Operations Manager

Big Human · Hudson Valley/Remote (US) · $80,000–$100,000

Big Human is a digital product studio that designs and builds software for ambitious companies. We've shipped work for clients ranging from early-stage startups to global brands, and we've been doing it from New York for over a decade. We're a small, senior team - around 30 full-time humans - that takes craft, autonomy, and each other seriously.

We're hiring an Operations Manager to work across operations, people ops, finance support, and IT. You'll report to our incoming Director of Operations and work closely with our Managing Partner.

About this role

This is a role for someone who can use AI fluently to do meaningful operational work without significant overhead.

A few years ago, this job would have been mostly execution: inbox triage, deck assembly, vendor research, contract first-passes, survey summaries, reimbursement review, candidate screening, and scheduling. AI now handles a real share of that. We're not pretending those tasks disappeared. We're saying the right person can supervise a system that does them, instead of doing them by hand. You need to be AI forward.

What's left, and what we actually need you for, is the judgment, the relationships, and the in-person execution that can't be automated. Reviewing an AI-drafted contract before it goes to the Director of Operations or legal. Being in the room for a sensitive conversation the Director of Operations is leading. Building real trust with our Apple rep, our insurance broker, and our gift vendors. Noticing that a teammate has been quiet for three weeks and flagging it. Editing an AI draft until it sounds like us, not like AI.

If you love spreadsheets and process and also love people and conversation — and you're already using AI tools daily, not curious about them — you're who we're looking for.

What you'll do

Keep studio operations running. Plan our quarterly Director offsites, the annual retreat, the holiday party, monthly Gatherings, coworking days, speaker series, and one-off team events. Manage vendor relationships and renewals. Keep the mailbox, storage units, and shared platforms in order. The Director of Operations owns the operations function; you keep it humming day-to-day.

Execute people operations. Run onboarding and offboarding end-to-end. Help operate our review cycle, sentiment surveys, and professional development program. Maintain our handbook and compliance trainings. Coordinate health insurance renewals and benefits administration. Support the Director of Operations on HR matters and be in the room alongside her for sensitive conversations when she needs you.

Support the Managing Partner. Manage the Managing Partner's calendar, travel, and inbox. Draft communications in his voice (leaning heavily on AI). Prepare him for client meetings, skip levels, and Director conversations. Track the studio's special projects and surface what needs his attention each week.

Backstop finance and IT. Work with our external finance team on perk reimbursements, monthly close support, and 401 (k) administration. Coordinate with our IT vendor (Techvera) on laptop provisioning, the annual lease cycle, and repair. Run first-pass contract and NDA review against our standard templates before handing to the Director of Operations.

Operate the AI layer. Build, supervise, and improve the AI workflows that run underneath all of the above. Know when to trust the output and when to override it. Be the person who notices when automation is drifting and fixes it.

You're a strong fit if

You have 5+ years in operations, people ops, executive support, or a Chief of Staff role - ideally at a studio, agency, or small professional services firm.
You're already fluent with AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, agent workflows, custom GPTs, Zapier or n8n, etc.) and use them daily. Not curious - fluent.
You have strong editorial judgment. You can take an AI draft and make it sound human, on-brand, and right for the moment.
You're comfortable being in the room for sensitive conversations — performance issues, terminations, leave discussions - even when you're not the one leading them.
You're organized to a fault and can hold a lot of moving pieces in your head without dropping any.
You're a clear writer. Most of this job is communication.
You're comfortable with finance basics - reading a P&L, spotting an anomaly in a card statement, and understanding how a 401k match works.
You take direction well, push back thoughtfully when you disagree, and don't need to be the most senior person in the room.
You're based somewhere you can get to Hudson, Rhinebeck, or Kingston, NY for occasional in-person meetings, and NYC frequently for coworking days and events.

Bonus points

You've built or supervised AI agent workflows in a production setting.
You've helped run a company retreat, holiday party, or multi-day offsite before.
You've worked under a PEO (we use Justworks).
You have light bookkeeping or accounting exposure.

Who this isn't for

Anyone who wants to be a pure executor and not think about systems.
Anyone who's wary of AI or thinks it's a fad.
Anyone who needs a narrowly scoped job description with clear lanes.
Anyone who needs to be the most senior operator in the room.

Where and how you'll work

Remote but located in the Hudson Valley. Occasional in-person meetings in or around Hudson, NY or Kingston, NY (where the Managing Partner is based).
Frequent trips to NYC for coworking days, events, vendor meetings, and the annual holiday party. Big Human covers travel costs.
Standard hours are 10 to 6 with flexible scheduling and unlimited appointments. Some weeks have a clear cadence (Gathering on the first Thursday of the month, Directors' Meet on Wednesdays); most of the rest is yours and the Director of Operations's to shape.

Compensation and benefits

$80,000–$100,000 base, depending on experience.
Medical with employer contribution up to $950/month toward your premium; dental and vision fully covered.
401(k) with up to 3% employer match.
Family Expansion Benefit - $1,000/year per year of tenure (capped at $5,000) for fertility, surrogacy, and related medical expenses.
Perks that accrue monthly: office improvement ($960/year), coworking stipend ($960/year), shared experience stipend with colleagues ($960/year), $1,500/year education credit, $400/year donation match, $75/month internet credit.
Headspace membership, Talkspace (12 free therapy sessions and unlimited messaging per year), Kindbody (20% off), Teledoc, and Health Advocate through Justworks.
Generous time off: 14 paid holidays plus the week between Christmas and New Year's off for everyone. Standard PTO on top.
Parental leave: 10-16 weeks, depending on tenure, with a full salary top-up over state benefits.

How to apply

Email jobs@bighuman.comwith your resume and a short note (a few sentences is fine) telling us how you currently use AI in your work, and what about this role appeals to you.

Every submission gets our full attention. If we'd like to move forward with you, you'll hear from us. We do our best to reach a decision within 4–6 weeks of posting.

Big Human is an equal opportunity employer. We don't discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

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Operations Manager