Chief Operating Officer (Fractional/Part-time)

About Us

Every year, millions die from preventable diseases because vital services do not reach them. A root cause is broken data: missing or unreliable IDs, fragmented records, and inflated reporting. Without accurate data on who receives services, governments and NGOs cannot deliver care effectively, track impact, or target life-saving resources.

Simprints is a nonprofit tech company that partners with ministries and funders to verify identities, digitise workflows, and enable evidence-based decisions so the right services reach the right people at the right time. We co-design end-to-end digital solutions with the people who use them, from the frontlines to national dashboards. Our biometric products integrate with health records to drive accuracy, accountability, and insights. 

Studies have shown that Simprints increases impact through real-time, precision data, for example, increasing maternal health visits by 38% in Bangladesh or accurate HIV tracing by 62% in Malawi. To date, we’ve worked in over 18 countries, helping deliver health, aid, and finance to over 4 million people.

Our mission is simple: make sure every vaccine, every dollar, and every public good reaches the people who need them most.

About the Role

Simprints is entering a new phase of organisational scale and operational complexity. We are looking for an operational and detail-oriented Chief Operating Officer (Fractional/Part-time) to help strengthen cross-functional execution, governance, and AI integration across the company.

This is not a traditional “head of operations” role responsible for directly managing operational departments. Instead, this role is focused on improving how the organisation operates between functions: driving accountability, improving decision-making clarity, integrating AI into our operations, and helping the leadership team execute more effectively.

You will work closely with the CEO and Management Team as an embedded executive operator, helping connect strategy to execution while improving organisational maturity without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy. This role is designed on a fractional basis (approximately 2-3 days per week), with an initial 3-6 month contract and the potential to continue long-term.

Job Details

• Job Title: Chief Operating Officer (Fractional/Part-time)
• Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer
• Grade: M9 (Executive)
• Location: Remote in GMT +/- 3 hours time zone
• Time Commitment: 2–3 days per week
• Compensation: £100,000–£120,000 FTE equivalent prorated based on agreed time commitment
• Contract Structure: Initial 3-6 month contract, with potential to continue long-term

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

1. Cross-Functional Leadership & Execution

Drive cross-functional operational execution across the organisation. This means chairing our weekly management team meetings, working with leadership teams to translate priorities into action, improve accountability, and strengthen organisational clarity and execution.

What’s already in place

• Clear annual company goals and strategy
• Strong functional leadership across Delivery, Product & Engineering, Partnerships, Finance, and People Operations, with respective department-level strategies
• Established Management Team cadence and company-wide strategic planning processes

Current gaps / where we need help

• Cross-functional clarity and accountability are starting to fray as organisational complexity increases e.g. department-level strategies haven’t been aligned
• Decision-making authority, financial approvals, ownership structures, and escalation pathways are not consistently clear across the organisation
• Management Team meetings require stronger operational chairing, follow-through, and prioritisation discipline
• The CEO remains too involved in day-to-day operational coordination and execution management

Responsibilities

• Chair and drive effective Management Team operational cadence and accountability
• Improve operational decision-making clarity, delegated authority structures, and escalation pathways
• Identify and resolve operational friction points and efficiency opportunities
• Establish lightweight operational systems and processes that improve clarity without creating unnecessary bureaucracy

2. Operational Governance & Compliance

Strengthen organisational operational maturity across governance, compliance, legal operations, operational risk management, and international scaling infrastructure.

What’s already in place

• Existing legal counsel relationships and operational compliance foundations
• Data protection and cybersecurity initiatives underway
• Dedicated internal roles for data protection and IT
• Growing operational awareness of governance and compliance requirements

Current gaps / where we need help

• Operational gaps remain across compliance, operational governance, and legal coordination
• Country registrations and international operational infrastructure require stronger project management and follow-through

Responsibilities

• Improve strategy & operational execution around legal processes, country registrations, and operational risk management
• Manage data protection operational coordination alongside relevant internal stakeholders
• Improve visibility, tracking, and operational management of governance-related initiatives

3. AI Transformation

Help embed practical AI-enabled ways of working across the organisation to improve productivity, scalability, coordination, and operational efficiency.

What’s already in place

• Strong AI-forward “task force” and executive support for AI adoption
• Existing AI training initiatives across teams
• Strong technical AI leadership within Product & Engineering
• Significant appetite across teams to adopt AI tools and workflows

Current gaps / where we need help

• AI adoption is currently inconsistent across operational and functional teams
• Teams need practical support embedding AI into day-to-day workflows and operations
• Opportunities for operational automation and simplification are not being systematically identified or implemented

Responsibilities

• Identify opportunities for automation, simplification, and operational productivity gains
• Help teams adopt practical AI-enabled operational workflows

What Success Looks Like

First 30 Days

• Build strong working relationships and operational credibility across the Management Team
• Develop clear understanding of current organisational structure, operational pain points, governance gaps, and cross-functional friction points
• Identify highest-priority operational clarity and governance issues requiring immediate intervention
• Assess current AI adoption and operational workflow opportunities across teams

First 90 Days

• Take over chairing of Management Team meetings
• Establish clearer delegated authority and escalation pathways for recurring operational decisions
• Launch operational governance and compliance remediation initiatives
• Improve alignment and visibility across departmental goals and operational priorities
• Launch practical AI-enabled operational improvement pilots across selected teams
• Reduce CEO involvement in routine cross-functional operational coordination

First 180 Days

• Significantly improve cross-functional execution clarity, accountability, and operational coordination across the organisation
• Establish lightweight but scalable operational systems that improve execution without adding bureaucracy
• Improve organisational maturity across governance, operational risk, and compliance coordination
• Embed AI-enabled workflows meaningfully into day-to-day operational practices across multiple functions
• Enable the CEO to focus more consistently on partnerships, fundraising, and external growth

What are we looking for?

• Significant operational leadership experience within scaling startups, nonprofits, technology companies, or tech-for-good organisations
• Experience operating as a COO, Chief of Staff, VP Operations, or equivalent senior operational leadership role
• Strong track record of driving cross-functional organisational execution and operational clarity
• Experience improving organisational systems, decision-making processes, and operational governance
• Comfort chairing executive meetings and holding senior leaders accountable
• Experience operationalising AI tools and workflows within organisations

Optional Plus

• Experience within global health, international development, or nonprofit technology organisations
• Familiarity with international compliance, entity setup, and operational governance in LMIC contexts

How We Work

We confront the grey. We practise transparency and radical candour, listen deeply, share information openly, and speak up when our ethical compass is challenged, so that psychological safety is real and everyone can do their best work.

We leave our egos at the door. We bring curiosity, kindness, and a positive attitude, seek first to understand, and remember to laugh together. We stay humble about our small part in big global problems, and we remain bold about our ambition to drive change.

We find a way. We plan with clear strategies, deliverables, deadlines, and metrics, step out of our comfort zones, and make it happen. When a plan is not working, we learn from the data, adapt quickly, and keep moving in service of the mission.

We remember why we are here. Impact for people comes first. We act like owners, hold ourselves to high standards, and work across teams to close data gaps and increase coverage, so the right services reach the right people at the right time.

We celebrate the differences. We treat every person with compassion, empathy, and respect, build inclusive spaces where diverse perspectives are welcomed, involve people in important decisions, and share credit generously, because our best ideas can come from anywhere.

Benefits

5 Reasons to Join Simprints

Life is short. We believe work should be inspirational, meaningful and fun. At Simprints, we’re taking on global development’s biggest challenges, powered by an amazing culture and incredible people. Work with us, and you will grow faster, learn more, and take on great responsibilities with the potential to make lasting change.

1. Genuine Impact. Work directly with our partners and users to deliver technology that has the potential to impact millions of lives across the globe. At Simprints, you’ll be part of a team that is passionate about driving real change.

2. An incredible, diverse team. Our work is at the intersection of technology and global development, and we’ve managed to build an amazing team drawn from all over the world. But don’t take our word for it—we’re an externally recognised as a Great Place to Work, and a 2025 Best Workplace for Women amonst many other accolades.

3. Mutual Flex. We champion a work culture where autonomy and trust are paramount, steering clear of mere face-time metrics. Whether it's managing life's essentials like healthcare appointments or adapting work hours to match your peak productivity times, we've got you covered. In return, we count on your reciprocal flexibility when mission-critical moments arise, like stepping up for a crucial client discussion on a Friday or tackling unexpected technical glitches beyond regular hours. 

4. Ultimate work-life balance. As long as you're driving results and fostering teamwork, we encourage you to strike that perfect balance between your professional and personal life. Our commitment to this model's success is solidified through semi-annual productivity assessments with our board, ensuring that our high standards of performance are consistently met.

5. Professional development.