Operations Manager

Operations Manager

Full-Time | Exempt | Remote-Friendly | Reports to CEO

Remote Position - but must be willing and able to work during Eastern Time US business hours

$75,000-$90,000 - Bonus eligible

ABOUT HR KICKSTART

HR Kickstart is a boutique HR consulting firm that partners with dynamic startups, creative businesses, and media companies to build thoughtful, scalable people practices. We specialize in providing fractional and project-based HR leadership—from foundational infrastructure to strategic advising—designed to meet the evolving needs of fast-growing organizations. Our approach is grounded in real-world experience, business pragmatism, and a deep respect for the culture and values of each client we serve. Whether we’re standing up core HR systems or helping leaders navigate team growth, performance, and compliance, HR Kickstart delivers HR solutions that are tailored, agile, and built to scale.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

We need an integrator. Someone who makes sure that every client engagement runs smoothly from signed contract through completed deliverables. Someone who runs the weekly operating rhythm, holds people accountable, tracks what's on time and what's behind, and is the person the co-founders trust to know where everything stands at any moment.

This role also includes executive support responsibilities in the near term (calendar management, travel coordination, scheduling). Think of it as the floor, not the ceiling. As you build the operational systems and prove out the role, the admin work shrinks and the strategic work expands.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Project & Engagement Management

• Own the full lifecycle of client engagements: contract signed, consultant matched and assigned, deliverables scoped, work completed, client satisfied
• Run a weekly operating cadence with leadership: what's on track, what's behind, what needs a decision
• Manage the sales-to-delivery handoff so deals close cleanly into active projects with nothing lost in the gap
• Track client health proactively. Know which clients are thriving and which are at risk before anyone has to tell you.
• Coordinate across consultants, leadership, and support staff to keep work moving forward

Accountability & Execution

• Hold consultants accountable for deadlines, deliverable quality, and client communication
• Follow up relentlessly. You are the person who checks in before things are due, not after they're late.
• Track action items from meetings and make sure they actually happen
• Flag bottlenecks and risks early. Bring solutions, not just updates.
• Build and maintain simple tracking systems for projects, deadlines, and responsibilities

Executive & Calendar Support (Near-Term)

• Manage the CEO's calendar: client meetings, prospect calls, travel, internal 1:1s, personal appointments
• Coordinate scheduling across time zones with zero errors
• Handle travel logistics (trains, flights, hotels, event registrations, workspace bookings)
• Own rescheduling cascades when one meeting shifts and everything downstream needs to move
• This responsibility will evolve as the company grows and additional support is added

Process & Systems

• Own and administer the company's core operational platforms — including time tracking, billing, CRM, and project management tools
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date account and client information across internal spreadsheets and systems
• Review, verify, and approve contractor invoices & expense submissions
• Reconcile time entries against client contracts and flag discrepancies
• Serve as the go-to person for platform access, configuration, and troubleshooting
• Generate operational reports (utilization, billing status, contractor hours) for leadership
• Identify repetitive work and find faster ways to do it
• Learn and adopt new platforms quickly as the company evolves.
• Find bottlenecks and immediately start figuring out how to fix them.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Must-Haves:

• 4+ years of experience in operations, project management, or client services. Ideally in professional services, consulting, staffing, or agency environments.
• You've managed cross-functional work before. Not just your own tasks, but coordinating across multiple people, teams, or workstreams.
• You've held people accountable and you were comfortable doing it. Not micromanaging. Driving results.
• You think in systems and see processes everywhere. When something gets done twice the same inefficient way, it bothers you. You then spend an hour automating the task rather than doing it manually ten times.
• You pay extreme attention to detail. You catch mistakes before they reach the client. You remember the follow-up everyone else forgot.
• You are genuinely curious about technology. You tinker with new technology, adopt new tools fast and are on the cutting edge of what is happening.
• You have strong written and verbal communication. You'll be the connective tissue between founders, consultants, and clients.
• You take true ownership. You treat the business like it's yours. You spot gaps and move to close them.
• You have sound judgement. You know the difference between decisions you should just make and decisions that need leadership's input, and when it's truly time-sensitive, you make the call you can stand behind and flag it right after.

Nice-to-Haves:

• Experience in an HR consulting, staffing, or professional services firm
• Familiarity with CRM systems and project management tools
• Experience working directly with company founders or senior leadership
• Background in a company that went through a growth phase (you've seen what breaks when things scale)
• Comfort with AI tools and automation in a professional setting

WHAT WE OFFER

• Direct partnership with the founders. Your work matters every single day.
• Growth that's tied to the company's growth. As we scale, this role becomes the center of the operation.
• Benefits such as Paid Time Off, Sick Time, Birthday Day off, paid company holidays, and subsidized health benefits

For expedited consideration, please email careers@hrkickstart.com using the following guidelines:

• Attach your resume as a pdf file
• Attach a brief letter of interest as a pdf file about why this role appeals to you
• Be sure your resume and letter of interest are attached to the email as two separate .pdf files please
• Name your resume .pdf file using this convention "firstname.lastname.resume"
• In the body of your email, indicate the timezone of your most frequent working location as this is a remote position

HR Kickstart is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse perspectives and are committed to building an inclusive team.