Director, Mission Operations

Location San Francisco Employment Type Full time Location Type On-site Department Mission & Growth Compensation $140K – $205K Offers Equity Who We Are: Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones. We're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system. Our namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate — small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable. In addition to our San Francisco lab, we’ve opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range. The Role and Your Impact: We need an operationally credible military training and field support leader who can build plans of instruction, train end users, support demos and deployments, capture operator feedback, and translate real-world operational needs into action for engineering, product, and growth. This is a foundational MOPs role. You will be the company's primary bridge between the warfighter and the build team. The fielding of Archimedes will rise or fall on how well this loop runs. What You'll Own: Build and own training plans, plans of instruction, and user enablement for military operators Lead field training and support during demonstrations, pilots, and deployed use Ensure operators can use the system confidently and correctly in real-world conditions Act as the primary bridge between end users and internal teams, translating operator experience into engineering and product feedback Reduce cognitive load and improve usability by informing setup, displacement, interface, and training design Support growth and business development by bringing operational credibility, user insight, and relevant field relationships into customer engagements Participate in test events, lab reviews, and field exercises to represent the operator perspective throughout product iteration What We're Looking For: Special operations or equivalent operational background, with train-the-trainer experience strongly preferred Experience preparing military or foreign users to operate systems independently in high-stakes environments Demonstrated ability to build trust quickly with operators and translate field realities into practical internal action Comfort operating across training, deployment support, customer interface, and internal technical collaboration Track record working alongside engineers and product teams on novel technology Where you probably come from: SOF community with train-the-trainer experience, foreign internal defense, technology integration cells, JSOC tech / SMU staff, NSWDG / DEVGRU, ISA, RRC, or equivalent. Defense industry candidates with deep field training experience also considered. We want to talk if: You've stood in front of operators using something brand new and gotten them proficient. You've taken what they said, what they did, and what broke, and turned it into changes engineers could act on. Not a fit if: Your operational experience is conventional only, you haven't supported novel technology fielding, or you're looking for a desk role. Nice to Haves: Counter-UAS or directed energy familiarity Experience inside a defense startup or non-traditional vendor Active TS/SCI clearance Experience authoring system requirements, TTPs, capability documents, or after-action frameworks Education: No specific degree required. Operational track record matters more than credentials. How You Operate: Extreme bias for action. You'd rather be at the test or with the operator than in a planning meeting You translate ambiguity into a plan and a plan into reps Comfortable with the tempo of real-world operations, including OCONUS travel on short notice Clear communicator across operators, engineers, and senior leadership Self directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told Why Join Aurelius Systems? Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet. Career velocity is real. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact. Work on a problem that actually matters. Small cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer — infinite magazine, near zero cost per shot, scalable to every base, border, facility, and truck. Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built. How We Work: Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show. Benefits: Competitive salary + equity United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage Flexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days Travel to field test events and range days Covered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks E-bike / scooter stipend (Up to $500) Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work Export Control Notice: This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a "U.S. Person": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). Compensation Range: $140K - $205K #J-18808-Ljbffr