Operations Lead, Strategic Partnerships

Kraken Kinetics • Pinehurst, NC

2d • $75,000 - $100,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Kraken Kinetics is seeking a driven, highly organized Operations Lead to build and manage the systems that enable its Strategic Partnerships Department to operate effectively. The role owns critical business infrastructure, coordinates customer training and engagement logistics, and develops processes that keep opportunities, programs, and internal teams aligned. It is described as more than a traditional administrative role, requiring ownership of complex workflows, anticipation of operational friction, and development of scalable systems.

Reporting to the Head of Strategic Partnerships, the Operations Lead works across Government Relations, Industry Relations, Training, Finance, Compliance, Production, and other internal teams. The role is based on-site at the company's Pinehurst, North Carolina area facility and requires exceptional organization, technical aptitude, and the ability to turn ambiguity into repeatable processes.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations, information systems, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience in business operations, program coordination, project management, sales operations, or a related function.
• Demonstrated ability to design, implement, or improve organizational processes and workflows.
• Experience working with CRM platforms, databases, or comparable business information systems.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to organize complex information into clear, actionable outputs.
• Exceptional organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities.
• Ability to coordinate complex activities across internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with technical and non-technical teams.
• Ability to identify problems, develop practical solutions, and independently drive implementation.
• Proven success in dynamic or shifting operational environments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience administering or developing CRM environments such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, NetSuite, or comparable platforms.
• Experience with Microsoft Power BI, Power Automate, SharePoint, or other workflow automation and business intelligence tools.
• Ability to translate business requirements into structured data models, workflows, dashboards, and reporting systems.
• Experience developing KPIs, pipeline reporting, forecasts, or management dashboards for sales, business development, or executive leadership.
• Experience coordinating customer training, demonstrations, field events, or other logistics-intensive engagements.
• Experience in defense technology, aerospace, UxS, advanced manufacturing, or government contracting environments.
• Familiarity with U.S. Government and DoW business development, contracting, or acquisition processes.
• Working knowledge of export-control and compliance environments, including ITAR/EAR.
• Experience using technology and automation to reduce manual administrative workload and improve organizational efficiency.
• Experience working in a startup or high-growth environment.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture, governance, and ongoing development of the Strategic Partnerships Department's customer relationship management (CRM) environment.
• Design and maintain scalable structures for accounts, contacts, opportunities, activities, sales stages, customer engagements, and other critical business data.
• Establish CRM standards, data-entry requirements, and operating procedures to ensure accurate, consistent, actionable information.
• Develop dashboards, reports, and recurring management products that show pipeline activity, opportunity progression, customer engagement, and departmental performance.
• Maintain data integrity and promote consistent CRM adoption across the Strategic Partnerships team.
• Coordinate customer training engagements, including schedules, student rosters, instructor coordination, travel, equipment requirements, documentation, and internal support.
• Coordinate between Strategic Partnerships and supporting departments for demonstrations, training events, customer visits, conferences, and other external engagements.
• Maintain departmental calendars and track major opportunities, customer engagements, proposal deadlines, training events, conferences, and other time-sensitive requirements.
• Support recurring pipeline reviews, opportunity assessments, forecasting, leadership updates, and departmental reporting.
• Identify operational bottlenecks, information gaps, and inefficient processes, and implement practical solutions.
• Support the Head of Strategic Partnerships with database management, resource coordination, and execution of key events.
• Maintain accurate records of customer engagements, opportunities, programs, and departmental activity.

Benefits

• Generous PTO policy.
• Comprehensive medical coverage, 80% company-paid for the employee and dependents.
• Vision and dental coverage, 100% company-paid.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage, 100% company-paid.
• Generous 401(k) retirement plan.
• Company-paid life insurance.
• Great teammates and well-stocked snacks.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level