Operations Manager

Location: Delft, NL Company: SpectX Employment type: 24 hours - 32 hours Starting : January 2025

Strong knowledge of financial administration in the Netherlands. Experience with project finance, preferably NL/EU R&D subsidy schemes (WBSO, EFRO OPzuid, MOOI, EKOO, HER+, ITEA, EU Horizon Europe, Eurostars, etc.). Proven experience in procurement and operations. Skilled with Excel/Sheets and financial tools. Highly organized, accurate and able to work independently.

Experience in a high-tech or R&D startup. Familiarity with audit-ready documentation and compliance-heavy projects.

Money ofcourse and a flexible work environment Work in a fast-growing drone robotics and sensing startup. A chance to work at the forefront of aerial robotics and renewable energy innovation Responsibility and autonomy from day one. Opportunity to shape the operational backbone of SpectX. Competitive salary and growth path toward Operations Lead.

At SpectX, we design and build advanced autonomous drone systems for offshore wind, infrastructure inspection, maritime operations and beyond. From aerial X-ray inspection to swarm-based sea-state sensing, our projects combine robust hardware, modular software, and scalable architectures. SpectX seeks a structured and detail-driven Operations Manager to oversee all internal operational, procurement and financial processes across our NL and EU R&D projects. The role ensures smooth financial administration, compliant subsidy project execution and efficient organisational operations. Role / Responsibilities Financial & administrative management Manage monthly financial administration, including consolidating invoices and sending financial packages to the accountant. Prepare and submit VAT returns monthly. Oversee salary payments and approved procurement payouts. Maintain and update the SpectX financial cost model (multi-project, multi-cost-centre). Monitor cash flow, expense tracking and financial forecasting. Support annual reporting, audits and subsidy financial checks. Subsidy project financial control (NL & EU) Manage hour-keeping, cost tracking, eligibility checks, and budget follow-up for R&D subsidy projects. Prepare financial documentation for milestones and periodic reporting. Procurement & Operations Handle procurement end-to-end: supplier sourcing, RFQs, placing purchase orders, tracking deliveries and maintaining documentation. Generate customer and supplier invoices using SpectX systems. Ensure correct approval flows for all financial transactions. Maintain an organized records system (SharePoint + Xero platform). Develop and refine internal operating procedures to support scaling. Project Control Track project timelines, deliverables, burn rate and resource allocation on WorkFlowMax. Maintain project dashboards and financial KPIs. Provide monthly management updates and exception reports.