Operations Lead

About Valstad Valstad is building the machine that builds the ships. We combine industrial robotics, welding, sensing, and AI to turn 3D models into real high-mix ship structure. Our mission is to rapidly expand America's maritime output by 100x. Our team works directly with large industrial robots and real manufacturing equipment at our Austin facility. The systems we build will ultimately be deployed across shipyards and industrial facilities throughout the country. Operations Lead Austin, TX | Full-time | In-person Valstad is building robotic manufacturing systems to radically increase the speed and productivity of American shipbuilding. We’re a small team of engineers, roboticists, welders, and builders moving very quickly. As we grow, we need someone whose job is simple to describe but difficult to do exceptionally well: Make sure things happen. Parts need to show up when they’re supposed to. Suppliers need to call us back. Candidates need to move through the hiring process. Purchase orders need to get issued. W-9s need to materialize. Freight needs to arrive at the right building. Problems need owners. We’re hiring an Operations Lead to take ownership of all of it. This is not a strategy role, and it’s definitely not a job for someone who likes forwarding emails and waiting for responses. We want someone relentlessly resourceful, highly organized, comfortable picking up the phone, and mildly offended by the existence of unresolved problems. What you'll own Supply chain & purchasing • Source materials, components, equipment, and services • Request quotes and negotiate pricing, lead times, and terms • Issue and track purchase orders • Maintain visibility into everything we have on order and when it will arrive • Follow up relentlessly with suppliers before something becomes late • Expedite critical orders and find alternative suppliers when necessary • Coordinate freight, shipping, delivery, and receiving • Build strong relationships with the suppliers we depend on If a supplier says something will ship Friday, we want you to know by Wednesday whether that's actually true. Recruiting & people operations • Keep candidates moving through our hiring process • Coordinate interviews and candidate communications • Manage job postings and recruiting logistics • Help prepare offers and coordinate onboarding • Make sure new employees have everything they need on day one • Handle the operational odds and ends that inevitably come with a growing team Finance & administration • Collect W-9s and vendor documentation • Coordinate vendor setup, invoices, receipts, and payment information • Work with our bookkeeper and accounting providers • Keep Ramp, Gusto, Ashby, purchasing records, and other operating systems clean • Handle insurance certificates, service providers, registrations, and miscellaneous company paperwork You don't need to be an accountant. You do need to be someone who notices when something is missing and gets it fixed. Whatever else needs doing We're an early-stage industrial company. Some weeks you'll be negotiating a major equipment purchase. Other weeks you'll be figuring out why a pallet is sitting in a freight terminal in Waco. You'll encounter problems nobody has written a procedure for. Your job is to figure them out. Who we're looking for Experience matters, but temperament matters more. You are probably: • Exceptionally organized. You can keep 30 things moving simultaneously without relying on your brain to remember all 30. • Persistent. An unanswered email is the beginning of the follow-up process, not the end of it. • Comfortable on the phone. You'll call the supplier, freight company, candidate, insurance broker, or whoever else can actually solve the problem. • Resourceful. When Plan A fails, your first instinct is to find Plan B. • Low ego. You're equally willing to negotiate a six-figure purchase and chase down a missing W-9. • Commercially sharp. You don't blindly accept the first quote, lead time, or explanation you're given. • Detail-oriented without becoming bureaucratic. You build systems that help us move faster, not systems that become the work. • Comfortable with ambiguity. You don't need a detailed SOP before taking ownership of something. • A closer. You like turning open loops into closed loops. Backgrounds that could be a great fit We expect this person to have roughly 3-7 years of relevant experience, but we're flexible for someone exceptional. You might currently work in: • Operations at a hardware or industrial startup • Purchasing or procurement • Manufacturing or fabrication • Industrial automation or systems integration • Aerospace or defense • Construction or industrial contracting • Project management or project coordination • Supply chain or logistics • Business operations at a fast-growing company Experience around physical things is particularly valuable. Knowing the difference between an RFQ and a PO, understanding that an eight-week lead time can wreck a build schedule, and having some intuition for freight and manufacturing will make you much more effective here. Why Valstad American shipbuilding has an enormous productivity problem. We're attacking it with robotics, software, and a fundamentally different approach to manufacturing. We're still early, which means this role has unusually broad scope and unusually visible impact. You'll work directly with the founders and engineering team, help build the operating infrastructure of the company, and have substantial autonomy over how things get done.