MASCHALINA Productions GmbH designs, produces, and distributes fashion jewelry online and through retailers from its base of operations in Vienna, Austria. We have been in business for over 10 years and have been led by our founder Mascha Lina Borodin since inception. The products have a loyal customer base and the organization has had product market fit for years. Since Q4 2023 the company is the exclusive jewelry distributer for Marionnaud Parfumeries Autriche GmbH, which currently offers a unique opportunity for the business to scale and enter new retail markets such as Switzerland, Italy and France. The challenge for the business today is to efficiently scale a winning formula by increasing sales through the digital channel. The founder has acted as the CEO since inception but desires to cede day to day responsibility for the business to a new leadership team and continue in the role of Creative Director. The founder is a public figure in Austria and is happy to remain the face of the company from a marketing and public relations standpoint.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER – Maschalina Productions GmbH 2024:
We are looking for a chief executive officer (CEO) to lead and have day-to-day responsibility for the development and success of our organization. The CEO has ultimate responsibility for the organization’s financial results and operations including the recruitment, training and retention of our growing team. The CEO will report to the board of directors which plays an active role in the development of the organization by setting the overall vision and strategic direction. Given the strong support of the board of directors and founder, this CEO role differs from a traditional CEO role insofar that the board has already set the vision and strategic direction of the organization. We wish to find an executive that can deliver on that vision and therefore the role is in many respects close to that of a traditional chief operating officer (COO) role, albeit with overall administrative responsibility for the organization.
Currently, the organization employs a mix of full-time and part-time staff plus independent freelancers. Total headcount is under 10. Additionally, we collaborate with 4 productions in Vienna, consisting of approximately 25-30 individuals, who locally craft our jewelry items. The organization expects sales of EUR 500,000 in 2024. Despite 10 years of history, the organization is still very much a startup, and we seek a hands-on CEO which has specific experience in scaling organizations from their earliest days to approximately 50-80 employees. To be a successful CEO for an organization of our size you will need to relentlessly prioritize a long to-do list on a daily basis to ensure that you and the organization as a whole are focused every day on the things which will actually drive growth over the medium term. You should be hands on and driven to succeed, able to handle stress, and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. You should be familiar with the workings of different departments, and knowledgeable about financial reporting, financial analysis, budgets, recruiting, personnel management and optimizing logistics.
JOB DISCRIBTION:
Responsibilities:
• Identifying and defining the key roles required within the organization to achieve growth targets
• Recruiting aggressively to bring top talent into the business and fill all open job listings
• Managing and supervising the day-to-day operations of the entire organization with responsibilities spanning sales, product development, marketing, accounting,
procurement, IT, facilities, and HR
• Managing and supervising subordinate staff and evaluate performance; eliminate staff when necessary
• A robust annual budgeting process supported by regular re-forecasting and evaluation of performance against the budget.
• Managing various contracts and business negotiations
• Compiling performance reports for timely reporting to the board of directors and
regulatory agencies
• Setting, monitoring, and managing key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Ensuring all laws, government regulations and contractual obligations are met
• Delivering high growth in sales through the digital channel by building an all-star internal digital marketing team that has expertise across ecommerce in general and specifically within each acquisition channel where the organization is active
• Providing input in business and strategic planning to the board of directors
• Collaborating with colleagues to implement policies and develop improvements
• Organizing and coordinate inter- and intradepartmental operations
• Identifying and availing of government funding programs when possible
• Reviewing and modernizing the inventory and shipping management and logistics of materials and finished goods
• Resolving issues that may arise in a timely manner
What is outside of responsibilities:
• Setting the overall vision and strategic direction of the organization (responsibility with the board of directors)
• Capital formation. The owners of the business can finance expansion over the short term and will lead any future efforts to bring in external capital (responsibility with the board of directors)
• The founder remains committed to managing the manufacturing processes over the short term with a view to handing off responsibility medium term.
• Culture. The organization has an existing culture and values (responsibility with the
Founder)
Requirements and skills:
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business or related field is highly preferred
• 5+ years’ experience in operations management with a solid understanding of business functions
• 2+ years’ experience in digital marketing is required, experience in performance
marketing is highly preferred
• 2+ years’ experience working in startup companies
• Knowledge of fiscal planning, budgeting and reporting
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability in decision-making and problem-solving
• Excellent organizational and leaderships skills
Contact: ceo@maschalina.com
