Head of Operations

Bindbridge; Cambridge; Remote; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Bindbridge, a UK-based startup using AI-driven molecular glue design for sustainable agriculture, seeks a Head of Operations to build and run the company infrastructure. You will work directly with the founders and set priorities, owning the operational agenda from day one.

This hands-on role will scale as the company grows, ensuring clear ownership, repeatable processes, and efficient systems across finance, hiring, contracting, and governance to accelerate science, product and commercial

Qualifications

• Experience running operations in a high-performing startup or similarly demanding environment.
• Ability to turn loosely defined problems into actionable work and drive them to completion.
• Sense for where process is worth having and where it is not, building minimum viable structure.

Responsibilities

• Run planning cycles turning priorities into owned, tracked work and support fundraising diligence.
• Own budget, financial model, cash-flow forecasting and monthly close; coordinate tax filings.
• Build infrastructure to hire, onboard and retain people; manage lifecycle and performance processes.

Skills

Ownership mindset

Problem solving

Process optimization

Documentation

AI tools adoption

Cross-functional collab

Job description

About us

• Bindbridge is advancing sustainable agriculture through AI-powered molecular glue discovery and design.
• Backed by Speedinvest and Nucleus Capital, we are building a computational platform to bring targeted protein degradation to agriculture.
• Our first goal is to discover herbicides that revolutionise crop protection while minimising environmental impact.

The role

• We are looking for a Head of Operations to help build and run Bindbridge as we grow, owning the operating infrastructure that lets our founders and wider team stay focused on science, product and commercial priorities.
• You will work directly with the founders, with the standing to say what the company should stop doing as well as what it should start.
• This is a hands‑on role to start, and the function will grow under you as the company does.
• Success means Bindbridge operates with clarity and pace, important problems have clear owners, and the founders are no longer the default owner of operational work.

Key responsibilities

• Run the planning cycle that turns company priorities into owned, tracked work, prepare board and investor reporting, and support fundraising and diligence alongside the founders.
• Own the budget, financial model, cash-flow forecasting and monthly close, and run tax and annual filings with our accountants so the founders always know where the company stands.
• Build the infrastructure to hire, onboard and retain exceptional people, owning the employee and contractor lifecycle, policies, performance cycles and offboarding as the team grows.
• Own contracting across CROs, contractors, advisers and suppliers, and keep oversight of board and shareholder approvals, statutory filings and insurance, coordinating external counsel where needed.
• Build lightweight systems that make the company faster rather than adding bureaucracy, maintaining clear sources of truth across our core tools and automating or simplifying recurring work wherever possible.
• Own the practices a distributed team runs on, from recurring company meetings to offsites and equipment.

What you will bring

• Experience running operations in a high‑performing startup or similarly demanding environment, with evidence that you can take ownership beyond a narrowly defined function.
• You take loosely defined problems, work out what actually needs to happen and drive them through to completion without waiting for instructions.
• You decide where process is worth having and where it is not, building the minimum needed to make something reliable rather than importing big‑company bureaucracy.
• You reduce complicated issues to the decision that needs to be made, the relevant information and your recommendation.
• You hold several important workstreams at once without losing track of commitments, deadlines or details, and set the documentation standard for the company.
• You care about getting things right, take responsibility when something goes wrong and are happy to do unglamorous work when it needs doing.
• You naturally reach for AI tools, automation and software to make your own work and the wider company more effective.

Nice to have

• Experience owning UK finance and compliance end to end, including VAT, corporation tax, R&D tax relief, Companies House filings and EMI options.
• Experience building an operations function from scratch in an early‑stage or venture‑backed company, and scaling it as headcount grew.
• Experience running research procurement, including CRO and supplier contracts in a science‑led company.
• Experience setting up people operations at scale, including policies, HR systems and performance processes.
• Experience working alongside a technical, research‑led team in science, biotech or deep tech.
• Opportunity to contribute directly to global food security and environmental sustainability through safer, smarter crop protection.
• Work directly with the founders, with meaningful ownership of how an early‑stage AI and science company is built and run.
• Join a culture that values rigour and speed, where ownership and collaboration across science and engineering are core principles.
• We are a remote company, and meet in person through quarterly meetups, usually in London.

What to expect

• Bindbridge is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, and we encourage you to apply even if you do not match every line above.
• No advance preparation, take‑home exercises or algorithmic coding tests at any stage.
• We do not use AI tools to assess candidates. Every application is reviewed by a person, and all hiring decisions are made by people.
• If any adjustments would help you take part, let us know when we contact you and we will be happy to discuss them.