This is a fully remote position
Who we are
Finternet Labs is building the next generation of financial infrastructure.
If you look at global finance today, it resembles the internet before TCP/IP: fragmented systems, expensive integrations, slow settlement, and limited interoperability. Every institution operates in its own silo, which makes innovation hard and access uneven.
We’re here to change that.
Just as the internet transformed how information moves, Finternet is about enabling true interoperability across financial systems, at global scale, while respecting regulation, national sovereignty and compliance requirements.
The vision is bold, but clear:
•No single entity controls the infrastructure
•Every financial institution operates on shared, interoperable rails
•End users access financial services through namespaces, much like web pages
The experience feels consistent, no matter where you are in the world.
At Finternet, we are reimagining how digital systems interoperate, bridging the reliability of Web2 scale with the trust guarantees of Web3.
Our leadership (including Dr. Pramod Varma and Mr. Nandan Nilekani) has built UPI, Aadhaar, and other population-scale financial systems - digital public infrastructure serving over 1.4 billion people - and is now creating the next generation of open protocols that can operate across banks, blockchains, and sovereign networks.
The Opportunity
Finternet Labs operates a network of non-profit entities in Switzerland, the U.S., India, and Singapore, each shipping open-source infrastructure, convening regulators, and administering multi-million-dollar grants.
We seek an execution-oriented COO to orchestrate this complexity: aligning strategy to operations, institutional fundraising to budgets, and engineering velocity to compliance.
What You’ll Do
Global Ops & Governance:
• Oversee entity management, board prep, fiscal sponsorship, and statutory filings across four jurisdictions.
• Build lightweight, auditable processes for finance, HR, legal, and IP stewardship.
Strategic Program Delivery:
• Convert mission road-maps into quarterly OKRs for engineering, adoption, and community teams; unblock resourcing gaps.
• Drive cross-lab program reviews; escalate risks, keep critical pilots on schedule.
Financial Stewardship:
• Own consolidated budgeting, grant accounting, and multi-currency cash-flow; ensure compliance with Swiss oversight, U.S. 501(c)(3), and CSR regimes.
• Support CFO‐style reporting to keystone donors and the Finternet Donor Council.
Fundraising & Partnerships:
• Partner with VP Fundraising to close major gifts and catalytic capital; structure sub-grants and SAFE-style investments into ecosystem projects.
People & Culture:
• Scale a distributed team from ~20 to 60+ while reinforcing Finternet’s public-interest culture; implement asynchronous rituals, talent analytics, and DEI best practices.
Who You Are
•15+ years senior leadership in high-growth tech, fintech, or mission-driven organizations; prior COO / GM / Chief of Staff experience.
•Track record of standing up global entities and running lean, cross-border operations (finance, compliance, HR, procurement).
•Familiarity with open-source governance, philanthropic grantmaking, and digital-asset regulatory landscapes (SEC, MAS, FINMA).
•Comfortable negotiating with Big 4 advisors, cloud vendors, and policy stakeholders alike.
•Executive-level communication; able to brief boards, regulators, and engineers with equal clarity.
Bonus: MBA/JD, experience in Swiss foundations or U.S. fiscal-sponsor models; prior fractional CXO work with distributed teams.
Compensation & Benefits
Market-aligned compensation package (base salary plus performance-based incentives) or a pro-rated retainer for engagement, complemented by mission-linked OSS upside, health benefits, and business-class travel.
Why Join Finternet
•Work with the creators of India’s most trusted digital infrastructure, the people behind UPI and Aadhaar.
•Shape the future of open, interoperable, and secure finance, across banks, blockchains, and nations.
•Collaborate with top researchers and engineers from blockchain, cryptography, and Web2-scale systems.
•Contribute to open-source systems with real-world, national-scale impact.
•Enjoy flexibility, autonomy, and a culture that values depth, curiosity, and craftsmanship.