Strategy & Operations Lead

Strategy & Operations Lead
Dallas, TX (preferred) | Hybrid (Bishop Arts preferred) | Full-time
Reports to the Co-Founders/CTO & CEO

Why this role exists

Our client is an AI-powered contract intelligence platform helping healthcare organizations validate purchased services invoices against contract terms before payment. The platform acts as a pre-payment enforcement layer for healthcare procure-to-pay workflows, helping health systems reduce leakage, enforce compliance, and improve financial control over purchased services.

As a fast-growing startup with strong customer traction, investor interest, and experienced founders, the company is entering a critical stage of growth. The company needs a highly organized, execution-focused Strategy & Operations Lead who can act as a true partner to the founders, someone who helps maintain momentum, drives accountability, manages cross-functional initiatives, and ensures critical priorities do not fall through the cracks.

This is a high-ownership position for someone who wants to operate like a third founder, bringing structure to ambiguity, driving operational excellence, helping coordinate strategic initiatives, and enabling the leadership team to move faster and make better decisions.

The ideal candidate is equal parts project manager, operator, strategist, and problem solver. They thrive in startup environments, enjoy building systems from scratch, and care more about outcomes than activities.

What you'll own

Founder Enablement & Strategic Execution

• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the founders on company priorities, initiatives, and execution
• Help translate strategic objectives into actionable plans and measurable outcomes
• Track key company initiatives and ensure progress against critical milestones
• Anticipate challenges, identify gaps, and proactively recommend solutions
• Act as an extension of leadership, helping coordinate decisions and maintain organizational focus
• Drive follow-through across teams and ensure commitments are executed

Operational Excellence & Business Rhythm

• Build and maintain company-wide operating cadences, communication structures, and accountability systems
• Establish and manage recurring leadership meetings, team updates, and reporting processes
• Ensure important initiatives do not stall or fall through the cracks
• Improve visibility into company performance through structured reporting and KPI tracking
• Create systems that increase organizational efficiency and reduce operational friction
• Bring discipline, organization, and clarity to a fast-moving startup environment

KPI Management & Business Intelligence

• Develop and maintain company dashboards that track key operational, customer, product, and revenue metrics
• Partner with leadership to define success metrics and reporting standards
• Monitor performance against goals and surface risks, opportunities, and trends
• Ensure leaders have access to timely and accurate information for decision-making
• Drive accountability around company objectives and key results

Cross-Functional Project Management

• Lead high-priority initiatives across product, sales, operations, customer success, hiring, and fundraising support activities
• Coordinate stakeholders and maintain project plans, timelines, and deliverables
• Remove blockers and accelerate execution across teams
• Ensure projects reach completion rather than remaining in planning mode
• Create repeatable frameworks and processes as the company scales

Internal Operations & Organizational Infrastructure

• Help organize and maintain critical company documentation, systems, and knowledge repositories
• Support employee onboarding processes and internal operating procedures
• Improve information management and ensure key business assets remain accessible and organized
• Create scalable operational foundations that support future growth

Hiring & Special Projects

• Assist with recruiting coordination, candidate processes, and hiring initiatives
• Support investor, board, customer, and strategic partner communications as needed
• Assist with presentations, research, executive communications, and special projects
• Take ownership of founder priorities that require execution, coordination, and follow-through

What Success Looks Like (First 90 Days)

First 30 Days

• Develop a deep understanding of the company's business model, customers, product, strategy, and operations
• Build strong working relationships with the founders and key stakeholders
• Audit existing processes, communication rhythms, and operational gaps
• Gain visibility into all major company initiatives and priorities
• Begin organizing critical company information, documentation, and workflows

By 60 Days

• Establish consistent leadership communication and operating cadences
• Demonstrate mastery of the company's priorities, initiatives, and business objectives
• Successfully manage multiple cross-functional projects simultaneously
• Begin tracking and reporting on key company KPIs
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement meaningful improvements

By 90 Days

• Launch and maintain a company-wide KPI dashboard that provides leadership with visibility into business performance
• Create effective communication and accountability systems across the organization
• Become a trusted extension of the founders and a central point of coordination across teams
• Demonstrate ownership of strategic initiatives from planning through execution
• Meaningfully increase organizational effectiveness, execution speed, and operational discipline

The profile that tends to win here

• You thrive in startup environments and enjoy building systems from scratch
• You are highly organized and naturally create structure where none exists
• You are proactive and do not wait to be told what needs attention
• You focus on outcomes rather than activities or deliverables
• You have excellent judgment and can prioritize effectively in ambiguous situations
• You are comfortable managing up and holding leaders accountable when necessary
• You are self-directed and require minimal oversight
• You communicate clearly and confidently with stakeholders at all levels

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in Strategy & Operations Lead, Project Management, Program Management, Business Operations, Operations Management, or similar roles
• Experience working in startups or high-growth environments
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects from conception through execution
• Strong organizational and operational management skills
• Experience creating systems, processes, and accountability structures
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Proven ability to work independently and drive outcomes with limited direction
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and judgment

Nice to Have

• Experience supporting founders, executives, or leadership teams
• Experience in healthcare, healthcare technology, AI, SaaS, or enterprise software
• Exposure to fundraising, investor relations, or board communications
• Experience with KPI reporting and business intelligence tools
• Familiarity with project management platforms such as Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp, Jira, or similar tools
• Experience building operational infrastructure within an early-stage startup

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Performance-based bonus
• Hybrid work flexibility
• Opportunity to play a foundational role in the growth of a category-creating healthcare AI company