Strategic Operator – Clean Maritime Technology

Organisation: OPERATORS Collective

Opportunity: Strategic Operator – Clean Maritime Technology

Company and organisational overview

OPERATORS Collective is an executive advisory and operator network connecting experienced industry professionals with ambitious businesses operating across maritime, energy, industrial technology and infrastructure.

The opportunity relates to an engineering-led maritime technology business developing equipment designed to reduce water resistance on vessels, improve fuel efficiency and support more sustainable shipping operations.

The company's technology has reportedly demonstrated fuel-consumption reductions of up to approximately 7%, and the business is now focused on developing its commercial model, expanding market adoption and establishing a sustainable international growth strategy.

Role overview and strategic mandate

The Strategic Operator will work as a senior strategic partner to the company's founder and leadership team. This is not a conventional operational management position. Instead, the emphasis is on providing experienced commercial judgement, strategic oversight and guidance on important business decisions.

The principal responsibilities include:

Strategic direction: Advising the founder on business strategy, long-term priorities, execution and capital allocation.

Commercial development: Supporting the development of the company's five-year growth and licensing roadmap.

Market positioning: Helping identify priority vessel segments, geographical markets and commercial opportunities.

Business model strategy: Advising on licensing versus internal development and the most effective route to commercial expansion.

Leadership oversight: Challenging strategic assumptions, evaluating progress against milestones and helping maintain alignment between business ambitions and execution.

Growth strategy: Supporting decisions concerning partnerships, market entry and the company's longer-term commercial positioning.

Leadership expectations

The organisation is looking for an experienced senior professional who can act as a trusted sounding board to the founder, bring independent commercial judgement and constructively challenge strategic decisions.

Previous board or independent director experience, licensing-based business models, maritime or industrial technology exposure, and international business expansion experience are considered valuable.

Your experience across offshore construction, offshore wind, commercial activities and management could provide a relevant foundation for this type of strategic contribution.

Location and working arrangement

Engagement: Fractional strategic advisory appointment.

Location: Flexible / Global.

Time commitment: Approximately 8 hours per month.

Working arrangement: Remote and flexible, with strategic engagement alongside the company's leadership.

Nature of appointment: Strategic advisory/operator engagement rather than a conventional full-time executive position.

This is particularly worth considering given your preference for a maximum commitment of two days per week. The advertised eight hours per month is considerably below that limit.

Overall strategic priorities

The company's immediate priorities include:

Strengthening its commercial strategy and international market positioning.

Developing a sustainable licensing and business expansion model.

Identifying attractive maritime market segments and strategic partnerships.

Establishing realistic growth milestones and capital allocation priorities.

Supporting the founder and leadership team as the technology progresses towards wider commercial adoption.