Junior Operations Associate

⚠️ Please read first

• This is a full-time, in-person role based in San Francisco (Presidio) - we work from the office 5 days a week.

• You must be based in the Bay Area or willing to relocate before starting.

• We require US work authorisation, but are open to O-1 visa sponsorship for truly exceptional candidates.
  

About the role

We're looking for a Junior Operations Associate who wants to learn what it takes to run a high-performing startup. This isn't a glamorous role, and that's the point. You'll be doing the unglamorous work that keeps everything running—vendor management, onboarding new hires, restocking the kitchen, making sure the office doesn't fall apart. But here's what makes it worth it: you'll be at the center of a fast-growing AI company, learning how things actually work, and earning trust to take on more over time.

You'll work directly with Sebastian (Head of Operations), seeing firsthand how operational decisions cascade through the company. Start by mastering the basics. Prove you're reliable, detail-oriented, and can spot inefficiencies. Over time, we'll shape the role around what you're good at and what the company needs.

This is ideal for someone early in their career who knows they want startup experience but isn’t sure exactly what they want to do yet. You'll get exposure to everything, and the ability to have ownership and impact from day 1. It's fine if you've only had part-time jobs or internships before.

What you'll actually be doing

The everyday work:

• Process vendor payments and manage accounting tasks: reconciling invoices, tracking expenses, keeping our books in order

• Handle office operations: restock supplies, organize spaces, coordinate maintenance, make sure the physical environment supports focused work

• Support employee onboarding: coordinate first-day logistics, ensure new hires have what they need from day one

• Manage relationships with external vendors and service providers

• Keep administrative systems running smoothly: the unglamorous glue that holds things together

The learning opportunity:

• Identify process inefficiencies and propose solutions

• Take ownership of small projects that compound over time

• Gradually take on more responsibility in areas that match your interests and our needs

• Get exposure to how different parts of the company operate—from engineering to growth to product

You are probably

• A recent college grad who knows you want to work at a startup but aren't sure exactly what role or career path fits yet

• Not afraid of pitching in: sometimes, what we’ll need most is someone to unload the dishwasher or tidy the kitchen.

• Detail-oriented: you catch the small things before they become big problems

• Process-minded: you look at how things are done and think "there's got to be a better way”

• Quietly reliable: you do what you say you'll do, when you say you'll do it

• Eager to learn by doing: you'd rather be in the arena than on the sidelines

• Not super technical: it’s fine to have a degree not in Computer Science! But you have to be curious and immerse yourself in our product

You definitely have

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

• Ability to prioritize across multiple tasks without dropping balls

• Clear, professional communication, both written and verbal

• A positive outlook

• Basic comfort with tools like spreadsheets, email, calendar management, and learning new software quickly

• Work authorization in the US

Why this role matters

Start ups can often fail for boring reasons. Vendors don't get paid, new hires show up to chaos, the office becomes dysfunctional, and small fires become big ones. Your job is to prevent that. It's not flashy, but it's essential.

In return, you get something rare: unfiltered exposure to how a fast-growing AI company actually works. You'll see the decisions being made, understand why they're hard, and learn from people who have built and scaled companies before. You'll work with high-agency, high-trust people who respect competence over credentials.

And over time, as you prove yourself, you'll earn the opportunity to shape your own role around what you're good at and what the company needs. That's how careers are built here—not by climbing a ladder, but by owning outcomes and expanding your scope.

Real talk

• This role requires doing work that isn't always exciting. If you need every task to be intellectually stimulating, this isn't it.

• You'll be accountable for things that feel small but matter enormously when they go wrong.

• We judge by what you deliver, not by how busy you look or how late you stay. Equally, if you want to have a guaranteed departure at 5pm every day, this isn’t the role for you.

• The upside is real: proximity to founders, exposure to decision-making, and the chance to grow into something bigger as you earn trust.

How to stand out

Show us you can think clearly and execute reliably. Send a short note explaining:

• Why you want to start your career in operations at a startup

• A time you improved a process or solved an operational problem (school club, internship, anywhere)

• What you're hoping to learn in your first year