Business Operations Manager

About Mantle We’re building an AI agent to help families support their aging parents (origin story here).

Over 40M “sandwich generation” Americans currently manage their parent’s affairs. Keeping mom/dad safe and supported is like a second job: it’s time-consuming, stressful and on top of their already busy lives. We believe that managing our parents’ affairs should feel under control, easier and lower stress.

Co-founded by serial entrepreneur partners including Ted Zagat, who sold his previous businesses to Slack (announcement here) and Google (Zagat restaurant guides).

The Role We are looking for a Founding Business Operations Manager to be the operational "connective tissue" of Mantle. This is a foundational role for a high-output generalist who wants to build a company from the ground up.

You will work side‑side with the founders to turn an ambitious vision into a reality. This role is for a builder and an executor. On any given day, you might be setting up our first marketing campaign, managing the recruiting pipeline for engineers, or automating a manual workflow that’s slowing us down.

To be clear: This role is not always sexy. It requires someone who is willing to handle the unglamorous, manual "grunt work" today so that we can automate and scale it tomorrow. You are the person who fills the gaps, solves the "problem of the week," and ensures the founders can stay focused on the highest‑leverage tasks.

What You'll Build

The Recruiting Engine: Build and run the process that helps us attract and close exceptional talent.

Operational Infrastructure: Design the systems and standards that allow a fast‑moving startup to scale without breaking.

Go‑to‑Market Foundations: Execute our initial marketing motions and customer acquisition experiments.

Operating Cadence: Establish how the company plans, prioritizes, communicates, and delivers on non‑technical goals.

Special Projects: Lead high‑priority initiatives across legal, finance, and workplace operations that don’t yet have a dedicated owner.

What We’re Looking For Required Experience

5+ years of high‑performance experience in operations, consulting, or a fast‑growing startup environment.

Proven "Swiss Army Knife" ability: A track record of jumping into unfamiliar areas and delivering results quickly.

Extreme Ownership: A history of taking projects from 0 to 1 with minimal supervision.

Strategic & Pragmatic: The ability to see the big picture but the willingness to do the manual work required to get there.

AI-Forward: You are savvy with AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, automation agents) to increase your own personal leverage.

Ideal Background

Early‑stage startup experience where you wore many hats.

Experience building functions from scratch (e.g., being the first HR, Marketing, or Ops hire).

Strong product sense and a clear instinct for what matters to users.

Mission‑driven: You care deeply about helping families navigate the complexities of aging

Who Thrives Here

Builders:

You love creating things from scratch and taking full ownership

Scrappy:

You operate well without a lot of structure or resources and find ways to "get it done"

Great collaborator:

You foster great working relationships

Founder‑minded:

You think like an owner and care deeply about company outcomes

AI-forward:

You embrace modern AI

Strategic and pragmatic:

You set direction and make practical decisions quickly

Autonomous:

You thrive with minimal direction

Mission-driven:

You care about what we’re building

What You’ll Get

Meaningful work : Build a consumer product that will make a real difference in the lives of millions of families, with real technical ownership, fast pace, and huge financial potential

Founding scope:

Shape our business strategy and culture from the very beginning

Partnership with founders:

Work closely with Mantle’s co‑founders, including involvement in the biggest decisions

Learning & growth:

Opportunity to build a category‑defining company from the ground up

Real ownership:

Your decisions will shape our product, business and culture

Remote Fridays:

Work from home every Friday. Monday through Thursday, we build together in person in San Francisco

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