About CodeGrade

CodeGrade is a B2B SaaS platform that helps computer science teachers teach and assess programming at scale. We work with universities and institutions worldwide, supporting real learning through automated assessment, feedback, and modern developer workflows.

We are a small, lean, highly efficient team building a technically deep product for a demanding audience. We value clarity, ownership, pragmatism, and outcomes over hierarchy or process for process’ sake.

The role

We are looking for an operator who thrives in ambiguity, has worked closely with founders before, and wants to operate at the center of execution without needing formal authority or a large team.

The primary goal of this role is to make the CEO and CTO effective by owning company cadence, execution discipline, people operations, and internal systems as we scale beyond our current structure.

This is not a COO role and not a junior generalist role. This is a high-trust, high-impact Chief of Staff role with broad exposure and real responsibility.

What you will do

Executive enablement & company cadence

• Prepare and run the weekly leadership meeting
• Own quarterly business reviews and all-hands preparation
• Turn ambiguous discussions into clear decisions and actions
• Track follow-ups and enforce ownership
• Act as a filter: decide what should and should not reach the CEO/CTO

Operations & people

• Own people operations: hiring process, onboarding, performance reviews, contracts, leave
• Act as default Hiring Manager across the company
• Improve and enforce SOPs without creating bureaucracy
• Identify ownership gaps and close them through structure
• Ensure internal operations scale with team size

Metrics & execution discipline

• Maintain the company scorecard and KPIs
• Ensure metrics are well-defined, comparable, and actionable
• Surface risks early and escalate appropriately
• Drive execution across teams without becoming a bottleneck

Finance & marketing support (CEO-owned, CoS-supported)

• Support the CEO on budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting
• Coordinate with external bookkeepers and partners
• Support marketing execution and planning (conferences, webinars, materials)

What you will not do

• You will not own Product strategy
• You will not manage engineers or write code
• You will not act as a project manager for individual teams
• You will not be a passive admin or meeting scheduler

This role is about leverage and clarity, not task execution.

Who you are

Core skills (non-negotiable)

• Exceptional judgment under ambiguity
• Strong  written communication and structuring skills
• Low ego, high ownership
• Comfortable operating without formal authority
• Bias toward clarity, action, and outcomes

Required experience

• At least 2-4 years in a startup or scale-up environment
• Experience in a B2B SaaS environment
• Experience with technical products or developer-facing tools
• Experience in roles such as: operations, strategy, project management, hiring
• This may be your first or second Chief of Staff role

Strong pluses

• Familiarity with higher education, EdTech, or computer science education
• Experience designing metrics, scorecards, and operating cadences
• Experience hiring and scaling small teams
• You speak Dutch at a native or near-native level

You do not need to be able to code, but you must be comfortable working in a technical environment and talking to engineers.

How we work

• Clear ownership and accountability
• Written communication over meetings where possible
• Pragmatism over perfection
• Small teams, high trust, real responsibility

Compensation

Annual total compensation for this role will range between €60,000–€75,000, depending on experience and demonstrated impact, with clear room for growth as the company scales and the scope of responsibility expands through CodeGrade's transparent pay scales.

In addition to base compensation, we offer:

• 🚲 E-bike or public transit card to support sustainable commuting
• 🌴 Unlimited vacation policy, built on trust and ownership
• 🏠 Flexibility to work remotely from time to time, balanced with in-person collaboration when needed
• 📈 Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) in the future, aligning long-term incentives with company growth

Beyond formal benefits, this role offers significant executive exposure, real ownership of strategic initiatives, and the opportunity to help shape the operating backbone of a fast-growing, profitable EdTech company.

Why this role is special

This is one of the most high-leverage roles in the company. You will sit at the center of execution, strategy, and leadership, with real influence over how CodeGrade scales.

If you are motivated by making others more effective, enjoy operating across domains, and want to help build a calm, focused, high-ownership company, this role is for you.

Apply to this job by filling out the online application.