Chief of Staff

Optics11 Life; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

L&D budget

Free lunch on Wednesdays

Commuting and working from home budget

Hybrid working

Team events and social drinks

Job summary

Optics11 Life, a life sciences scale-up headquartered in Amsterdam, develops and manufactures the instruments researchers use to measure what cells feel, so they can make better informed decisions in drug development. You will work directly with the CEO and MT to turn data into insights, set priorities, and drive cross-functional execution across pricing, AI initiatives, ERP review, and governance.

This role provides access to decision-makers, a fast-moving environment, hybrid work, and benefits

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering, physics, life sciences, or similar.
• 3–5 years of experience in business analysis, consulting, investment banking, venture capital or a scale‑up.
• Track record of turning data into business insights.
• Strong structure, analytical thinking, and communication; able to win people over.
• Excellent Excel and PowerPoint skills; AI tools to work faster.
• Versatile; able to handle unfamiliar problems.
• Calm and effective in high‑growth environments.
• Ability to switch between strategic and hands‑on work.
• Brings energy, clarity, and ownership.
• Fluency in English; Dutch is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Run pricing, market sizing, and M&A analyses for MT.
• Own projects like AI rollout, ERP review, time tracking and a unified data structure.
• Prepare board slides, investor presentations and the Q&A; support due diligence.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Structure

Communication

AI tools usage

Excel expertise

PowerPoint expertise

Problem solving

English fluency

Education

Master’s degree in engineering, physics, life sciences, or similar

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

WHO ARE WE?

Optics11 Life is a life sciences scale-up headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We develop and manufacture the instruments researchers use to measure what cells feel, so they can make better informed decisions in drug development. Over 300 instruments are in use worldwide and our technology underpins more than 800 scientific publications (and growing).

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The Chief of Staff works directly with the CEO and the rest of the management team (MT) and acts as the analytical engine behind decision-making and cross-functional execution. You turn complex, scattered information into clear insights, help the MT set priorities, and ensure strategic decisions translate into concrete actions across the company.

You will work on whatever matters most at that moment: a pricing analysis one week, preparing a presentation for a board meeting next, reviewing how AI can make us all work smarter after that. Few roles this early in a career come with this much access to where decisions actually get made.

This role is ideal for someone who is smart, structured, eager to learn, and thrives in fast-moving environments. You combine a technical or biological academic background with strong business and analytical skills, and you enjoy switching seamlessly between strategic thinking and hands‑on execution.

What you’ll be working on

• Business insights and analysis Run analyses on pricing, win/loss, market sizing and M&A cases, and whatever question the MT needs answered next. For example, build the company-wide KPI set together with the CFO. Clean up and strengthen our data infrastructure so everything we collect lands in one place, once, and stays reliable. Put the numbers on a screen in the hallway so everyone sees them daily. Turn the customer feedback sitting in our CRM into a weekly read the whole company actually looks forward to.

• Projects that make us work better Own the projects that lift the whole company: our AI roll-out, the ERP review, time registration, a consistent folder structure so we don't reinvent the wheel and know where to find information, a PowerPoint brandbook that makes us all work with the same slides. You run them end to end, from the analysis to the part where people adopt it. Support multidisciplinary projects across the company and keep us on track against our goals.

• MT support Prepare board slides, an investor presentation and the Q&A behind it. Contribute to the business plan. Support due diligence and investor processes. Chase the actions until they are done, based on the minutes you wrote.

WHAT WE OFFER

• An opportunity to make a significant positive impact on the culture and the growth of Optics11 Life

• Freedom and responsibility in structuring and leading your own work

• Flat hierarchy, short decision lines, big impact, and development opportunities

• Hybrid working

• Benefits like a pension plan, L&D budget, free lunch on Wednesdays, commuting, and working from home allowance

• A motivated, dynamic, and enthusiastic team

• Social drinks and plenty of fun events during the year

WHAT YOU BRING

• Master’s degree in engineering, physics, life sciences, or similar

• 3–5 years of experience in business analysis, consulting, investment banking, venture capital or a scale‑up

• A track record of turning data into business insights

• Strong skills in structure, analytical thinking, and communication. You know how to win people over

• Excellent Excel and PowerPoint skills, and you use AI tools to work faster

• An allrounder who can be dropped into an unfamiliar problem and come back with a solution

• Ability to stay calm and effective in high‑growth, high‑change settings

• Comfortable switching between strategic and hands‑on work

• Brings energy, clarity, and ownership

• Fluency in English; Dutch is a plus