Application Guide
How to Apply for Operations, Strategy & Special Projects
at Aquaria
🏢 About Aquaria
Aquaria is tackling one of the most critical challenges of our time: ensuring reliable, climate-resilient water supply by transforming air into water. As a company operating at the intersection of hardware, software, and climate adaptation, Aquaria offers a rare chance to work on deep-tech solutions with global impact. The leadership's AI-first approach means you'll be empowered to leverage cutting-edge tools to solve complex problems, not just execute tasks.
About This Role
This is a high-leverage, zero-scope role that reports directly to the Head of Product Strategy & Special Projects and the COO. You'll be the founder's force multiplier, diving into ambiguous, high-stakes questions—from modeling new markets to building financial or operational frameworks—that directly shape company strategy. If you thrive on intellectual challenge and want your work to immediately influence decisions, this role is for you.
💡 A Day in the Life
Your day might start with a quick sync with the COO to align on a new market entry question, followed by deep work building a TAM model using AI-assisted research. After lunch, you'll draft a memo summarizing your findings and recommendations, then jump on a call with the Head of Product Strategy to pressure-test your assumptions. By end of day, you'll have a polished deliverable that could shape the company's next strategic move.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Aquaria Is Looking For
- You have 2-4 years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, or a similar strategic operations role at a high-growth startup, with a proven track record of breaking down ambiguous problems into structured analyses.
- You're an AI-first operator: you instinctively use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or custom GPTs to draft documents, build models, and automate research, and you're adept at verifying AI outputs for accuracy.
- You're a self-directed learner who can quickly get up to speed on technical topics like atmospheric water generation, water economics, or carbon markets without hand-holding.
- You have strong quantitative skills (Excel/Sheets, SQL a plus) and can build models from scratch, but you're also a clear communicator who can distill complex findings into crisp memos for founders.
📝 Tips for Applying to Aquaria
Highlight specific examples where you used AI tools to complete a project faster or better—e.g., 'Used GPT-4 to draft a market entry analysis, then validated data with primary research.'
In your resume or cover letter, quantify the impact of your strategic work: 'Built a pricing model that identified $2M in new revenue' or 'Led a cross-functional team to launch a new product line in 3 months.'
Demonstrate your ability to operate with no scope by describing a time you proactively identified a problem and solved it without being asked.
Research Aquaria's technology and the atmospheric water generation space; mention specific insights in your application to show you've gone beyond the job description.
Since the role reports to founders, show you can communicate like a founder: concise, structured, and focused on the 'so what.' Use bullet points and bold text in your cover letter to make it skimmable.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Your experience with AI-first workflows: describe a specific project where you used AI to accelerate analysis, draft documents, or build tools, and how you ensured quality.', 'Your ability to handle ambiguity: give an example of a time you were given a vague problem and had to define the approach, gather data, and deliver a recommendation.', "Your interest in Aquaria's mission: connect your personal or professional background to water resilience, climate tech, or deep-tech hardware.", 'Your track record of working directly with senior leaders: emphasize your comfort with high-stakes, high-visibility work and your ability to synthesize information for decision-makers.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Study Aquaria's technology: understand how their atmospheric water generators work, their energy efficiency, and how they compare to desalination or other water sources.
- → Research the water market: look into water scarcity trends, key players in water tech, and regulatory landscapes in target markets like the US, Middle East, and islands.
- → Analyze Aquaria's leadership: look up the COO and Head of Product Strategy on LinkedIn, listen to podcasts or interviews they've given, and understand their backgrounds and priorities.
- → Explore recent news about Aquaria: funding rounds, partnerships, pilot projects, or product launches. This will help you tailor your questions and show genuine interest.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Being vague about your AI experience: don't just say you're 'familiar with AI'; provide concrete examples of how you've used it to drive results.
- Focusing only on strategy without execution: this role requires both high-level thinking and hands-on building, so avoid giving the impression you're only a thinker, not a doer.
- Ignoring the climate/water context: applying without demonstrating any interest in the mission or the technology suggests you're just looking for any strategy role.
- Overcomplicating your application: the founders value clarity and conciseness, so avoid long, rambling cover letters or resumes that bury your impact.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!