Interim Start-up Chief Operating Officer

Start-up Chief Operating Officer (9 month contract)

Position Details

• Fixed-term contract · Full-time · London (UK)
• Running from early September 2026 until the second week of May 2027
• Hybrid working arrangement
• Reports directly to the CEO

About the role

This is a delivery role, not a strategic oversight one. You will be doing the work yourself day to day — administering share options, preparing board papers, running hiring processes, building meeting materials — rather than directing others to do it. This suits a capable all-rounder who is genuinely energised by hands-on execution and can pick up a varied workload quickly and run with it independently. Candidates looking for a purely strategic or figurehead position would not be the right fit.

What you'll be doing

• Company secretarial & governance (core). You will personally:

  • Administer the company's share options end to end — approvals, allocations and valuation reports — including day-to-day management in Vestd.
  • Prepare and file the annual confirmation statement.
  • Prepare board packs and coordinate and minute board meetings.
  • Produce and issue shareholder updates.
  • Handle non-standard governance and legal matters, coordinating directly between the CEO, external legal advisers and other stakeholders.

• Recruitment (core). Own the recruitment process hands-on from start to finish — drafting and posting roles, screening and coordinating candidates, managing interviews and offers, and liaising with hiring managers.

• People management. Line-manage and support the development of a direct report.

• Delivery reporting. Run project delivery reporting to the CEO in a portfolio format, including chairing calls with project managers and other stakeholders and holding regular check-ins with the CEO. (Reporting is produced using our AI-assisted portfolio management tooling — training provided.)

• Executive & administrative support. Take on the varied hands-on tasks that keep things running, such as preparing team and management meeting materials and other ad-hoc support for the leadership team.

Requirements

• Hands-on company secretarial and governance experience is essential — including share option administration (approvals, allocations, valuation reports), confirmation statements, board meeting preparation and minuting, and shareholder communications. You should be confident doing this work yourself, unsupported.
• Direct, hands-on recruitment experience — running end-to-end hiring processes yourself, not just overseeing a team or an agency.
• Experience line-managing and developing a direct report.
• Strong stakeholder management, with the confidence and discretion to work directly with the CEO, board members, shareholders and external legal advisers.
• A genuine all-rounder who is happy switching between senior governance matters and practical administrative tasks on the same day.
• A self-starter who can build context quickly and work autonomously with minimal ramp-up.
• Comfortable adopting new tools and ways of working, including AI-based tools.
• Right to work in the UK (Applied Blockchain does not offer visa sponsorship).
• Available for the full fixed-term period, from early September 2026 to mid-May 2027.

Nice to have

• Experience with Vestd for share option management.
• Experience working alongside finance, operations and people teams.
• Experience or interest in the blockchain and/or AI sectors.

Benefits

• £1000 Annual Allowance for Training (up to 50% of this value can be used for you to buy workstation equipment to work from home)
• 5 days/per year for Training
• In-person fun team events/team buildings every 3 months
• Company equipment and Onboarding kit
• Annual Bonus (dependant on company and personal performance)
• Stock Option Plan
• Birthday Off
• Amazing referral programme