Director of Operations & Marketing

Openside Studios, LLC; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Openside Studios, LLC, a self-funded bootstrapped software company, seeks a Director of Operations & Marketing to act as the CEO’s right hand. You’ll own operations, marketing, community, and content, helping push the company forward while coordinating cross-functional work.

The role blends strategy and hands-on execution, with hybrid work based in Utah and periodic in-person meetings. If you thrive organizing ambiguity and driving outcomes with a marketing background, this could be the right

Qualifications

• Marketing background with proven results across content, community, brand, newsletters, or social channels.
• Ability to organize in ambiguity and drive actions without reminders.
• Love for lists, finishing tasks, and keeping multiple initiatives in head without dropping the ball.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to represent the company publicly.
• Experience working with engineers, designers, or technical founders.
• Autonomous operator who sets cadence with minimal oversight.
• Familiar with AI tools and automating repetitive work to improve efficiency.
• In-state Utah residency or relocation plans for occasional in-person meetings.

Responsibilities

• Be the CEO’s Right Hand: push the company forward daily, unblock the team, maintain momentum.
• Run Operations: coordinate priorities, deadlines, and execution across the team.
• Oversee Product Development: ensure roadmap moves forward without coding.
• Lead Marketing: own brand voice, promotion, content, and social distribution.
• Build & Grow Community: own community efforts, starting with Airtable community.
• Run Our Podcasts: manage production cadence and guest pipeline.
• Send Newsletters: own calendar and content, grow subscriber list.
• Project Management: organize cross-functional initiatives and track progress.
• Promote the Company: be a public face in the software/no-code space.

Skills

Marketing background

Takes charge

Highly task-oriented

Strong communicator

Comfortable with software people

Self-starter

AI-fluent & automation-minded

Utah-based

Job description

Be the right hand to a bootstrapped CEO at a 3-person, profitable software company. Drive operations end-to-end, lead marketing and community, and run our podcasts and newsletters. A do-everything role for someone who takes charge and pushes things forward.

About the Role

This is a right-hand-to-the-CEO role at a self-funded, bootstrapped software company. We’re three people today, profitable, and growing - and we need an operator who can take ownership of nearly everything that isn’t writing code or designing the product.

The CEO has another high-priority commitment that takes a significant amount of his time, which is exactly why this role exists. We’re looking for someone who can be the primary driver pushing the company forward day to day - across operations, marketing, community, and content.

You’ll oversee product development cadence, run our community efforts, manage our podcasts and newsletters, and generally make sure things are moving in the right direction. The closest title in the wild is probably Chief of Staff or COO, but at our size and stage we’re calling it Director of Operations & Marketing because that’s what the work actually looks like.

This is a hybrid role based in Utah - mostly remote, with occasional in-person meetings. You’ll need to live in Utah.

We’re looking for someone with a marketing background who is highly task-oriented, takes charge naturally, and has experience working with software people. If you’ve ever been the person at a small company who quietly held everything together while the founders focused on the product — and you loved it — this role is for you.

What You’ll Do

• Be the CEO’s Right Hand: Push the company forward day to day. Make decisions, unblock the team, and keep momentum going across every front
• Run Operations: Coordinate priorities, deadlines, and execution across the team. Make sure things ship and nothing slips through the cracks
• Oversee Product Development: Work alongside our engineer and designer to keep the product roadmap moving - you won’t be writing code, but you’ll be making sure the right things get built on the right timeline
• Lead Marketing: Own how we show up to the world - brand voice, promotion, content, social. Drive the strategy and the execution
• Build & Grow Community: Take ownership of our community efforts, starting with our existing Airtable community. Spotlight members, create connections, and grow our presence in spaces that matter
• Run Our Podcasts: Own production cadence, guest pipeline, and how the show shows up in the world
• Send Newsletters: Own the calendar, write or commission the content, and grow the list
• Project Management: Keep cross-functional initiatives organized and on-track
• Promote the Company: Be a public face for Openside in our community and the broader software/no-code space

Required Skills & Experience

• Marketing Background: You’ve owned marketing functions before - content, community, brand, newsletters, social, or some combination - and you can point to results
• Takes Charge: You walk into ambiguity and start organizing. People consistently describe you as someone who gets things done without being asked twice
• Highly Task-Oriented: You love a list, you love finishing things, and you can hold a lot in your head at once without dropping the ball
• Strong Communicator: Excellent written and verbal skills - you can write a great newsletter, run a great meeting, and represent the company publicly
• Comfortable with Software People: You’ve worked with engineers, designers, or technical founders before and know how to be effective in that environment
• Self-Starter: You thrive with autonomy and don’t need heavy oversight - you set the cadence
• AI-Fluent & Automation-Minded: You’re already using AI tools in your day-to-day and actively look for ways to automate repetitive work. We’re a small team that punches above its weight precisely because we automate everything we can - this needs to be how you naturally think
• Utah-Based: You currently live in Utah (or are planning to relocate) and are available for occasional in-person meetings

Big Pluses

• Community-Building Experience: You’ve grown an online community before, whether for a company, a personal project, or as a community manager
• Project Management Experience: Formal or informal - what matters is you’ve coordinated multiple workstreams and stakeholders
• Software / SaaS Background: You’ve worked at a software company before and understand how product, engineering, and go-to-market fit together
• Podcast or Newsletter Production: You’ve owned a podcast, newsletter, or content channel and grown an audience
• No-Code / Low-Code Familiarity: We have an active Airtable community, so familiarity with the no-code space is a bonus

What This Role Is Not

• Not a single-function role: If you want to be just a marketer, just an ops person, or just a community manager, this isn’t a fit
• Not a chief-level title (yet): We’re a 3-person company. The scope is real, but we’re calling the role what it is today
• Not a structured corporate environment: There’s no playbook handed to you - you’re helping write it

About Openside

We're a self-funded, bootstrapped company - and we intend to stay that way. No outside investors, no venture capital, no pressure to grow at all costs or race toward an exit.

Our Philosophy

We believe a small, talented team leveraging modern AI tools can outperform much larger organizations. We're not trying to build a 100-person company. We value efficiency, focus, and doing meaningful work without the overhead of corporate bureaucracy.

AI isn't a buzzword here - it's how we work. We use AI extensively throughout our development, design, and operations to multiply our effectiveness. If you're excited about what AI makes possible, you'll fit right in.

You’ll work directly with a technical founder who is deeply involved in product development. No layers of management, no approval committees - just direct collaboration with someone who understands the code and cares deeply about quality.

Profitability Over Growth Metrics

We build sustainable products that pay for themselves. Customer satisfaction and product quality matter more than vanity metrics.

Who Thrives Here

• Self-motivated individuals who don't need constant oversight or a big team environment
• Builders who get energy from shipping features that customers actually use and appreciate
• Quality-focused people who care about doing things right, not just doing things fast
• AI enthusiasts who are excited about leveraging modern tools to do more with less
• Long-term thinkers who want to build something sustainable and meaningful

This Isn't For Everyone

If you're looking for a rocket-ship startup with massive funding rounds, or you thrive in large team environments with all the perks and social aspects that come with bigger companies - that's great, but it's not what we offer.

We're a small, focused team that values autonomy, quality, and real impact over titles, team size, or growth-at-all-costs mentality.

Remote & Flexible

I work from home and believe in the power of remote work. Trust and results matter more than seat time.

Why I Prefer Small Teams

I genuinely enjoy working with just a small group of talented people. We don't need all the perks that bigger companies offer - no fancy offices, no elaborate management structures, no bureaucracy. What we do have is:

• Direct collaboration - you work directly with me, not through layers of management
• Meaningful work - every contribution matters and ships to real users
• Mutual respect - we treat each other as professionals and partners
• Long-term thinking - I'm building something sustainable, not chasing a quick exit

If you're someone who values quality over quantity, impact over titles, and building something meaningful - I'd love to meet you.

Family First

I'm a husband and father of four. My family comes first, and I respect that yours does too. Work should support life, not consume it.

Living in Utah, I take full advantage of the mountains and outdoor opportunities. I love all sports and staying active - it keeps me sharp and energized.

Community & Service

I'm a man of faith and dedicate significant time to serving my local church and neighbors. Giving back matters.