Operations Specialist

Operations SpecialistEvery role at Iron Sheepdog is expected to embody the Iron Sheepdog Standard: industry-leading software backed by White-Glove Service and operational excellence, delivered by a flat, fast-moving, transparent, results-driven team.Position SummaryThe Operations Specialist is a member of Iron Sheepdog's Operations & Systems team, reporting to the Director of Operations & Systems. This person maps how work gets done across the business, documents it, finds where it breaks, and writes the requirements for the fix. They partner with the team's systems, data, and automation specialists to get those fixes built and measured, and they help keep the team's projects organized and on track. The same person supports big projects across the company, from standing up new business units like ISD Services and ISD Materials to assisting on legal and credit matters that touch operations. This is a hybrid role based at Iron Sheepdog's Williamsburg, VA headquarters. Success in the first 6–12 months looks like a documented set of core operations workflows with baselines and targets, a project tracker the whole team trusts, and a reputation as the person who makes everyone else's work easier to finish.Process MappingMap current-state workflows across Operations, Sales, and Finance, capturing the trigger, steps, systems touched, volume, manual hours, and owner for each.Identify bottlenecks, handoff failures, and manual gaps, and recommend where automation or process change would have the largest effect.Requirements & HandoffWrite future-state processes and the requirements a builder can act on, and hand them to the right specialist on the team for systems, data, or automation work.Maintain the workflow registry and the documentation behind it as the business changes.Process MeasurementDefine baselines and targets for each mapped workflow and measure results after changes land, so the team can show what an improvement was worth.Pull and shape the data needed to measure process changes using Google Sheets and internal reporting.Support KPI baseline work for Operations metrics.Project CoordinationMaintain the team's project tracker so issues, owners, dates, and status reflect reality, and prepare the weekly view the Director uses to run the team.Support project cadences for cross-functional initiatives with agendas, notes, action items, and follow-ups.Surface risks and slipping dates to the Director early so the team can adjust.External CoordinationCoordinate logistics with outside parties such as counsel, vendors, university partners, and brokers, tracking what has been sent, what is owed, and when.Build and maintain the trackers, checklists, and status reports the team and leadership rely on.Big Project SupportSupport new business unit launches such as ISD Services and ISD Materials through research, process design, vendor coordination, and operational setup, alongside the team's data and systems specialists.Assist on legal and credit projects that touch operations, including document collection, lien and title work, and data production, working with outside counsel under the Director's guidance.Special ProjectsTake on special projects as assigned.Direct & Indirect Reporting StructureDirect Reports: None. This is an individual contributor role; coordinating the team's projects is a service to the team, not supervisory authority over it.Indirect Reports: None.QualificationsRequired3–5 years of experience in operations, business analysis, project coordination, or a similar role, ideally at a growing company.Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Analytics, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.Strong working skills in Google Sheets or Excel, including pivots, lookups, and building a model from raw data.Comfortable with process documentation tools such as Miro, Lucidchart, or Visio.Comfortable learning new tools quickly; we use Linear, Slack, and Google Workspace daily, and no prior Linear experience is needed.CompetenciesSystems Thinking: Gather and analyze information to solve root-cause problems rather than symptoms. See how a change in one workflow affects the teams and systems around it.Organization: Keep projects organized and on schedule by maintaining the tracker, running the follow-ups, and keeping teammates informed. Turn a messy conversation into a tracker, a process doc, or a one-page summary.Communication: Write clearly and speak clearly. Produce documentation that someone outside Operations can read without training, and requirements that a builder can act on without a second meeting.Proactive Ownership: Don't wait for an invite to help; see a gap in a process and close it, exercising initiative and accepting the measured risk that comes with it. Comfortable creating structure where none exists and owning it end to end.Teamwork & Collaboration: Establish and maintain effective relationships across teams; give and receive feedback constructively; prioritize team success over individual interests. Coordination in this role is a service to the team, not authority over it.Problem Solving: Identify and resolve problems in a timely manner; gather and analyze information, develop alternative solutions, and facilitate collaborative problem-solving while maintaining objectivity.Job Knowledge: Learn and apply new skills quickly; keep abreast of developments in operations, process improvement, and automation tooling.Attendance: Maintain consistent work attendance and punctuality; ensure work responsibilities are covered when absent.PreferredHands-on experience with a workflow or automation builder (Zapier, Make, n8n, Power Automate, Airtable automations, or similar).Experience supporting legal, credit, or compliance projects.Experience coordinating with external partners such as outside counsel or consultants.Exposure to AI tooling.Advances Placement Toward the Top of the RangeHands-on SQL or BigQuery, or experience with Looker or a comparable BI tool.Experience building workflow or process documentation that other teams adopted and used.Prior work on process improvement, operations analysis, or systems implementation at a SaaS or services company.Physical Requirements & Work EnvironmentPhysical DemandsAbility to remain in a stationary position for extended periods (typically 6–8 hours per day), primarily at a computer workstation.Manual dexterity for sustained keyboard and mouse use.Visual acuity to review screen-based content, including spreadsheets, process maps, trackers, and reports.Ability to communicate effectively in person and via video conferencing, Slack, and other collaboration tools.Ability to travel locally and move about customer, partner, or company sites during occasional site visits.Work EnvironmentPrimary work environment: hybrid, split between Iron Sheepdog's Williamsburg, VA headquarters and a home office, per company policy.Regular schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Noise level: typically quiet to moderate, consistent with an office or home-office setting.Occasional local site visits may involve outdoor conditions.The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This description is not exhaustive and does not create a contract of employment.Compensation & Total RewardsThe posted range of $70,000 – $80,000 reflects the base salary Iron Sheepdog expects to pay for this role. Final placement within the range is based on experience, qualifications, and internal equity. This role is also eligible for a performance-based bonus.Iron Sheepdog offers a competitive Total Rewards package, including:Base salary and performance-based bonus (role-dependent)401(k) retirement planHealth, dental, and vision insurance