Director of Operations- Build Program

Ultranative; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Daily farm-to-table lunch

Unlimited PTO

$2,000 annual wellness stipend

State-of-the-art office on South Congress

Job summary

A dynamic health-tech company in Austin, TX, is seeking a Director of Operations to lead the Build Program. This role encompasses strategic execution, systems automation, and community building, with a focus on delivering operational excellence and significant impact in health and sustainability. The ideal candidate has 4-8 years of relevant experience, exceptional communication skills, and a knack for thriving in chaotic environments. This position requires in-person collaboration 4–5 days a week and offers competition-focused perks such as wellness stipends and unlimited PTO.

Qualifications

• Experience in top-tier startups or VC/PE firms.
• Proven ability to build processes and manage chaos.
• Exceptional communication skills with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Deliver predictable execution velocity in incubation portfolio.
• Drive timelines and milestones for launches and growth.
• Design AI-powered workflows across multiple platforms.
• Anticipate and mitigate roadblocks to maintain a 95%+ milestone hit rate.
• Design and implement AI-powered workflows across tools and platforms.
• Own internal operating cadence, OKRs, and resource allocation across shared services.
• Lead high-leverage special projects spanning the platform.
• Build relationships with corporate partners, foundations, and government agencies.
• Own demo days, investor weeks, and brand activations from concept to execution.
• Grow Ultranative’s audience of founders, scientists, operators, and creators.

Skills

Extreme Ownership

Operational Excellence

Partner Pipeline

AI Automation Fluency

Social Capital Stewardship

Neutral Ego

Exceptional Communicator

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

4-8 years of operating or investing experience

Tools

Google Workspace

Notion

Airtable

Slack

Google Workspace

Airtable

Slack

Job description

Overview

Ultranative is seeking a Top-1% operator – the kind who\'s built and scaled in chaos and turns ambiguity into advantage – to serve as Director of Operations for Ultranative’s Build Program. The Build Program is the engine that ideates, incubates, and launches high-impact companies in health, food & agriculture, sustainability, mental health, and transformative technology. Backed by a network of world-class partners and investors, we\'re not just building companies – we\'re reshaping health and sustainability at scale.

As Director of Operations, you’ll own mission-critical projects end-to-end and work hand-in-hand with our CEO and founding team. If you’re ready to move at warp speed to build businesses that meaningfully improve human and planetary health, read on.

Role Scorecard

The Mission: Deliver predictable execution velocity across Ultranative’s incubation portfolio by owning timelines, ops infrastructure, AI-enabled workflows, partner pipelines, and ecosystem activations.

Core Competencies (Must-Have, Not “Nice”-to-Have):

• Extreme Ownership. Doesn’t forward problems; closes loops; anticipates next three steps.
• Operational Excellence. Schedules, clears blockers, and enforces deadlines with tact and firmness.
• Partner Pipeline. CRM, contract management and development, stakeholder engagement.
• AI Automation Fluency. Builds automation stack, documents it, trains team, and tracks savings.
• Social Capital Stewardship. Handles partners, investors, and philanthropists without posture or ego.
• Neutral Ego. Executes without title ambition; durable in the operator role.

What You'll Do

Strategic Execution & Operations

• Work with the CEO and founding team to deliver on-time launches and 20-30% efficiency gains through optimized processes
• Drive timelines, milestones, and cross-functional coordination to hit aggressive launch and growth targets
• Partner with the CEO to shape vision, strategy, fundraising materials, and governance for new ventures
• Anticipate and mitigate roadblocks, ensuring 95%+ milestone hit rate

Systems, Automation & Special Projects

• Design and implement AI-powered workflows (Lindy.AI, Zapier, Claude, etc.) across Google Workspace, Notion, Airtable, Slack, and CRM tools
• Own internal operating cadence, OKRs, and resource allocation across shared services (marketing, finance, legal, ops)
• Lead high-leverage special projects that span the entire platform

Community & Ecosystem Building

• Build relationships with corporate partners, foundations, government agencies, pilots, and distribution channels
• Own demo days, investor weeks, vertical summits, dinners, and brand activations from concept to execution
• Grow Ultranative’s audience of founders, scientists, operators, and creators through events and content

Market Intelligence & Opportunity Validation

• Run rapid, high-signal opportunity scans and customer validation in our core verticals
• Produce competitive landscapes, moat analyses, regulatory/tailwind mapping, and quarterly sector briefs
• Support the structuring and legal formation of new companies

Who You Are

• 4–8 years of operating or investing experience at top-tier startups, VC/PE firms, consulting (McKinsey, Bain, BCG), or investment banking
• Proven operator in 0→1 and 1→10 environments — you\'ve built processes, hit deadlines, and shipped in chaos
• Hands-on builder of AI-automated systems (e.g., integrated Claude for decision support)
• Exceptional written and verbal communicator — comfortable engaging founders, investors, and philanthropists
• Extreme ownership + bias to action; you default to getting it done yourself if needed
• Obsessed with impact— you\'ve volunteered or invested in health/sustainability causes
• Based in (or willing to relocate to) Austin, TX, and excited about in-person collaboration 4–5 days/week

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience in health & wellness tech, CPG, digital marketing, food/ag, or mental health
• Previously a founder, early employee (#1–20), or worked inside a top accelerator/incubator
• Equity
• $2,000 annual wellness stipend
• Daily farm-to-table lunch
• Unlimited PTO
• State-of-the-art office on South Congress with an exceptional community of founders and investors
• Direct exposure to Ultranative’s network of world-class operators, scientists, and capital partners

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit an application through the link below: https://airtable.com/app6qWe6Kjju3zesA/pagFyNR09XvCdRBU9/form

Questions? Email [e-mail]