Associate, Mission Success Operations

About the role

The Associate, Mission Success Operations serves as the right hand to the Director of Mission Success Operations. This role is entry-level for a recent graduate interested in learning how a defense-tech customer organization operates.

Responsibilities

• Product & tooling support: Assist the Director in building and improving internal Mission Success products, including customer health dashboards, account scorecards, post-NET CSAT reporting, and Voice-of-Customer (VOC) theme tracking.
• Database maintenance: Update and maintain the function’s databases and systems of record, including the Master Services Agreement (MSA) database, Salesforce records, and Jira/operations data.
• Event & exercise planning: Support planning and execution of trade shows (AUSA, SOFIC, AUVSI), customer events, and field exercises.
• New Equipment Training (NET) coordination: Help plan and coordinate NET events, including kit and materials readiness, scheduling, travel logistics, and post-event reporting.
• Budget tracking & administration: Maintain budget trackers, monitor spend against plan, prepare purchase requests, reconcile invoices and expenses, and flag variances to the Director.
• Operations & data administration: Maintain KPI dashboards, perform Salesforce and freight/shipping administration, and prepare recurring operating reports and meeting materials for the Director.
• Cross-team coordination: Coordinate across Field Operations, Training, Logistics, and the broader Mission Success team to keep shared workstreams on schedule and well-documented.
• Contingent-workforce support: Help administer the 1099 contractor and vendor bench, including onboarding paperwork, MSAs, and scheduling.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (recently completed or completing within the current cycle) in Business Administration, Operations/Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Information Systems, Project Management, Communications, or a related field.
• U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, and the ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Defense (DoD) security clearance.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage several recurring tasks and deadlines at once.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office / Google Workspace, especially spreadsheets; comfort learning new software tools quickly.
• Clear written and verbal communication, and a dependable, follow-through-oriented work style.
• Willingness to work onsite at the San Diego HQ and to travel occasionally for events, exercises, and NET coordination.

Preferred Qualifications

• Internship or project experience in operations, program/project coordination, data analysis, or event planning — ideally in a defense, aerospace, manufacturing, or startup environment.
• Hands-on exposure to Salesforce, Atlassian Jira, or BI/dashboarding tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker).
• Familiarity with budgets, purchase orders, or basic financial tracking.
• Military, ROTC, service-academy, or military-family background, or participation in programs such as the Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) Corporate Fellowship, Tillman, or Warrior-Scholar.
• Active or prior security clearance, or current eligibility.
• Interest in a long-term path within Mission Success Operations — this role is designed to develop toward independent process ownership (L2).

Pay

$70,000 - $88,000 base, commensurate with experience.

Schedule

Position is based onsite at our San Diego, CA headquarters. We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance may be included in the offer package where appropriate. Willingness and ability to travel 10-20% for events, trade shows, exercises, and NET coordination.