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Chief Operating Officer (f/m/d)
2 years ago
Founded in 2013, Klang Games is a Berlin based, independent entertainment studio exploring the future of humanity through different forms of media. Klang explores deep, meaningful subject matter in a way that is captivating, easy-to-digest and entertaining for all ages.
At the heart of Klang Games is the massively multiplayer online game (MMO) SEED which is currently at pre-alpha stage of development. SEED offers a continuous, persistent simulation which allows players to build their own civilisations on the previously uninhabited planet called Avesta. The core gameplay involves controlling multiple characters called Seedlings in real time, living world. When players are offline, the Seedlings will continue to go about their lives, working, collecting resources, trading and waging war. This groundbreaking scale of continuous, mass simulation is possible through development in the Improbable SpatialOS engine.
Klang has raised $36.3M over three rounds of funding since 2018. Their most recent series B raise of $22.3m in August 2019 was led by Novator (backers of Deliveroo, CCP Games and Stripe) and has helped to scale the company to c.59 employees. Novator was joined in the round by Northzone, Makers fund, Newlife Ventures, Lego ventures, Neoteny and First Minute Capital.
Background
Klang was founded in 2013 by CEO Mundi Vondi and EVE Online veterans Oddur Magnusson (CTO) and Ivar Emilsson (CCO) and has grown rapidly, doubling headcount year on year since 2018. The mission of SEED is to offer a unique proposition to gamers - a world that progresses intelligently with its own animus even when players are offline. Global gaming revenues in 2020 are set to exceed $159.3bn dwarfing other entertainment sectors and are set to continue a strong growth trajectory. MMOs revenues are forecast to exceed $26bn as a market by 2025. Klang are defining the future of MMO gaming and dramatically raising the level of immersion that can be offered to players across the genre.
The former COO has recently left the business, Klang are looking for a COO (f/m/d) to lead a critical period of growth for the company as it heads towards further definition of the product and a pathway towards monetization over the next few years.
Reporting into the CEO, Mundi Vondi, you will be the open-minded, experienced, wise and decisive veteran who helps to organise a young and enthusiastic Executive Team into an efficient machine. Executing the mission and vision for the company in alignment with the CEO, you will accelerate Klang’s journey from a creative, indie game development studio, to a commercially successful games company.
Working together with the Executive Team and the organization’s leaders, you will lead the transformation of Klang from a less structured start-up, to a scale-up organization with a successful product and engaged players, whilst recruiting top talent to build new internal departments. You will know what the organization needs in this transformational journey and advise on major key strategic decisions that will impact and shape the organization and its culture. All the while, you are the calm, human, voice of reason that counterweights a creative CEO and adeptly smooths over those tough company-focused decisions.
Alongside the CEO you will manage the Executive Team, highlighting the necessary high-level decisions to be made on a departmental basis, using business and industry metrics to help support and inform those proposals. You will oversee the company’s daily operations, implementing and maintaining best-in-class business processes and owning all financial plans and legal actions. Over the medium term you will set up the scalable business functions that enable Klang to continue rapid growth. Your contribution will be pivotal in defining the success of one of the most visionary and disruptive games of the 21st century.
Requirements
- Extensive executive leadership experience in an organisation undergoing a journey of maturity in its lifecycle
- Extensive executive experience driving key strategic decisions that had a transformational impact in the organization
- Demonstrable generalist experience of instilling operational rigour across all functional areas while driving top and bottom-line growth
- Proven track record of success in fast-growing, dynamic environments including a strong familiarity and understanding of operational metrics, and best practices suited to that environment
- Phenomenal leadership capabilities and coaching experience
- Proven experience identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining top-talent
- Excellent communication skills and ability to influence and inspire colleagues at all levels of seniority and career stage
- Sympathetic to the dynamics of working in a highly creative driven industry
- Avid learner with a growth mindset
Bonus
- Experience leading the financial function of an early stage company
- Experience with Fundraising, M&A
- Knowledge of operating in Germany is preferable
- Experience and/or passion for game development
Benefits
- An opportunity to work on a groundbreaking project from its inception with a lot of room for professional and personal development
- Competitive salary and 27 days of paid vacation
- Relocation assistance
- Monthly public transport travel pass
- Monthly company co-contributions to private pensions
- Reimbursement for physical health activities
- Employee Assistance Program
- Mental health support
- Flexible office hours (with core hours)
- Our own cafeteria serving free lunches daily - once we are back at the office
- Monthly team events and activities
- A dog-friendly office, adjustable standing desks, ergonomic chairs and mobile aircon units for hot summers
- Healthy snacks and drinks in the office
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