Chief Operating Officer

EQL Tech•Washington, DC

1d•$220,000 - $260,000•Remote

About The Position

Sentinel Bio is dedicated to making pandemics history within our lifetimes — finding, funding, and scaling the most promising efforts to eliminate catastrophic pandemics over the coming decade. Since launching in 2024, Sentinel has played a central role as the biosecurity field has achieved significant milestones toward substantially mitigating pandemic risk. The organization has raised nearly $40 million in philanthropic capital and funded more than 70 grants, special projects, and incubated organizations focused on safeguarding AI-enabled biology and DNA synthesis. Sentinel is hiring an exceptional COO to build an organization that can deploy more than $100M by 2030. You'll own the internal architecture Sentinel needs at 2x, 5x, and 10x today's scale. As a core member of the leadership team, you'll work closely with Sentinel's CEO, program leadership, and Operations Lead on organizational health. You'll represent Sentinel externally, and the team will trust you to make meaningful decisions independently.

Requirements

8–12+ years of experience in operations and organizational leadership, with a demonstrated ability to own complex projects end-to-end.
Experience in a small organization where you were responsible for building operational infrastructure from scratch — not just maintaining existing systems.
Comfort with budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and nonprofit compliance and governance, with a strong preference for US 501(c)(3) experience.
Excellent judgment: You are confident holding complexity, navigating ambiguity, and making sound decisions in high-stakes situations.
Exceptionally savvy with people and communications: You know how to hire, develop, and manage outstanding people, and can represent Sentinel externally in writing, on video, and in person.
A flexible mind and low ego: You're ready to operate at the pace of a startup with the robustness of a trusted philanthropy. You can think strategically about what the organization needs in 2–3 years while also being willing to draft a contract or troubleshoot today.
Mission-driven: You are passionate about Sentinel's focus on biosecurity and pandemic prevention, and share their seriousness about the mission.

Nice To Haves

Experience in philanthropic grantmaking, biosecurity, or adjacent high-stakes nonprofit sectors (helpful but not required).

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic organizational leader, owning the operational picture of Sentinel and proactively surfacing risks, bottlenecks, and opportunities.
Develop and execute Sentinel's operational strategy, including annual and multi-year roadmaps across finance, HR, compliance, and program operations.
Help stand up new biosecurity organizations from zero to one.
Work closely with program leadership to translate strategic priorities into resource plans.
Independently represent Sentinel externally with legal counsel, partners, and other stakeholders.
In partnership with the CEO and program team, lead recruitment across the organization and its portfolio to attract and retain high-caliber talent.
Build and manage Sentinel's operations function, including direct management of the Operations Lead.
Own onboarding, offboarding, compensation frameworks, and employee development across multiple jurisdictions and entities.
Own Sentinel's financial health — budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and cash flow management — in partnership with the Operations Lead and external controller (who owns bookkeeping).
Ensure compliance with all applicable nonprofit regulations, including filings, audits, and governance requirements, working closely with external legal counsel and accountants on challenging, high-risk areas.