Sr Business Operations Specialist

Who We Are:

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominant transportation mode - horse drawn chariots, ocean going boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world.  We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re-entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth. 

Key Responsibilities:

You’ll own the end-to-end health of our “back office” so engineers and operators can focus on building and launching hardware. Reporting to the COO, you’ll be the single point of accountability for:

• Equity & Compensation
• Administer employee stock-option grants, option exercises, cap-table updates, and 409A valuations in partnership with outside counsel and our equity platform.
• Partner with HR to support company-wide compensation reviews.
• Vendor & Contract Management
• Source, negotiate, and maintain contracts for everything from tooling suppliers to SaaS and insurance.
• Build a streamlined purchase-order and approvals workflow that scales with headcount.
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Own all federal, state, and local business licenses, ITAR/EAR registrations, and statutory filings (e.g., Delaware franchise tax, California Statement of Information).
• Track renewal calendars, prepare documentation, and coordinate with external legal partners to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
• People Ops & Culture
• Serve as HR-operations lead—own onboarding/off-boarding checklists, immigration paperwork, PTO policy administration, and employee-handbook updates.
• Champion process improvements that protect our culture while increasing efficiency (think: Slack etiquette, meeting hygiene, knowledge-base structure).
• General Administration
• Manage office leases, EHS compliance, travel logistics, and day-to-day facilities needs (we have 30 k sq ft split between HQ and a test site).
• Create dashboards and SOPs so leadership has real-time visibility into operational KPIs.

Required Qualifications:

• Typically 5-10 years of applicable experience.
• Proven track record of managing cross-functional projects from initiation to completion. 
• Experience driving organizational change and implementing new systems or processes. 
• Proficient in analyzing and interpreting complex data to drive actionable insights. 
• Familiarity with budgeting, forecasting, and financial modeling. 
• Ability to troubleshoot complex operational challenges and design practical solutions. 
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where priorities can shift quickly. 
• This position is onsite full-time in our Playa Vista, CA Headquarters. 

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in a startup or high-growth company is strongly preferred. 
• Previous aerospace industry experience.  

_{The California annual base salary for this role is currently $120,000-$150,000 Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.}