Strategic Operations Manager

Endeavour. Inspired Infrastructure.•Syracuse, NY

5d•Onsite

About The Position

TAF Carbon has an exciting opportunity for a self-starting, highly-organized, and strategic thinking business person to be part of an innovative company that is on a journey to transform the world’s materials. We are seeking a Strategic Operations Manager to contribute across multiple business functions on a fast-growing team. The person in this role is taking on multiple functions currently held by the CEO, the Director of R&D, and co-Founders. By taking on projects both strategic and mundane, the Strategic Operations Manager will directly help the company grow and close strategic partnerships while simultaneously advancing their own career and leadership skills. This role grows with the company. Near-term, you will be solving day-to-day problems across multiple business functions while contributing to strategic research and direction day-to-day with the CEO and senior leadership. Over time, whichever business function you love the most can become your area of specific leadership within the company. Future career growth in this role can move towards partnership development, direction of operations, or leadership of strategic research. This role is also part of the team that services the entire Endeavour ecosystem and contributes to the overall health and success of the broader organization. The Strategic Operations Manager needs to be agile, professional, and comfortable in a rapidly changing environment. The right person is trustworthy with confidential information, highly organized, self-motivated, has excellent communication skills, can think strategically, and works equally as well independently as with a team. They move proactively into areas that need to be improved with their skills across the company. They are a born problem solver and highly self-motivated to identify and address business challenges. They work extremely well with others while diplomatically moving multiple projects to completion. TAF Carbon is highly selective about the people we bring on board because our ecosystem depends on it. Change happens quickly here, and we must maintain a strong team of honest, communicative, collaborative, open-minded, strategic, reliable, and driven team members. We seek ultra-creative performers with self-awareness, a sense of humility, and a hunger to make a positive impact in the world. Endeavour offers flexibility and endless growth opportunities to those who can harness their skills and talents and identify how and where to use them to add value. Our team is the heart of the ecosystem. We’re a diverse group of bright, passionate, dedicated people, working together to make a real difference. Are you ready to join the journey?

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field required, MBA preferred.
2–5 years of relevant experience in operations, administrative support, procurement/purchasing, or office coordination.
2-5 years of experience in detailed market research and/or strategic projects preferred
Experience supporting senior leadership or C-suite executives a plus.
Research and analytics experience using advanced AI and direct outreach a plus.
Experience in a fast-paced startup or tech environment highly preferred.
Self-starter with a proactive mindset and strong problem-solving skills.
Excellent researcher, able to learn and analyze quickly.
Strategic thinker with strong organizational skills, able to manage and track multiple projects simultaneously.
Exceptional attention to detail.
Excellent written and verbal communicator.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build positive relationships, including with external vendors and partners.
Flexible and adaptable, comfortable in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Reliable, responsive, and able to take initiative with little direction.
Innate willingness to proactively contribute to the growth of a demanding, innovative and irreverent corporate culture.
Freakishly punctual and able to tenaciously and graciously manage upwards while working with creative and strong executives.
Trustworthy and discreet with confidential information.
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and virtual collaboration tools (Zoom, Teams).
Comfortable representing the company professionally with external suppliers and partners.

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred.
Experience supporting senior leadership or C-suite executives a plus.
Research and analytics experience using advanced AI and direct outreach a plus.
Experience in a fast-paced startup or tech environment highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own research about specific product components and related market landscapes.
Identify and evaluate potential partners, and help shape the approach and partnership strategy for each.
Support special strategic projects as needed (JDA process, partner comparables, market intelligence).
Consolidate board and partnership decks and other content from different C-level executives into single cohesive presentations.
Interact with senior leadership and corporate counsel as needed to prepare term sheets, financial models and documents for strategic partnerships in multiple areas.
Track multiple business deals and work with senior leadership to close contracts.
Work closely with the CEO to capture action items in meetings and manage follow-up.
Manage and triage the CEO's email to ensure projects stay on track.
Schedule and coordinate meetings and special events.
Track and reconcile receipts/expenses and payables and manage reimbursements.
Serve as primary point of contact for the building and coordinate with building management on all issues.
Order lab chemicals and supplies and track MSDS sheets.
Receive, log, and secure all incoming deliveries; coordinate all outgoing shipments.
Build company table tennis brackets and encourage inter-functional team participation.
Execute and reconcile purchase orders and assist accounting resources as needed.
Track procurement/shipping issues and resolve billing discrepancies with vendors.
Track vendor and partner action items and follow up to ensure timely completion.
Coordinate contracts, documents, and NDA execution as needed.

Benefits

High visibility working directly with CEO and senior leadership at a fast-growing company.
Networking across the Endeavour ecosystem and beyond.
Ability to create and move into senior business functions not yet defined or assigned.
Work with us to grow the company and you’ll interview your full-time replacement for whatever duties you are least interested in within 18 months.
Travel domestic and international a possibility depending on partnership strategies pursued and candidate desires.
A fast-paced, entrepreneurial culture focused on innovation.
A flexible, autonomous work environment.
A culture of respect, learning, and excellence.
Experienced, highly talented experts as team peers.
Growth and travel opportunities.
A team of change-makers having a significant impact on people and the planet.