Chief of Operating Officer (COO)

Yayasan Sungai Watch Indonesia; Provinsi Bali; On-site; IDR 1,500,000,000 - 2,000,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Sungai Watch is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to build a high-performing organization that cleans rivers across Indonesia. You will lead daily operations and ensure teams deliver measurable results across stations.

You will design scalable systems, develop leaders, set KPIs, and partner with founders to drive efficiency, safety, and impact while maintaining strong governance and reporting. This role requires 10+ years in operations, NGO experience, and exceptional English communication.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of progressive operations experience, with senior leadership exposure.
• Experience in NGO, social enterprise, or mission-driven environments is a strong advantage.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations across all stations, ensuring priorities and measurable results.
• Continuously improve operations: patrol planning, logistics, warehouse, fleet, maintenance, safety, and reporting.
• Develop department heads; set expectations, coach, and build accountable leaders.
• Design and improve scalable systems: SOPs, reviews, inventory, reporting, quality control, training.
• Drive resource management and cost visibility with Finance and Purchasing for better decision-making.
• Provide concise operational updates to executives and lead regular reviews.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Strategic planning

Data-driven decisions

People development

Analytical mindset

English communication

Job description

The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for ensuring Sungai Watch operates as one high-performing organization.

Your mission is simple:

Build the most efficient, accountable, and scalable river cleanup operation in Indonesia.

You will lead the execution of Sungai Watch’s existing operations, continuously improve systems, develop leaders, and ensure every station performs at the highest possible standard. The COO is responsible for today’s operations, allowing the founders to focus on tomorrow’s opportunities.

Job Descriptions

1. Lead Daily Operations

Take full ownership of Sungai Watch’s day-to-day execution across all existing stations.

Ensure every team understands priorities, executes consistently, and delivers measurable results.

Create a strong operating rhythm across departments and locations, with clear priorities, accountability, and follow-through.

2. Build Operational Excellence

Continuously improve every aspect of Sungai Watch’s operations, including:

• Patrol planning
• Logistics
• Warehouse operations
• Fleet management
• Maintenance planning
• Safety
• Operational reporting

3. Lead and Develop Department Heads

Coach, challenge, and develop operational leaders across the organization.

Hold regular one-on-one meetings and create clear expectations for performance and leadership.

Set meaningful KPIs and create a strong culture of accountability.

Help department heads become confident and independent leaders.

Success means your team solves problems before they reach the founders.

4. Develop Scalable Systems

Design and continuously improve the systems that allow Sungai Watch to operate consistently and scale effectively.

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Weekly operating reviews
• Inventory systems
• Operational reporting
• Quality control systems
• Training systems

Turn operational data into action.

Identify root causes instead of simply reporting problems.

Lead practical improvement initiatives that create measurable results.

Examples may include:

• Improving barrier uptime
• Increasing sorting efficiency
• Reducing transport costs
• Improving warehouse flow
• Increasing station productivity
• Improving safety performance

6. Drive Operational Efficiency & Resource Management

Ensure operational resources, including people, equipment, vehicles, facilities, and budgets, are used efficiently and responsibly.

Partner closely with Finance and Purchasing to improve cost visibility, planning, and operational decision-making.

Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs without compromising safety, quality, or impact.

Ensure operational investments and resources are aligned with organizational priorities.

7. Executive Reporting & Operational Leadership

Lead regular operational reviews and ensure key priorities are followed through.

Provide leadership with concise, clear, and actionable operational updates.

Reporting Structure

The COO reports directly to Gary Bencheghib, Co-Founder & Co-CEO.

The role works closely with the other Co-CEOs while leading the operational departments under Gary’s portfolio.

Departments You Will Lead

• Operations
• Logistics & Warehousing
• Washline Operations
• Community Operations
• Sungai Academy Operations
• Health, Safety & Environment (HSE)

Your First 90 Days

During your first three months, you will be expected to:

Build a deep understanding of Sungai Watch’s operations, people, systems, and key challenges.

Visit operational sites and build strong relationships with department and station leaders.

Identify the most critical operational bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.

Establish a clear operating rhythm, including regular performance reviews and leadership check-ins.

Develop a prioritized operational improvement roadmap for the next 12 months.

We do not expect you to have all the answers on day one. We expect you to listen, understand, challenge assumptions, and identify where your leadership can create the greatest impact.

Success After 12 Months

Success in this role looks like:

Every operational department has clear KPIs and performance expectations.

Department heads are accountable, empowered, and operate independently.

Weekly operational reviews become part of the organization’s culture.

Operational dashboards provide clear and timely visibility into performance.

Operational data is consistently used to drive decisions, not just reporting.

Collection and sorting efficiency improve across every station.

Operational costs decrease while impact increases.

SOPs and operational standards are consistently implemented across all existing stations.

Clear decision-making authority and escalation processes exist across operational teams.

Operational problems are identified and solved before reaching the founders.

Co-Founder is no longer involved in routine operational management and can focus on expansion, government partnerships, innovation, and long-term strategy.

Who We’re Looking For

This role is for a builder. Someone who enjoys solving complex operational challenges, developing leaders, building systems, and creating organizations that improve every week. You should be equally comfortable walking through a warehouse, visiting river barriers, coaching managers, reviewing operational data, and making difficult decisions.

Qualifications:

Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in operations, with significant experience in senior leadership or top-level management roles.

Analytical, data-driven, and comfortable making decisions with imperfect information.

Highly organized and exceptionally accountable.

Excellent English communication skills, both written and spoken, with the ability to communicate confidently with diverse stakeholders.

Experience working in an NGO, social enterprise, or mission-driven organization will be a strong advantage.

Experience leading field operations, logistics, manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, supply chains, or multi-site organizations is highly valued.

A natural leader and coach who knows how to develop people and build ownership.

Passionate about continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Comfortable working in fast-changing and dynamic environments.