Business Operations Manager

Observable Space•Los Angeles, CA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for a Business Operations Manager to build the planning, measurement, and operational systems that enable Observable Space to scale. Our planning and reporting processes today are manual and rapidly evolving. This role will help establish the metrics, planning processes, and systems infrastructure that give leadership visibility into operations and enable better decision making as we grow. This is a hands-on builder role reporting directly to the VP of Operations. You will work closely with Manufacturing, Sourcing, Sales, Managed Services, and Finance to align planning across the business, bring quantitative rigor to key decisions, and develop the operational capabilities needed to support our next stage of growth.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in business operations, manufacturing, strategy, consulting or a related analytical role, ideally supporting a hardware/manufacturing environment, with experience partnering with or influencing senior stakeholders
Strong quantitative skills — comfortable building models, dashboards, and metrics from messy or incomplete data
Track record of building measurement systems, planning processes, or operational infrastructure from scratch
Comfortable moving between hands-on operational problem solving and strategic, data-driven analysis
Strong Excel/Sheets skills; SQL or other data tooling a plus
Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders without direct authority

Nice To Haves

Experience with an ERP/MRP system (Global Shop Solutions, NetSuite, or similar) is a plus
Experience in precision optics, aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated/technical manufacturing environment is a plus
Lean/Six Sigma or formal continuous improvement training is a plus

Responsibilities

Build and maintain the company's core operational metrics and reporting (e.g., throughput, yield, cycle time, WIP, on-time delivery, labor productivity, inventory health, and cost per unit)
Build dashboards and executive reporting that provide visibility into operational performance and support data-driven decision making
Drive continuous improvement efforts by identifying bottlenecks, supporting root-cause analyses, and measuring the impact of operational changes over time
Evaluate major capital investments and equipment purchases through financial and operational business cases
Conduct ad hoc quantitative analyses across the business, including pricing and cost analyses, market assessments, and other strategic initiatives
Build and maintain forecasting and capacity planning processes across manufacturing and operations
Develop long-range operational plans that balance demand, manufacturing capacity, inventory, and resource constraints
Support site, facility, and manufacturing footprint expansion, evaluating cost, capacity, timeline, and risk tradeoffs
Help shape our long-term operations systems roadmap, including ERP, reporting, and planning capabilities
Maximize the value of Global Shop Solutions (GSS) while identifying opportunities to improve reporting, forecasting, and operational workflows
Develop interim reporting and planning solutions where existing systems fall short
Evaluate build-versus-buy tradeoffs and recommend pragmatic, scalable systems that support long-term growth
Partner closely with Manufacturing, Sourcing & Logistics, Sales, Managed Services, Finance, and Engineering to keep priorities, commitments, and execution aligned across the business
Support high-impact cross-functional operational initiatives with structured analysis and decision support
Serve as a trusted thought partner to operational leaders, supporting high-impact cross-functional initiatives and decisions with structured analysis