Strategy & Operations Associate

Hadrian Automation•Torrance, CA

1d•$130,000 - $190,000

About The Position

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that combine AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing to help aerospace and defense companies produce mission-critical systems faster and at lower cost. The Strategy & Operations Associate joins the Programs team to own major workstreams within customer programs and factory stand-ups supporting Hadrian’s aerospace, defense, and national-security mission. The associate works with program managers and leadership to turn ambiguous customer problems into structured plans, analyses, and schedules, and to drive those plans through execution. The role includes building business cases and quantitative models, supporting proposals and pricing, operating program routines, and addressing execution challenges across engineering, operations, supply chain, and software. It is designed to grow into full program ownership and may include both leadership and customer interactions as well as hands-on factory support. The position requires 2–6 years of relevant experience, a bachelor’s degree in a related field, and willingness to travel 20–40%. Experience in aerospace, defense, or industrial manufacturing is strongly preferred. The target salary range is $130,000–$190,000, with actual compensation varying based on factors such as experience, skills, location, and business needs. Full-time employee benefits include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 401(k), possible relocation support in certain situations, a flexible vacation policy, and equity. Applicants must meet applicable U.S. export-control eligibility requirements or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations.

Requirements

2–6 years of experience in management consulting, federal programs, manufacturing, or operations/strategy roles in aerospace, defense, or industrial environments; relevant Strategy & Operations, BizOps, or program operations experience at high-tempo startups, particularly defense technology startups, is also suitable.
Experience owning a workstream with real deliverables, rather than only supporting one.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Operations, Engineering, or a related field.
Willingness to travel 20–40%.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including independently preparing clear PowerPoint presentations and written updates, presenting to senior stakeholders, and following up with them.
Strong Excel skills and ability to use AI tools.
Ability to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments and create structure and deliver a usable first version when problems are underspecified.
Low ego, high ownership, and willingness to provide hands-on operational support as needed.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, protected individual under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations, in order to conform to U.S. Government export regulations including ITAR.

Nice To Haves

Experience in aerospace, defense, or industrial manufacturing, including at Primes, OEMs, Tier 1/2 suppliers, or large industrial programs.
A genuine interest in how manufacturing works.
Ability to adapt steadily when priorities shift, communicate what changed and why, and continue making progress with limited information.
Strong judgment about when to work scrappily versus formalize an approach, and ability to define a good-enough first version.
Curiosity about the shop floor and interest in learning from engineers and factory technicians; fascination with manufacturing and desire to spend time on the shop floor.

Responsibilities

Work with Programs and firm leadership to define new programs and early execution phases.
Participate in customer discovery sessions and site visits, translating findings into structured requirements, assumptions, and open questions.
Identify cost, schedule, and delivery risks early and drive assigned mitigation actions.
Own defined parts of factory and production-line stand-ups, such as long-lead equipment, site readiness, or workforce ramp, through reviews that clear a line to begin production.
Build cost and schedule models, investment cases, and ROI analyses for program decisions.
Pressure-test plans, estimates, and schedules from other teams and flag issues with recommended fixes.
Contribute to proposals and follow-on business capture, including RFP responses, Statement of Work inputs, and pricing support.
Track budgets, actuals, and cost-to-complete for owned workstreams and contribute to program forecasts.
Drive execution across engineering, operations, supply chain, software, and other supporting functions for owned workstreams.
Own workstreams end to end, including scope, schedule, risk, and stakeholder alignment.
Build and run PMO tools, such as Work Breakdown Structures, Integrated Master Schedules, and earned value tracking.
Run program operating rhythms, including recurring reviews, milestone and dependency tracking, dashboards, and selective escalation.
Help carry programs from qualification and first-article approval through full-rate production and handoff to steady-state operations.
Provide hands-on factory support when needed, including helping install a machine or ship a part.
Prepare program materials and first drafts of executive presentations, business cases, and customer proposals.
Write status updates, decision memos, and risk reports with clear recommendations and tradeoffs.
Support customer program reviews and working sessions alongside senior program managers, including occasional visits to customer facilities.