Vice President Customer Operations

Permanent employee, Full-time · Cologne/Hybrid

About ONIQ
ONIQ is on a mission to transform manufacturing for a more sustainable and efficient future. With IQA, our Production Excellence Software, we are pioneering a new category in industrial tech —combining lean production principles with AI, process mining, and advanced data analytics. Our software empowers manufacturers to systematically identify inefficiencies, accelerate improvements, and scale operational excellence across their global production networks.

We are a highly motivated team with a strong sense of ownership and passion for what we do. Our entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to innovation have enabled us to grow fast and shape the future of digital lean and green manufacturing. At ONIQ, culture is just as important as product. We foster an environment rooted in authenticity, diversity, integrity and mutual respect—where everyone is encouraged to bring their whole self to work.
What you will do

As our VP of Customer Operations, you will take full ownership of one of the most critical areas at ONIQ: delivering outstanding value to our customers and driving long-term success across their digital lean transformation journeys. In this high-impact leadership role, you will shape the future of ONIQ by designing and executing the full customer operations strategy — from pilot to scale. You will work closely with ONIQ’s founders and general management, playing a key role in building the company and expanding our footprint across the manufacturing industry.

You will:

  • Lead and scale the entire Customer Operations function, including team leadership, project delivery, onboarding, and long-term customer success
  • Define and continuously improve all customer-facing processes, with a focus on efficiency, scalability, and customer conversion across the full lifecycle
  • Serve as a strategic partner to senior stakeholders at our customers—especially in large industrial enterprises—building trusted relationships with C-level executives and production leaders in the DACH region and beyond
  • Bring deep domain expertise in production and operational excellence to uncover opportunities where IQA can unlock measurable impact in our customers’ operations
  • Collaborate closely with ONIQ’s Product Management team to ensure that customer requirements and needs are directly reflected in our product roadmap and innovation priorities
  • Represent ONIQ at customer meetings and industry events, helping to increase our visibility and strengthen our positioning as a thought leader in digital lean manufacturing
What we expect from you
  • Proven leadership experience (10+ years), including managing high-performing teams in fast-paced environments, and a background in either consulting, product or operations management — ideally with a focus on industrial and manufacturing sectors
  • Extensive experience in building and maintaining strategic relationships with senior stakeholders, driving long-term partnerships through exceptional communication, trust-building, and stakeholder management skills
  • Deep understanding of production challenges and a track record of successfully matching customer pain points with effective software solutions
  • Entrepreneurial mindset and enthusiasm to drive the transformation to sustainable manufacturing with our software IQA
  • Excellent communication skills, including the experiences in preparing, and delivering compelling presentations as well as pitching our solution and representing ONIQ at industry events and conferences
  • Strong customer focus to achieve the best results both for the customer and ONIQ
  • Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering & Management, or a related field
  • International experience and a strong awareness of regional business practices, combined with the ability to tailor sales and communication strategies accordingly
  • Excellent language skills (English and German C1 or higher)
  • Willingness to travel internationally for customer meetings or industry events (typically 2-4 meetings per month)
What we offer
  • We work differently - we highly value transparency, integrity and authenticity. We trust and respect each other, which leads to a very collaborative working environment where we ensure that everyone can contribute ideas and decisions are made based on competency
  • We are agile and fast paced, you will have the opportunity to take on as much responsibility as you want to and go beyond your job description to push your personal and our progress
  • We truly care about work culture and make it a priority by regularly spending time reflecting on our teamwork, by actively committing work time to keep our strong team spirit and by incorporating activities into the workday to create balance
  • We embrace diversity with our team encompassing team members from nine nationalities and 40% female representation (with the clear ambition to reach 50%), including a female CEO among the founders
  • We contribute to fighting climate change by helping our industrial manufacturing customers reduce their carbon emissions with our products, by being aware of our own environmental impact and by being carbon neutral as a company
  • All other benefits that make work more pleasant like flexible hours, part-time options, possibility to work remote, regular team events and offsites, 30 days PTO, weekly yoga sessions etc.
How to apply
We'd love for you to apply even if your experience doesn't precisely match the job description. Please use our job portal for your application, we are looking forward to hearing from you! If you have any questions, please contact us at jobs@oniq.com.
Your application!
We appreciate your interest in working at ONIQ. Please fill in the following short form. Should you have any difficulties or questions, please contact us by mail at jobs@oniq.com.
Uploading document. Please wait.
Please add all mandatory information with a * to send your application.