Manager of Strategic Operations

Who You Are

You’re a proactive, highly accountable operator who knows how to turn a CEO’s vision into action. You naturally connect the dots across teams and initiatives, anticipate what needs to happen next, and take ownership without waiting to be told where to look. You’re comfortable owning complex, cross-functional initiatives and special projects from start to finish, bringing structure to ambiguity, driving alignment, and keeping work moving without requiring the CEO to be involved in day-to-day coordination. You know how to balance strong judgment with decisive execution. You surface thoughtful recommendations, challenge assumptions when appropriate, and help sharpen the path forward. Once a direction is set, you execute with conviction and keep the organization moving. You understand that final decisions sit with the CEO, and your role is to make those decisions easier to reach and easier to execute.

What You’ll Do

Corporate Initiatives & Special Projects

• Own and drive cross-functional initiatives from start to finish - scoping, planning, and execution across departments.
• Proactively identify operational gaps and opportunities and bring forward recommendations for review.
• Manage multiple concurrent priorities and maintain progress without ongoing direction.
• Act as the accountable owner for initiatives that don't sit within a single department.
• Analyze company and customer data to surface insights that inform executive decision-making.
• Develop, implement, and maintain SOPs across the organization.
• Lead initiatives spanning culture, finance, operations, technology, communications, industry research, data insights, and retail expansion.

Cross-Functional Alignment & Accountability

• Build strong working relationships with the Founder, CEO, Directors, and fractional leaders to maintain alignment and trust.
• Coordinate across departments to manage dependencies and keep initiatives moving without routing through the CEO.
• Hold stakeholders accountable for commitments and deadlines, addressing slippage directly and constructively.
• Anticipate blockers, risks, and misalignments before they affect timelines or outcomes.

CEO Effectiveness & Decision Support

• Prepare briefing materials and recommendations to support executive decision-making.
• Coordinate executive priorities, scheduling, and follow-through on key initiatives.
• Track decisions and action items and monitor progress through completion.
• Assess, prioritize, and escalate matters requiring executive attention.

Operating Cadence & Infrastructure

• Coordinate leadership team meetings - agendas, materials, notes, and follow-up actions.
• Own the annual operating calendar.
• Maintain and communicate the status of key organizational initiatives and priorities.
• Support recurring planning, review, and accountability meetings across the organization.
• Identify organizational trends, risks, and opportunities and communicate them to leadership.
• Support the CEO with hiring and onboarding, and on operational initiatives such as deck creation, research, and quarterly and annual strategy sessions.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology and AI to streamline company operations.

What We’re Looking For

• 5–8+ years of experience in operations, management consulting, corporate strategy, or project leadership, ideally within retail, jewelry, or luxury.
• A strong cross-functional operator who can align diverse stakeholders, manage competing priorities, and keep initiatives moving.
• Exceptional communication skills with the judgment to know when to lead independently and when to involve senior leadership.
• A strategic thinker who can translate ideas into clear plans, timelines, and action.
• Experience in a Chief of Staff, Head of Operations, consulting, or similarly high-ownership role is a plus.
• Comfortable in a founder-led or owner-operated environment where you’re expected to move with urgency and operate without a large support structure.
• Working knowledge of HR and finance, with the ability to coordinate effectively across both functions.

Sarah O. is an equal opportunity employer, passionately committed to equitable hiring and boldly dedicated to diversity in our work and teams. We do not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions), age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, uniformed service member status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, you might be the right candidate for this or other roles.