Operations Lead

About the company

Etc. etc, the Exploration Technology Corp, is a team of techno-optimists motivated by solving tough engineering problems, committed to creating sustainable change, and driven by curiosity to explore and understand both our natural world and the universe. For decades, tools and technologies developed for spaceflight, defense, and exploration have expanded our understanding of the universe and supported human advancement on Earth. We carry this legacy forward, developing cutting-edge exploration and defense missions for the US Department of Defense, NASA programs, and more.

About the role

As a hands-on operations lead, you will work across multiple disciplines, building advanced hardware for space exploration and defense while integrating closely with both technical and executive leadership. This startup role involves everything from low-level coordination to creative decision-making. Reporting directly to the COO, you will have authority over company processes and direction, ensuring the team runs smoothly as we grow.

Responsibilities

• Building
  • Ensure the physical and virtual workspace runs smoothly, including managing building organization, cleanliness, and IT/AV setups
  • Coordinate building maintenance and upgrades, including managing handymen, physical branding, plant care, and cleaners
  • Stock consumables such as snacks, drinks, and personal protective equipment
• Team
  • Foster communication between founders and encourage adoption of tools and processes across the team
  • Manage calendars, inboxes, and global travel for the C-suite, including coordinating and running recurring team meetings and events
  • Show up with energy and drive morale
• Legal/Finance
  • Manage and organize documents including NDAs, contract paperwork, new hires, and bills
  • Coordinate expense tracking to enable the COO to make strategic financial decisions
• Operations
  • Establish shipping and receiving processes
  • Manage government compliance (e.g., ensuring state and federal registrations are current)
  • Coordinate IT updates and changes

Requirements

• Education: High school diploma or bachelor's degree
• Experience: 2+ years of professional experience in operations, office management, or executive assistance, preferably in deep tech startups

Skills & Capabilities

• Thrive in Ambiguity: Build processes from scratch and operate without a playbook in a rapidly changing startup environment
• Cross-Functional Reach: Serve as the glue connecting different teams (engineering, product, marketing) to ensure smooth internal workflows
• High Impact: Your energy directly influences the productivity and morale of the entire company

Preferences

• Expeditionary mindset: curiosity and drive to ask big questions about the natural world and deploy systems to extreme environments
• Previous startup work experience

Pay

The pay range for this role is $55,000 – $90,000 USD per year (SF HQ).