_{27th February, 2026}

Chief Operating Officer (COO) — AI Platform for Biopharma + Healthcare
Location: San Francisco, CA (Hybrid) 
Stage: Series A 
Type: Full-time

We are exclusively working with a San Francisco–based AI platform company at the intersection of biopharma R&D and healthcare delivery—building software that turns complex biomedical and clinical data into decisions teams can trust.

Following their Series A, they are entering the phase where product-market pull must become operational muscle.

We’re hiring a Chief Operating Officer (COO)—their Integrator—to ensure what they sell is delivered predictably, profitably, and at enterprise-grade quality. You’ll build the internal “machinery” (client success, delivery, finance ops, HR, and operational governance) that lets the company scale without breaking.

This is a hands-on role: you’ll go from “doing” to “building the system that does.”

What you’ll own:

• Lead high-touch implementations across Biopharma (R&D / Clinical) and Healthcare (Provider / Payer) accounts.
• Build and run the post-sale lifecycle:
  Implementation → Support → Account Management → Renewals / Upsells
• Establish customer success rhythms: onboarding playbooks, QBRs, escalation paths, health scoring, renewals forecasting, and expansion motions.

2) Operational infrastructure (“back office”) that supports growth

• Stand up and optimize financial operations: billing, invoicing, collections, revenue hygiene, vendor management, and margin visibility.
• Build foundational HR operations: hiring process, onboarding, performance frameworks, and team operating cadence.
• Partner with external counsel to implement legal/compliance basics appropriate for enterprise customers (security posture, contracting process, governance).

3) Resource optimization and margin discipline

• Create a model for balancing people + tooling + delivery effort to maintain strong gross margins while scaling.
• Translate delivery requirements into a resourcing plan (capacity planning, utilization targets, hiring roadmap).
• Identify repeatable patterns and convert them into scalable systems.

4) SOPs, systems, and “how we operate”

• Build departmental SOPs from scratch where none exist today—lightweight, pragmatic, adopted by the team.
• Design an operating system for execution: OKRs, weekly business reviews, dashboards, and cross-functional planning.
• Be the “Swiss Army Knife” leader who can step into ambiguity and leave behind clarity.

What success looks like (first 6–12 months)

• Implementations run on rails: clear scopes, timelines, ownership, and measurable outcomes.
• Renewal rates and expansion pipeline become predictable, supported by customer health metrics and strong account governance.
• Billing/collections are clean, timely, and transparent—leaders can see margin drivers clearly.
• Hiring and internal processes feel enterprise-ready without becoming bureaucratic.
• The company can scale customer count and ARR without scaling chaos.

Who you are

• Proven experience leading client delivery + client success for enterprise customers in biopharma and healthcare markets.
• Deep command of the full customer lifecycle: implementation through renewals/upsell.
• Track record building operational infrastructure (finance ops, HR basics, contracting/compliance workflows) in an early-stage or scaling environment.
• Strong resource and margin instincts—able to make tradeoffs, forecast capacity, and protect unit economics.
• Builder mindset: you’ve created SOPs and operating cadences in environments that started with “nothing written down.”

Strong plus

• Experience in AI/SaaS or data platforms selling into regulated environments.
• Comfort partnering with product/engineering to improve deployability, reliability, and customer outcomes.
• Calm, credible presence with enterprise stakeholders—especially during escalations.

Why this role is different
Most COO roles inherit systems. This one creates them—in a company where commercial demand is rising fast and operational excellence will decide whether growth is durable.
You’ll be the person who makes scale feel boring—in the best way.

KEMIO Consulting is leading this retained search and would welcome confidential discussions with senior candidates. Please Apply or get in touch with Eugene @ KEMIO Consulting to discuss this opportunity in more detail.

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