Operations Lead

Forge Atomics Humanity faces two critical challenges: securing reliable energy and aggressively lowering our environmental impact. At Forge, we believe nuclear fission is the key to solving both at once. Today Forge is developing the technology to rapidly scale the deployment of nuclear fission. Operations Lead The Operations Lead is responsible for running the day-to-day business operations of the company so that an organization of engineers can stay focused on building our first nuclear reactor – Ember. The role spans people operations, office and facility operations, and general business administration: everything from running the hiring pipeline and onboarding new employees to standing up our office's front-of-house and keeping payroll, benefits, insurance, and compliance running through outside providers. This is a true generalist seat — the same day can swing from high-trust, high-judgment work to stocking shelves and chasing paperwork, and the right candidate takes real pride in doing whatever the company needs done, at whatever altitude. Successful candidates will be competent, trustworthy, and resourceful self-starters, and will be highly motivated to power humanity with abundant, clean energy. Responsibilities Office Management: Own day-to-day office operations: manage supplies, keep the kitchen stocked with food, snacks, and drinks, and continuously improve the office space. HR Administration: Write and maintain the employee handbook and keep the company's HR policies compliant with state and federal requirements. Run background checks on candidates, and manage onboarding and offboarding. Bookkeeping: Administer the accounts payable system and hold the team to consistent, timely expense tracking. Event Management: Organize occasional company events, such as milestone celebrations and talent-attraction gatherings. Recruiting Coordination: Coordinate candidate onsite interviews, ensuring an excellent candidate experience from first contact to final decision. Generalist Duties: Take on new and changing responsibilities as the company's operational needs evolve with scale. Basic Qualifications 2+ years of professional experience in operations, people operations, program coordination, or another role with broad and shifting responsibilities Preferred Skills and Experience Clear communicator, in writing and in person; you keep the people around you informed without being asked, and you represent the company well to candidates, vendors, and visitors Professionalism and discretion, especially when handling sensitive matters such as compensation, candidate, and personnel information Exceptionally organized; you keep many unrelated threads moving at once without dropping any, and you leave a paper trail others can pick up and run with Independent; you own outcomes end to end with minimal direction, and you have good judgment about what to decide yourself and what to escalate Comfort adopting new software and AI tools quickly and building lightweight automation around repetitive work Experience building processes from scratch rather than inheriting them, such as an early operations role at a startup or a new site Additional Requirements Position will be based in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County and will require relocation if not already local. The position will be full-time in the office. Ability to work occasional extended hours and weekends Ability to travel domestically as necessary Compensation and Benefits Pay range: Operations Lead: $90,000.00 - $130,000.00/per year Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Forge. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or stock options, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, paid vacation, paid parental leave, and various other perks. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law. Forge is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Forge is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. This position involves access to technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. Any job offer made will be contingent upon the applicant's capacity to serve in compliance with U.S. export controls.