• Ability to move, carry, push, pull, and lift up to 20 pounds.

• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard.

• The ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Ability to communicate information and ideas in English so others will understand.

• Must be able to exchange accurate information.

• Regular and Consistent Attendance.

Benefits

Compensation:

• Pay based on experience. Salary range is $160,000 - $185,000, with a competitive benefits package.

• Position is based in Modesto, CA. This is an on-site leadership role; to be successful at this stage of the organization, the COO is expected in the Modesto office a minimum of three days per week, with flexibility for remote work as the work dictates.