Chief Operating Officer / Operations Lead (EN)
DETAILS
(m/v/x)
Organisation: Elzéard Foundation
Location: Cross-border region
Belgium-Netherlands-GermanyEmployment: Full Time Position
Salary: Market-conform, depending on experience
Start: To be discussed
Elzéard Foundation is evolving from a founder-driven initiative into a more structured and scalable organization. This transition requires a shift from highly engaged, flexible ways of working towards a more grounded and coordinated operational model, without losing the spirit, agility and deeper intent that define the project.
Context
Rooted in the philosophy of rewilding and deep ecology, Elzéard Foundation is seeking to restore living systems at scale, while exploring new ways of relating to land, ownership and stewardship. More than an organization, Elzéard operates as a prototype for a broader transformation: reconnecting fragmented landscapes, rethinking agricultural practices, and contributing to the emergence of a regenerative commons.
Elzéard Foundation is evolving from a founder-driven initiative into a more structured and scalable organization. This transition requires a shift from highly engaged, flexible ways of working towards a more grounded and coordinated operational model, without losing the spirit, agility and deeper intent that define the project.
With the proof of concept taking root and an initial movement unfolding, the time has come to anchor and extend this work. You will join a newly forming core team that will gradually take stewardship of the organization’s daily life, allowing the founders to step back into a more generative role. While operational responsibility shifts towards the core team, the founders remain closely involved as stewards of the organization’s intent, ensuring continuity of its underlying philosophy and direction. Together, you will help shape the next phase of Elzéard’s unfolding, across the three-country region and beyond.
To support this transition, we are seeking a Chief Operating Officer who can hold the operational centre of gravity of the organization, while remaining deeply attuned to its purpose and evolving nature. While operational responsibility gradually shifts towards this core team, the founders remain closely involved as stewards of the organization’s intent, ensuring continuity of its underlying philosophy and direction.
Role Purpose
The COO is responsible for ensuring that the organization functions in a coherent, reliable and effective way on a daily basis. This role acts as the operational integrator of Elzéard, translating vision and strategy into coordinated action, while gradually relieving the founders from day-to-day management. The COO creates the conditions for the team to function well, ensures that priorities are followed through, and builds the operational backbone required for sustainable growth.
Key Responsibilities
1. Operational Leadership & Coordination
Take ownership of the daily functioning of the organization
Coordinate activities across domains (restoration, agriculture, construction, administration, etc.)
Ensure clarity in priorities, planning and follow-up
Act as the primary point of contact for the team in day-to-day operations
2. Team & Structure
Support the development of a core team (middle layer)
Clarify roles, responsibilities and reporting lines
Facilitate effective communication and alignment within the team
Gradually reduce dependency on the founders for operational decisions
3. Team & Ecosystem Building
Introduce lightweight but effective structures:
planning & follow-up
decision-making flows
basic reporting
Bring order to existing complexity without over-formalising
Ensure that key functions (administration, permits, construction follow-up, etc.) run reliably
4. Transition & Implementation
Play a key role in the transition from a founder-led to a team-led organization
Gradually take over selected operational responsibilities
Ensure continuity while the organization evolves and grows
Contribute to translating strategic direction into practical implementation
Position in the Transition
The COO will step into the organization during a transition phase, where initial support is in place to help structure and stabilize operations. As the organization evolves, the COO is expected to take full ownership of daily management, becoming the central operational reference point for the team. External support may remain available as a strategic sounding board where relevant, but the role itself is designed to become fully embedded and autonomous within the organization.
Profile
We are looking for someone who brings a combination of operational leadership, organizational sensitivity, and the ability to bring structure to an evolving whole
More specifically, you:
Bring strong experience in operational leadership, with the ability to create clarity, alignment, and continuity
Are able to introduce structure without rigidifying — shaping processes that support rather than constrain
Have a hands-on, pragmatic mindset, and are comfortable moving between strategy and execution
Feel at ease in complex, evolving environments where not everything is fully defined
Bring strong interpersonal skills and a form of natural authority that enables collaboration and trust
Have the capacity to take ownership, make decisions, and move things forward
Are fluent in Dutch and English. French and any additional languages are considered an asset
You are not necessarily a specialist in ecology or conservation, nor a purely corporate manager, but someone who can hold complexity and create clarity, while remaining aligned with the deeper intent and values of the project.
What succes looks like — after 6-12 months
The day-to-day functioning of the organization is stable, clear and reliable
The founders are no longer involved in operational follow-up, and can fully focus on vision and strategic direction
The team operates with clear roles, priorities and accountability, with less dependency on ad hoc coordination
Key domains (administration, construction, land follow-up, permits) run smoothly and are proactively managed
A small core operational team is in place and functioning as a coherent middle layer
Simple but effective structures for planning, decision-making and follow-up are embedded in the organization
The overall feeling within the organization has shifted from reactive and overloaded to grounded, coordinated and forward-moving
What we can offer
A key role within a newly forming core team, with direct influence on how the organization evolves in its next phase
The opportunity to take ownership of the operational domain and shape how the organization functions and scales over time
A working environment that combines strategic intent with hands-on, day-to-day reality
Close collaboration with the founders, while progressively taking on autonomy and responsibility within your role
Working within a small, committed team, where collaboration is direct, informal, and grounded in shared intent
The chance to contribute to a project that operates at landscape scale, supporting ecological restoration, land use, and new forms of stewardship through strong organizational foundations
The opportunity to be part of a broader international movement around rewilding and deep ecology, connecting local action to a wider transformation
A context where initiative, clarity, and responsibility are valued, and where your contribution has visible and structural impact on the organization
The possibility to explore lodging options within the project context, or in the surrounding cross-border region (including the area around Aachen, Maastricht, and Liège), depending on availability and alignment
The role is based in the cross-border region between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, and requires regular presence on site.
Practical details (timing, contract, and location) can be discussed based on mutual alignment.
