Vice President of Operations

Vice President of OperationsColorado Springs, CO, El Segundo, CA, Huntsville, AL, Arlington, VA, Austin, TX, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CA, New York, NYAbout NooksNooks is pioneering Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) — designing, building, and operating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) and other secured, classified environments for the defense and national security community. We work with the agencies, contractors, and mission-driven organizations that keep the nation safe, delivering the physical infrastructure that makes classified work possible. We're growing fast, operating across multiple markets, and building a company that takes both the mission and the business seriously.About the RoleYou'll own the comprehensive customer experience delivery at our sites and ensure our product operates as intended, with consistency, across the entire portfolio. You are a radical advocate for the customer and fierce protector of the P&L. As Vice President of Operations, reporting to the CEO, you are the single executive accountable for the operational performance of our network of classified facilities as it scales from a handful of sites toward more than a dozen. You lead the Site Leads—the on-the-ground owners of each facility and each customer's strongest advocate in the daily use of the space—and you own the operating model that makes a Nooks site a Nooks site no matter which one a customer walks into. You don't run a single site; you make the whole portfolio run to one standard, and the customer's end-to-end experience of our spaces is yours to deliver.While this role has clear ownership, Nooks is scaling fast and the ground shifts—new sites get greenlit, the playbook is still being written, and priorities move with the business. You'll build the operating model while you're running it, and you'll step into whatever the portfolio needs to keep customers served and sites compliant. This role is for someone energized by that reality, not unsettled by it.Key ResponsibilitiesPortfolio Operations & Customer ExperienceManiacally advocate for the customer—deeply know their requirements, manage the wholistic feedback cycle on product performance, and ensure the company always makes decisions with a customer-first mentalityOwn the portfolio operational budget and aggregate site P&L, working with cross functional partners to ensure revenue and expenditures meet or beat budgetOwn the aggregate operational performance of the Nooks portfolio across every site and product lineDevelop and manage against operational metrics that provide simplistic but wholistic insight to customer usage and product feedbackBuild and scale the site operating model so every location delivers to one consistent Nooks standardLeading the Site LeadsLead a team that takes extreme ownership of the delivery of Nooks products and the customer experience, working in tandem with the cross functional teams that make that possibleHire, develop, and directly manage the Site Leads as the single points of accountability for their facilities, set and hold the standard for what a great Site Lead doesRun the operating cadence—site reviews, escalations, and performance management—that keeps every site holding the standard without constant oversight or micromanagementServe as mentor to Site Leads and broader site teams, ensuring Nooks is a culture that fosters growth, challenge, and empowerment to succeedFunctional Partnership & GovernanceServe as the senior operational internal client to IT/Cyber, Security, Facilities, Growth, People, and Finance—holding their delivery accountable to site outcomes without owning their teamsOwn, manage, and evolve the governance that makes the matrix model work: internal service-level commitments, decision rights, and escalation paths between sites and functionsResolve conflicts between Site Leads and functional leaders, and serve as the executive escalation point when a site and a function can't alignCompliance & Site StandardsDevelop, implement, and evolve standard operating procedures for each location, ranging from required components like site safety to differentiating elements of the Nooks brand, such as a culture of hospitality and customer-centric serviceEnsure the Security and IT/Cyber policies and protocols set by the CSO and the VP of IT/Cyber are followed at every site by all employees, contractors, and visitors; operations is accountable for adherence in practice, not for setting the policyIndustry EngagementRepresent Nooks Operations externally with defense partners, visiting government officials, and industry forums to support the portfolio's growth and reputationExtend your standing in the security and defense community to build Nooks' credibility and advance the nascent CIaaS category through conferences, panels, and industry associationsAct as a visible, credible operational voice for the CIaaS model, turning personal reputation and trust into pipeline, partnerships, and talent for NooksWhat Success Looks Like in This RoleAfter 12 months, the portfolio runs at or above targeted performance metrics with clean audits and no material compliance findings across every site. The Site Leads are a stable, well-led group who hold the Nooks standard without constant oversight, and new sites inherit a documented operating model instead of reinventing one. Customers experience the same secure, well-run, genuinely welcoming space wherever they work with Nooks, and the functional partnerships escalate cleanly instead of festering into friction. The CEO relies on this person as the authoritative voice on site operations — the one who surfaces problems early and owns the outcome. This person is seen as a relentless, radical advocate for the customer to every internal team, ensuring each team understands their needs and is building the future of Nooks to meet them.Cross-Functional ExpectationsThis role sits at the center of how Nooks delivers for its customers, and the teams that build, secure, and support our sites should know exactly what to expect from it. The VP of Operations translates the reality of the customer and the site into a clear, unambiguous account of what each function needs to deliver and why. They give direct, timely feedback on how that functional delivery is landing, naming what works, what falls short, and what has to change, always measured against the customer's experience rather than internal convenience. And they hold a collaboration cadence built on frequent, candid communication and a standard of extreme alignment, so functional partners are never surprised, decisions don't stall, and the organization moves as one toward the same outcome.The Skillset10+ years of operations leadership, including multi-site or portfolio-level operational accountabilityDirect experience operating in classified or defense environments, with practical command of ICD 705 and NISPOMA track record managing senior operational leaders — managing managers, not only individual contributorsDemonstrated P&L ownership and the judgment to translate operational decisions into financial outcomesA U.S. government Top Secret/SCI clearance, or the ability to obtain and maintain oneExperience standing up or scaling a multi-site operating model in a high-growth or venture-backed companyFluency operating in a matrixed environment where functional teams are governed centrally and coordinated at the siteEligibility & ClearanceCandidates must be authorized to work in the United States, and U.S. citizenship is required. A U.S. government Top Secret/SCI security clearance — held, or with the ability to obtain and maintain one — is required for this role given portfolio-wide oversight of classified facilities. All candidates must be eligible for and committed to obtaining and maintaining a U.S. government security clearance as a condition of employment.Salary Range$250,000 - $275,000 USD