Executive Business Partner to the COO | Business Controller

About RO Intelligence

RO Intelligence is an early-stage water-technology company developing patented technology and advanced analytics for reverse-osmosis and desalination operations. We operate at the intersection of critical infrastructure, water security, industrial software, and real-time operational intelligence.

The Opportunity

RO Intelligence is seeking a senior Executive Business Partner to the COO to build and run the operating layer around the COO. Internally, this role will function as an Executive Business Controller: a trusted operator who protects executive time, manages information flow, drives accountability, and prevents routine matters from becoming executive disruptions.

This is not a conventional, task-based executive assistant position. The right person will anticipate needs, resolve issues independently, route work to the appropriate owner, and bring to the COO only those matters requiring executive judgment; supported by relevant context, viable options, and a clear recommendation.

The primary outcome of this role is to enable the COO to devote approximately 75–80% of their time to strategy, leadership, and high-impact decision-making, while maintaining confidence that operational commitments are being handled and completed.

This person will work in close daily partnership with the COO and will be trusted with sensitive company information, executive communications, commercial matters, and high-level relationships.

Position Details

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Location: Vancouver, Washington, serving the Portland metropolitan area

Work arrangement: Full-time and in person

Travel: Occasional executive and pilot-site travel, including possible domestic and international travel

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is $120,000–$145,000, depending on relevant experience, demonstrated scope, and level of responsibility.

The position is also eligible for a discretionary performance bonus. Equity may be considered depending on the candidate’s experience and the final level of the role. Benefits include full medical, vision and dental.

What You Will Own

Executive Time and Communications

Own and protect the COO’s calendar and inbox. Schedule and prioritize meetings, draft executive correspondence, send responses where authorized, coordinate calls, appropriately redirect requests that do not require COO involvement, and identify matters requiring executive attention.

Decision Readiness and Follow-Through

Prepare agendas, briefing notes, pre-reads, decision lists, and relevant background materials. Document decisions and commitments, assign or confirm owners, monitor deadlines, and follow through until matters are completed or formally resolved.

Executive Travel

Manage executive travel from planning through completion, including flights, hotels, ground transportation, itineraries, site logistics, time-zone coordination, schedule changes, documentation, and contingency planning.

Executive Stakeholder Coordination

Coordinate interactions with C-suite executives, investors, advisors, legal counsel, accounting professionals, consultants, vendors, strategic partners, and other external stakeholders. Manage scheduling, information requests, deliverables, follow-up, and deadlines across these relationships.

Invoices, Contracts, and NDAs

Receive, review, route, and track invoices and supporting documentation. Identify discrepancies or missing approvals, coordinate resolution with the appropriate owner, administer approved NDA and contract workflows, monitor signatures and key dates, and escalate non-standard terms or financial exceptions.

This position coordinates legal and accounting workflows but does not independently provide legal advice or own formal company accounting.

Office of the COO Operations

Maintain a concise and reliable system for the COO’s priorities, decisions, commitments, and follow-up. Identify bottlenecks, prepare decision briefs, route work to established functional owners, maintain visibility across open matters, and represent the COO accurately and discreetly.

Systems and Process Improvement

Identify recurring friction, communication gaps, unnecessary executive dependencies, and preventable administrative work. Build practical systems and workflows that improve accountability and prevent the same issues from repeatedly returning to the COO.

Role Boundaries

This role is responsible for coordination, visibility, executive leverage, and follow-through. It does not replace the company’s functional owners in human resources, engineering project management, legal, or accounting.

The Executive Business Partner will ensure that work is routed to the correct owner, tracked appropriately, and elevated only when executive judgment or intervention is genuinely required.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of experience in senior executive support, executive business partnership, executive operations, business management, or another comparable high-trust role.
• Direct experience supporting a founder, CEO, COO, principal, or other C-suite executive in a fast-moving environment.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex executive calendars, high-volume inboxes, meeting preparation, sensitive communications, and multi-leg domestic or international travel.
• Experience coordinating with several of the following: outside counsel, accounting professionals, consultants, vendors, investors, contracts, invoices, or NDAs.
• Strong financial and commercial literacy, including the ability to review invoices, recognize discrepancies, understand approval requirements, and identify matters requiring escalation.
• Exceptional judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and respect for confidentiality.
• Excellent written communication, with the ability to draft concise, polished, executive-level correspondence and briefing materials.
• The ability to distinguish between matters that should be resolved independently, delegated to another owner, or elevated to the COO.
• A proactive, calm, low-ego working style and the confidence to operate without constant instruction.
• A willingness to handle important details directly when doing so creates executive leverage, combined with the discipline to improve the underlying system.
• Ability to work in person in Vancouver, Washington, and travel occasionally as business needs require.

Equal Opportunity

RO Intelligence is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to any status protected by applicable law.