Director of Operations

American Terawatt

12d

About The Position

American Terawatt is hiring its founding Operations Director to build the systems and infrastructure needed to scale the company. The role works directly with founders and other leaders and combines ownership of corporate and business operations. It focuses on establishing internal operating systems and tools—including decision-making frameworks, workstream management, OKRs and KPIs, document management, internal software, and team events—and leading corporate functions such as IT, executive support, real estate, vendor relationships, and administrative operations. The role may also take on People and TalentOps in the future. The Operations Director will develop the company’s operating rhythm; organize and maintain company knowledge; establish decision-making and workstream-tracking processes; manage real estate operations; build KPI and OKR tracking systems; and lead special projects and team offsites. The role also owns tooling strategy, AI tools, selected enterprise software implementations, data hygiene and integrations, IP knowledge-management processes, business continuity, and partnership with Engineering on SOC 2 and related compliance. In collaboration with Finance, the Director will support vendor onboarding, budgeting, ERP implementation, and board and investor materials. Early success includes assessing existing processes and functions, creating a roadmap for internal operating infrastructure, and taking ownership of key corporate operations during the first month. By six months, the company expects clear decision-making and accountability processes, well-organized and consistently used documents and tools, and smooth day-to-day operations supported by effective vendor management and workflows that use AI and automation.

Requirements

Experience as a scrappy startup operator, chief of staff, or business-operations leader who has owned a broad set of functions.
Strong prioritization skills.
A track record of building CRMs, trackers, and processes that teams adopt and use.
Comfort building functions from scratch.
Effective AI power-user skills.
Judgment in selecting and managing external marketing partners, including PR, brand, design, and events, and deciding when to bring functions in-house.
Ability to connect and work across Engineering, Business Development, Finance, candidates, and partners.
Comfort providing light legal and finance support and managing contracts.
High agency; resourcefulness, composure when priorities shift, and a bias toward action.

Responsibilities

Develop and manage the company’s operating rhythm, including all-hands meetings, the leadership calendar, and board-meeting logistics.
Design and maintain knowledge-management systems, file organization, version control, and processes for capturing company knowledge; track key artifacts and coordinate with Finance on external data rooms.
Organize decision-making, trade-off evaluation, ownership assignment, and workstream-tracking processes, including frameworks such as DACI.
Manage commercial aspects of office and R&D real estate, including insurance, site selection, contract negotiation, services, design, and furnishing.
Build and maintain systems and dashboards for tracking KPIs and OKRs and holding teams accountable.
Lead special projects, including goal setting, monthly progress tracking, and cross-functional project management.
Plan and run team offsites in coordination with EABPs.
Manage executive assistants and office managers.
Own tooling strategy and vendor relationships, including decisions about what to buy, build, replace, or retire; negotiate enterprise agreements.
Own AI tooling and promote its effective use.
Lead selected enterprise software selection, design, and implementation processes, and support teams with specialist tools such as PMS and ERP.
Set data-hygiene standards and integrations to reduce repeated manual entry and improve information flow.
Own IP knowledge management and work with Legal and Engineering to ensure processes protect company IP.
Support business-continuity work with Legal and Engineering.
Partner with FinOps on vendor onboarding and budgeting.
Collaborate with Finance stakeholders on ERP implementation.
Support FinOps and the executive team with board and investor materials, including metrics, headcount, and organizational charts.
Assess existing operating processes, internal systems, tools, and corporate functions; identify gaps and immediate priorities.
Develop a roadmap for internal operating infrastructure, including decision-making processes, company goals, and workstream tracking.
Take ownership of IT, executive support, office operations, and vendor relationships.
Partner with Engineering on SOC 2 and related compliance initiatives.

Benefits

Competitive compensation package, including salary and equity, commensurate with experience.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including 75% coverage for dependents and spouses.
Up to $300 per month reimbursement for gym and wellness expenses, or Bay Club membership for San Francisco-based employees.
Lunch provided daily when working from an office.
Unlimited PTO with manager approval.
Company-wide office closures for the week of July 4 and one week in December.
Laptop of choice provided.
Convenient New York City office location near Madison Square Park and public transit.
Pre-tax transit benefit.
Employee-contribution 401(k) program.