Chief Operations Officer - Innovation Space

Chief Operations Officer

At DuPont, our purpose is to empower the world with essential innovations to thrive. We work on things that matter. Whether it's providing clean water to more than a billion people on the planet, producing materials that are essential in everyday technology devices from smartphones to electric vehicles, or protecting workers around the world. Discover the many reasons the world's most talented people are choosing to work at DuPont.

The Chief Operations Officer leads the laboratory, facilities, scientific support, and business operations that enable The Innovation Space and its client companies to succeed. Reporting operationally to the President & CEO, the COO translates organizational strategy into safe, reliable, and scalable systems across facilities, finance, legal, technology, people operations, EH&S, compliance, and risk management. This highly visible role combines enterprise leadership with hands-on execution and offers the opportunity to help scientists and entrepreneurs advance breakthrough technologies toward commercial and societal impact.

The COO leads a capable multidisciplinary team with four direct reports: the Client Experience Manager, Assistant Director of Facilities, Senior Scientist and Laboratory Manager, and Laboratory Coordinator. The COO also draws upon specialized expertise from DuPont and an established network of external financial and legal advisors, contractors, and service partners. This combination of internal capability and external support enables the COO to provide enterprise-level leadership, delegate effectively, and remain sufficiently close to day-to-day execution to engage directly when needed.

The COO will be a DuPont employee seconded to The Innovation Space. The President & CEO of The Innovation Space will provide day-to-day direction, establish organizational priorities, and oversee performance in the role, while DuPont will retain responsibility for employment administration. This is an opportunity to help shape a nationally significant center for science-based entrepreneurship. The COO will work alongside scientists, founders, investors, corporate leaders, and public-sector partners advancing new solutions across health, biotechnology, advanced materials, clean technology, energy, and nutrition.

The role offers an unusual combination of enterprise leadership and direct impact. The COO will strengthen the operational platform that enables entrepreneurs to conduct critical research, reach development milestones, secure funding, and move breakthrough technologies toward commercialization. For a leader who enjoys solving complex problems, building organizations, and helping ambitious people succeed, this is an opportunity to see the results of their work every day.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the organization's 130,000-square-foot laboratory, office, and collaboration facility, ensuring safe, reliable, and cost-effective delivery of infrastructure, technical capabilities, and services.
• Lead laboratory and facility planning, infrastructure reliability, preventive maintenance, capital planning, and significant construction and improvement projects.
• Manage operating budgets and external contractors, vendors, and service providers supporting laboratory and facility operations.
• Partner with Innovation Space clients to understand their operational and technical needs and continually improve laboratory capabilities, service quality, reliability, utilization, and the overall client experience.

• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, accounting, cash management, financial reporting, audits, tax coordination, and internal financial controls, working closely with the President & CEO and external financial resources.
• Lead annual operating and capital planning and support financial reporting to organizational leadership, the Board of Directors, funding partners, and government agencies.
• Oversee the administrative and financial management of government, foundation, and corporate grants, including budgeting, compliance, allowable-cost requirements, documentation, reporting, audit readiness, and coordination with program leaders.
• Lead the development, review, negotiation, and administration of client agreements, collaboration agreements, grant and funding agreements, vendor contracts, and construction and capital-project agreements, working with legal counsel as appropriate.
• Oversee procurement, competitive bid processes, vendor selection and management, insurance, contract tracking, and other core business-administration activities.
• Provide strategic oversight of information technology, cybersecurity, telecommunications, access-control systems, financial systems, and other business technology infrastructure.

• Provide leadership for environmental health and safety, laboratory safety, regulatory compliance, and enterprise and operational risk management.
• Establish and maintain appropriate policies, procedures, management systems, and internal controls to…