Operations Specialist

Operations Specialist

Russell Tobin is seeking an Operations Specialist to support a leading AI research and technology organization. This role is ideal for someone who has operated in high-trust, fast-moving environments where confidentiality, sound judgment, and discretion are critical.

The Operations Specialist will support senior leaders and cross-functional technical teams by managing scheduling, communications, logistics, stakeholder coordination, action-item tracking, and operational follow-through. This person will help ensure leadership priorities move forward efficiently while maintaining strong systems, clear communication, and a high degree of confidentiality.

The ideal candidate will bring experience supporting leaders or teams in national security, defense, federal, aerospace, intelligence, government contracting, cleared environments, or similarly sensitive industries. Experience in technical operations, infrastructure, hardware, research operations, product launches, or TPM-style environments is strongly preferred.

This role requires exceptional organization, strong communication skills, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to coordinate across diverse stakeholder groups while handling sensitive information with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex calendars, scheduling, and logistics for senior leaders and their organizations
• Support tracking and execution of action items, follow-ups, deadlines, and inbound requests
• Build and maintain organizational systems to manage competing priorities and ensure details are not missed
• Coordinate across cross-functional stakeholders, including technical teams, operations, vendors, procurement, legal, security, and external partners
• Manage communications across email, Slack, and other channels with precise attention to detail
• Handle sensitive and confidential information with strong judgment and discretion
• Support urgent operational, vendor, infrastructure, or stakeholder needs, including outside standard business hours when necessary
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to gather necessary information, updates, and materials for meetings
• Support travel logistics, conferences, events, site visits, and partner or vendor meetings
• Assist with ad-hoc operational projects, including gathering information, solving problems, tracking progress, and driving outcomes
• Help maintain project trackers, action logs, decision records, status updates, and operating rhythms for leadership and technical teams

Qualifications

• Experience operating in a high-trust environment where confidentiality, discretion, and judgment are critical
• Background in national security, defense, federal, aerospace, intelligence, government contracting, cleared environments, or similarly sensitive industries strongly preferred
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple competing initiatives
• Proven ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and manage diverse stakeholder groups
• Experience supporting senior leaders, executives, technical teams, or mission-driven operations teams
• Comfortable handling sensitive information and maintaining strict confidentiality
• Experience tracking milestones, action items, owners, blockers, risks, and deadlines
• Comfortable making independent decisions and driving work forward with minimal oversight
• Excellent time management, written communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Strong attention to detail and ability to execute accurately in a fast-paced environment
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and Slack for day-to-day collaboration
• Ability to quickly ramp up in unfamiliar environments, industries, or technical domains
• Positive, calm, and professional communication style with internal and external stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience as a Technical Program Manager, Program Manager, Operations Specialist, Executive Business Partner, Administrative Business Partner, Chief of Staff, or similar role
• Experience in infrastructure, hardware, data centers, research operations, compute, cloud, security, or adjacent technical environments
• Experience supporting or coordinating product launches, operational rollouts, technical programs, site buildouts, implementation plans, or cross-functional initiatives
• Experience working with vendors, procurement, legal, facilities, security, government-facing stakeholders, or external partners
• Experience maintaining project trackers, status reports, action logs, decision records, or operating cadence systems
• Experience in medium-sized companies or high-growth technical environments
• Strong security mindset with an understanding of data protection, privacy, access control, and sensitive information handling
• Interest in supporting mission-driven technical teams working on advanced technology
• Comfort working in Slack-heavy and highly collaborative environments

Russell Tobin offers eligible employee's comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical, dental, and vision plans), supplemental coverage (accident insurance, critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity), 401(k)-retirement savings, life & disability insurance, an employee assistance program, legal support, auto, home insurance, pet insurance and employee discounts with preferred vendors. Equal Employment Opportunity

Russell Tobin is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of the race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, reproductive health decision making, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Fair Chance Employment

Russell Tobin is a Fair Chance employer. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable state and local Fair Chance laws and ordinances, including, the California Fair Chance Act and all applicable local Fair Chance ordinances.

Accommodations

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of this role, please contact us.

Only applicable for San Francisco Candidates:

Under the San Francisco Lactation in the Workplace Ordinance, we will provide written notice of lactation accommodation rights, and this notice will automatically be given upon hiring, any inquiry of parental leave or lactation accommodation.