We’re an Industrial AI start-up founded by a Stanford professor and led by recognized leaders in AI/ML and Aerospace & Defense analytics.
Our product is an Enterprise SaaS Application that powers supply chain optimization for the U.S. Air Force’s 5,000-aircraft fleet ($100B yearly sustainment budget). It combines proprietary AI Engines that handle scarce/noisy data with Agentic AI interfaces (LLMs + RAG) to deliver explainable insights.
We’ve delivered $200M+ in documented cost savings, secured repeat USAF contracts, and are scaling 4x growth with a medium-term M&A exit strategy.
We’re looking for a hands-on, tech-savvy Operations Manager who thrives in a startup environment and can wear multiple hats across HR, payroll, benefits, IT, and project management.
This is a unique opportunity to join a small, agile core team, shape our culture, and build the foundations of our company as we scale.
Main Responsibilities:
HR & People Operations
- Manage onboarding, offboarding, and employee lifecycle processes.
- Administer payroll, benefits, compliance, and record-keeping. Oversee accounting execution. Work with legal and HR consultants when needed.
- Support recruiting coordination (posting roles, scheduling, candidate experience).
- Act as a point of contact for employee relations.
Operations & IT
- Oversee IT tools
- Manage user access
- The tools include AWS, Azure, GitHub, Google Workspaces, Confluence, WebEx conferencing, Slack, Jira, Siteground, GoDaddy
- Manage vendors, software subscriptions, and virtual machines.
- Ensure required security level (for CUI data) in collaboration with leadership.
- Support remote team setup.
Project & Business Operations
- Support leadership in tracking project timelines, deliverables, and budgets.
- Build processes for documentation, knowledge sharing, and communication.
- Assist with contracting, reporting, invoicing, and general operations tasks.
- Be the go-to person to “make things run smoothly” across the organization.
You’ll start on a consulting basis (competitive hourly rate), with the opportunity to move into a full-time role with equity as you demonstrate impact.
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, HR, IT, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 5+ years in operations/HR/business administration (start-up or small-company experience preferred)
- Proven ability to manage multiple functions: HR, payroll, benefits, IT tools, vendor management, and project coordination.
- Hands-on with SaaS/IT systems (AWS, Azure, GitHub, Google Workspace, Slack, Jira, Confluence, SiteGround, GoDaddy, WebEx)
- Strong project management, organization, and communication skills
- U.S. Citizenship (required for government contracting/CUI data)
Preferred
- Start-up operations scaling experience
- Familiarity with government contracting or defense industry compliance
- Vendor management and contract negotiation skills
- Remote team coordination experience
- All candidates must be US Citizens.
- Location: This is a remote position. USA, Nationwide. Proximity to our Palo Alto, CA office is a plus.
- Flexible schedule initially, 10-40 hours/ week