Job description

Chief of Staff

Location:

Amsterdam - Netherlands

Type:

Full-time

In today’s world of constant global security challenges, innovation in defense is no luxury. After years of budget cuts, military personnel needs to train and work with inadequate and insufficient equipment. We have an opportunity to change that.

At Intelic, we are a group of highly committed professionals building one of the fastest-growing start-ups based in Amsterdam. We create advanced software for unmanned systems in the defense sector. As a software company at our core, we build intelligence that gives unmanned platforms the speed, coordination and reliability that critical missions demand. Our technology ensures that decisions are made with accuracy when it matters most.

Your Responsibilities

As Chief of Staff, you are the (strategic) right hand to the Management Team (MT), driving focus, structure, and alignment as we scale. You ensure priorities turn into execution, decisions stick, and the company moves forward in unison. The role demands operating at both the strategic and hands-on level: sometimes shaping board materials or investor updates, other times you are unblocking a cross-team initiative. You are the company’s Swiss Army knife, stepping into urgent gaps and high-stakes projects across functions, from setting up HR processes and supporting an investment round to preparing major events or launching a subsidiary abroad.

In practice, this means:

  • Strategic Alignment: Driving strategic alignment by helping set, track and execute company priorities and OKRs, and ensuring accountability across the MT


  • Structured Workflow: Designing and running the cadences that keep the MT sharp (weekly MT meetings, quarterly offsites, follow-ups)


  • Connecting Teams: Acting as the connective tissue between leadership, product, tech, and operations to reduce friction and speed up decision-making


  • Leadership Support: Shaping board materials and preparing investor updates


  • Driving Progress: Tracking key initiatives, flagging risks, and making sure cross-team efforts move forward


  • Leading Projects: Owning and closing high-impact cross-functional projects, even beyond your formal scope.

What you will bring

As a professional, you combine critical thinking and a structured way of work with strong interpersonal skills. You are as comfortable challenging the CEO in a board meeting as you are helping a team operationalize a new process. You thrive in ambiguity and know how to bring clarity and momentum in a scale-up environment.


  • 3–5+ years of experience in management consulting, strategy, scale-up/tech operations, or similar high-performance setting


  • Proven ability to work with senior stakeholders, balancing strategic insight with operational detail


  • Experience with investor and board relations is a plus


  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; able to distill complexity into clarity


  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to adapt across different audiences


  • Hands-on, pragmatic, and resilient under pressure


  • Affinity with defense, aerospace, or mission-critical technology is an advantage


What success looks like in your first year
  • A clear MT cadence and operating rhythm that drives focus, accountability, and faster decision-making


  • Strategic priorities consistently translated into execution across teams


  • Trusted sparring partner to the leadership team, strengthening clarity and confidence across the company


  • Successful delivery of cross-functional initiatives that accelerate growth at high pace


Why Intelic
  • Talented Team: Collaborate with some of the brightest engineers and defense experts in the Netherlands


  • Scale-up Momentum: Join at a pivotal growth stage where you can help shape both the product and the company


  • Hands-On Testing: See your work in action through regular real-world field testing


  • Meaningful Impact: Contribute to mission-critical technology that directly improves safety and effectiveness in defense operations


  • Innovation at the Core: Tackle complex engineering challenges and push the boundaries of autonomy in defense

What we offer
  • A challenging position in a dynamic and growing organization

  • 25 vacation days + 8% holiday allowance

  • A flexible pension plan

  • Opportunity to grow with the company through Stock Appreciation Rights

  • Travel allowance

  • A membership at Urban Sports

  • Option to lease a bike through ‘Lease a bike’

  • Opportunities for personal development and training

  • A modern office in Amsterdam-North on the NDSM wharf