Business Operations Associate

Manifest; United States; Remote; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote

Health insurance (medical, dental, and

Vision coverage

Job summary

Manifest is seeking a resourceful Business Operations Associate to own projects across people operations, recruiting, vendors, systems, and company operations. You’ll serve as connective tissue across teams, driving high-impact initiatives and turning ideas into action.

The role demands a generalist with a strong execution bar, the ability to navigate ambiguity, and a willingness to take on unfamiliar tasks.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in a complex, fast-moving environment such as operations, implementation, chief of staff, consulting, or corporate roles.
• Strong execution skills with the ability to plan, deliver, and follow through without step-by-step management.
• A proactive approach to identify what needs to happen and take initiative.
• Sound judgment on priorities and tradeoffs, including handling confidential information.
• High-quality deliverables and clear written and verbal communication with leaders and stakeholders.
• An AI-native, analytical mindset with experience using AI to automate dashboards and processes.
• Comfort with systems and data, plus curiosity to learn new tools quickly.
• Ability to work through ambiguity and shifting priorities with a collaborative, hands-on attitude.

Responsibilities

• Gather and analyze operational data to surface insights for leadership decisions.
• Drive special projects across Finance, Legal, IT and other partners with defined timelines and deliverables.
• Own onboarding and offboarding, and be the first point for employee questions on benefits, policies, and tools.
• Run compliance processes, including data collection, trainings, insurance, audits, and renewals.
• Own vendors and tools, manage invoices and contracts, and implement integrations.
• Lead offsites and events, handle logistics, and keep trackers up to date.
• Provide executive support including scheduling, travel, and meeting logistics.
• Support operating rhythms like planning cycles, budgeting, headcount, and leadership materials.

Skills

Execution

Project planning

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

AI / automation awareness

People operations knowledge

Tools

Rippling

QuickBooks

HubSpot

Claude (AI platform)

Job description

Manifest is on a mission to secure the global software and AI supply chain. Our platform automates the discovery and analysis of risks across internally built and third-party software and AI systems, giving security, product, and engineering teams complete visibility into the components and dependencies that make up their technology stack. From product security and AI risk to supplier risk and compliance, we help teams trust the software and AI they build and buy.

Founded by alumni from the Department of Defense, CISA, and Palantir, Manifest is backed by leading investors including Ensemble VC, First Round Capital, Homebrew, BoxGroup, XYZ Venture Capital, AE Ventures, Leap435, and Overmatch VC. The company partners with the US Air Force, DHS, Global 2000 companies, and critical infrastructure organizations across defense, automotive, and financial services to bring transparency, resilience, and trust to modern digital systems.

About the Role

We're looking for a resourceful, highly organized Business Operations Associate who can turn ideas into action. You'll own projects across people operations, recruiting, vendors, systems, and company operations that keep the business moving forward. You’ll serve as connective tissue across the organization, partnering with teams to drive high-impact initiatives.

The right person is a generalist with a high bar for execution: someone who learns quickly, brings structure to ambiguous problems, follows through on the details, and is comfortable taking on things they haven’t done before.

This is a unique opportunity to gain broad, cross-functional exposure at a category-defining startup, where your work directly shapes the company’s ability to scale. You’ll see firsthand how a startup operates, from People and Finance to go-to-market, product, company planning, and leadership decisions. The role is built to grow with you: as you build context and earn trust, you’ll take on bigger, higher-impact work, including broader business and finance operations. It’s a strong fit for someone who wants to learn how to run a company from the inside and grow into a startup leader. You'll report to the Head of Operations, who sets the goals and the end result. You turn those into a plan, coordinate the right people, and see it through, flagging issues early and bringing decisions forward with a well‑evidenced recommendation attached. Over time, you'll become the go‑to expert on how the company runs and build relationships across every team, so you can move quickly and cross‑functionally.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Business operations and planning

• Gather and analyze operational data to surface insights that support leadership decisions
• Drive special projects, managing timelines, stakeholders, and deliverables across Finance, Legal, IT, and other partners
• Own onboarding and offboarding, and be the first stop for employee questions on benefits, policies, and tools
• Run compliance processes, including employee data collection, required trainings, insurance, and audit documentation, and track recurring deadlines like state filings and renewals so nothing slips
• Own vendors and tools: hold partners accountable, manage invoices, renewals, and contracts, and implement integrations that replace manual work
• Lead offsites and events coordination end to end, and handle hands‑on logistics like shipping equipment, swag, and gifts
• Keep documentation, trackers, and checklists clear, current, and scalable
• Provide executive support to the leadership team, including scheduling, travel, and meeting logistics
• Support the company’s operating rhythm, including planning cycles, budget tracking, headcount, and reporting, and help prepare materials for leadership reviews, board meetings, and fundraising

Process and systems

• Build internal processes where none exist, then automate them with AI and the right tools
• Build dashboards and integrate and consolidate tools so the team works from clean, connected sources of truth
• Build alignment across teams and turn decisions into working processes and make sure the team follows them
• Bring clear, well‑supported recommendations forward and present them persuasively to leadership
• Spot growing pains before they become problems, and fix them proactively behind the scenes
• Take ownership of new priorities and close gaps across the business as they emerge

Finance operations

• Own accounts payable, receivable, and reconciliations so the books stay accurate and timely
• Maintain trusted sources of truth for operational and financial data

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in a complex, fast‑moving environment with little day‑to‑day direction. Operations, implementation, chief of staff, consulting, or corporate roles all count, and we'd love to hear from people moving from corporate into tech.
• Strong execution skills. You're organized, dependable, and detail‑oriented, and you can take a goal, build the plan, and see it through without step‑by‑step management.
• A proactive approach. You spot what needs to happen and take initiative.
• Sound judgment about priorities, tradeoffs, and when to ask for help, including with confidential employee and company information.
• High‑quality deliverables and clear written and verbal communication with leaders, vendors, and candidates.
• An AI‑native, critical approach, with proven experience using AI and automation to build dashboards, consolidate tools, and design systems that improve how a company operates. You pressure‑test AI output and apply your own judgment, so you can defend every recommendation yourself.
• Comfort with systems and data, plus the curiosity to learn new tools and unfamiliar topics quickly.
• Comfort working through ambiguity and shifting priorities.
• A collaborative, low‑ego attitude and a willingness to do hands‑on work.

Nice to have

• Hands‑on experience with tools like Rippling, QuickBooks, HubSpot, and AI platforms such as Claude
• Exposure to accounts payable and receivable or other finance operations
• Experience with offsite or event planning
• A project management or process improvement certification, such as PMP or Lean Six Sigma

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is $ 80,000 - $110,000, plus equity. Final compensation is commensurate with experience.

• Fully remote
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance — 100% covered for you and your dependents
• 401(k) and retirement options

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

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For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Manifest’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

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