Operations Manager
Hop Aero, California, MO, United States
About the role
We're hiring an Operations Manager to run the systems that keep Hop Aero moving. You'll be one of the first non-engineers at the company, and you'll own the operational backbone that the business runs on.
You'll own office management, handle HR and bookkeeping admin, coordinate VIP visits and events, and support procurement and shipping and receiving. You'll work directly with the founders, the accountant, vendors, and anyone who walks through our front door, including congressional staff, investors, and military customers.
You'll build processes from scratch, unblock engineers who need parts yesterday, host visitors from the DoD, and make sure onboarding, payroll, and facilities all just work. If you like bringing order to a fast environment and being the person everyone relies on, you'll do well here.
The right candidate will grow with the company, build the playbook, and earn the path into operations leadership as we scale.
What you’ll do
Own day‑to‑day operations of our HQ, from vendors to supplies to facilities
Own new hire onboarding end to end, from health insurance to internal tools and workspace
Administer our internal tool stack, including Rippling, Carta, Mercury, and others
Own the relationship with our external accountant on bookkeeping, payroll, and monthly close
Own compliance. Keep us in good standing at every level of government, from City to Federal
Coordinate site visits, congressional delegations, and other major events
Support procurement and vendor setup for non‑technical and light engineering purchases
Manage shipping, receiving, and delivery intake of mission‑critical flight hardware at our HQ
Own logistics across multiple states
Build the processes and systems that let the company scale with less chaos
Act as a cross‑functional problem solver who fills gaps before they slow the team down
Requirements
2–4 years of experience in operations, office management, HR admin, or similar
Strong organizational skills and the discipline to keep multiple parallel threads moving without dropping details
Confident managing vendor relationships and negotiating when it counts
Strong written communication, comfortable drafting vendor emails, internal updates, and visitor briefs
Trusted with the financials, the people data, and what happens in rooms most of the company doesn’t see
Comfortable moving at the pace of a company that goes from whiteboard sketch to flight hardware in a week
Builds processes from scratch rather than inherit them
Must be on‑site full‑time at our HQ in Orange, CA
Must be a US Person under ITAR – Hop Aero will not sponsor visas for this role.
Nice to have
Experience in aerospace, space, defense, or hardware startups
Exposure to government contracting environments and experience hosting government, military, or congressional visitors
Familiarity with Rippling, Carta, Mercury, QuickBooks, or similar startup tools
Notary public
What we offer
Competitive salary and meaningful stock options
Direct access to founders and early influence over how the company operates
A growth path into operations leadership
#J-18808-Ljbffr
We're hiring an Operations Manager to run the systems that keep Hop Aero moving. You'll be one of the first non-engineers at the company, and you'll own the operational backbone that the business runs on.
You'll own office management, handle HR and bookkeeping admin, coordinate VIP visits and events, and support procurement and shipping and receiving. You'll work directly with the founders, the accountant, vendors, and anyone who walks through our front door, including congressional staff, investors, and military customers.
You'll build processes from scratch, unblock engineers who need parts yesterday, host visitors from the DoD, and make sure onboarding, payroll, and facilities all just work. If you like bringing order to a fast environment and being the person everyone relies on, you'll do well here.
The right candidate will grow with the company, build the playbook, and earn the path into operations leadership as we scale.
What you’ll do
Own day‑to‑day operations of our HQ, from vendors to supplies to facilities
Own new hire onboarding end to end, from health insurance to internal tools and workspace
Administer our internal tool stack, including Rippling, Carta, Mercury, and others
Own the relationship with our external accountant on bookkeeping, payroll, and monthly close
Own compliance. Keep us in good standing at every level of government, from City to Federal
Coordinate site visits, congressional delegations, and other major events
Support procurement and vendor setup for non‑technical and light engineering purchases
Manage shipping, receiving, and delivery intake of mission‑critical flight hardware at our HQ
Own logistics across multiple states
Build the processes and systems that let the company scale with less chaos
Act as a cross‑functional problem solver who fills gaps before they slow the team down
Requirements
2–4 years of experience in operations, office management, HR admin, or similar
Strong organizational skills and the discipline to keep multiple parallel threads moving without dropping details
Confident managing vendor relationships and negotiating when it counts
Strong written communication, comfortable drafting vendor emails, internal updates, and visitor briefs
Trusted with the financials, the people data, and what happens in rooms most of the company doesn’t see
Comfortable moving at the pace of a company that goes from whiteboard sketch to flight hardware in a week
Builds processes from scratch rather than inherit them
Must be on‑site full‑time at our HQ in Orange, CA
Must be a US Person under ITAR – Hop Aero will not sponsor visas for this role.
Nice to have
Experience in aerospace, space, defense, or hardware startups
Exposure to government contracting environments and experience hosting government, military, or congressional visitors
Familiarity with Rippling, Carta, Mercury, QuickBooks, or similar startup tools
Notary public
What we offer
Competitive salary and meaningful stock options
Direct access to founders and early influence over how the company operates
A growth path into operations leadership
#J-18808-Ljbffr