Cooley AI Head of Business Operations

Cooley AI•Washington, DC

12d•$250,000 - $325,000

About The Position

Cooley AI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cooley LLP and its frontier development arm, seeks a hands-on operational leader to build and run its operational foundation. The role will establish the systems, processes, governance, and operating cadence needed to grow from an early-stage organization and scale rapidly. Working closely with Cooley AI leadership, the Head of Business Operations will translate strategy into operating plans, drive cross-functional alignment and execution, operationalize AI-native workflows, and turn policies into practical, scalable practices. The role will build an AI-native operating environment that helps teams collaborate and deliver on shared priorities. All Cooley AI employees are Cooley employees seconded to Cooley AI.

Requirements

At least 8 years of progressive experience in business operations or a related operating role, including hands-on experience building operations from the ground up in a growing technology or analogous business.
At least 4 years of management experience in relevant roles.
Bachelor’s degree.
Demonstrated experience building processes or operational functions from an early stage.
Experience designing and improving organization-wide workflows, systems, and processes, with an emphasis on automation, efficiency, and scalable operations.
Proven track record of effective leadership.
After orientation at Cooley LLP, proficiency in Microsoft Office, iManage, and other firm applications.
Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours as required.
Ability to travel as required.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
Strong judgment and problem-solving skills, including identifying ambiguity, surfacing risks and dependencies, and developing practical solutions with limited direction.
Ability to translate operational problems into governed, standardized, scalable systems.
Strong fluency in AI tools, technologies, and AI-native ways of working.
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and ability to influence decisions without formal authority.
Entrepreneurial and proactive approach with a bias for action.
Excellent attention to detail.
Ability to translate financial and operational analysis into clear recommendations and practical tradeoffs.
Ability to organize, prioritize, and coordinate multiple activities, often under tight timelines.
Ability to drive projects to completion and achieve organizational goals.

Nice To Haves

Experience building or scaling AI-enabled business operations.
Experience designing and managing an integrated workplace technology ecosystem across platforms such as Slack and Jira, including workflow automation and systems integration.
Experience leading cross-functional rollout and adoption of AI-enabled workflows.
Experience implementing operational policies and controls in a regulated, security-conscious, or professional-services environment.

Responsibilities

Build business operations from the ground up, establishing planning cycles, approval paths, and documentation that support speed, accountability, and growth.
Own day-to-day business operations and lead initiatives from problem definition through implementation; simplify processes and coordinate responsibilities and escalation paths with Cooley LLP cross-functional teams.
Drive cross-functional alignment across Cooley AI teams by clarifying priorities, ownership, dependencies, and decision points.
Identify cross-functional dependencies, structural gaps, and execution risks; surface issues and drive resolution with appropriate leaders and teams.
Partner with Cooley AI leadership to turn strategic priorities into sequenced operating plans, resource requirements, and measurable outcomes.
Establish decision rights, governance structures, and escalation paths across initiatives.
Design, implement, and oversee Cooley AI’s organization-wide, AI-native workplace technology ecosystem, including Slack and Jira, connecting communication, collaboration, documentation, and execution; partner with technical teams when engineering support is needed.
Operationalize policies into practical procedures and controls with security, legal, HR, and other functional teams, covering data handling, access, records, exceptions, and escalation.
Lead rollout and adoption of AI-enabled workflows through playbooks, user guidance, and feedback loops; define workflow owners and fallback procedures, measure adoption and ROI, and continuously improve operational effectiveness.
Create operating cadences and forums that enable timely decisions, blocker resolution, and alignment on priorities and progress.
Build and lead the business operations team, setting priorities, developing talent, and establishing accountability for results.
Supervise and mentor direct reports; oversee assigned work hours, policy compliance, staffing coverage, and time logs and time-off requests.
Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities.
Work with the immediate supervisor and central HR on hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination, and other employee lifecycle events.
Perform other duties as assigned or required.

Benefits

Medical coverage and health savings account (with applicable medical plan).
Dental insurance.
Vision insurance.
Health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts.
Pre-tax commuter benefits.
Life insurance and AD&D coverage.
Long-term care coverage.
Backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits.
Firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, long-term disability, and short-term medical benefits for benefited employees.
25 days of paid time off each year.
10 paid holidays each year.
Generous parental leave.
Fertility benefits.