Operations Specialist
Aurelius Systems
Operations
San Francisco, CA, USA
USD 90k-120k / year + Equity
Location
San Francisco
Employment Type
Full time
Location Type
On-site
Department
Manufacturing & Operations
Compensation
- $90K – $120K • Offers Equity
Who We Are:
Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones.
We're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system.
Our namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate — small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable.
In addition to our San Francisco lab, we’ve opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range.
The Role and Your Impact:
We need an Office & Operations Specialist to keep our San Francisco office and lab running. You'll own facilities, vendors, supplies, and the day-to-day that makes the office work. You're the person who makes sure builds don't get blocked by a missing pallet, a vendor no-show, or an empty fridge. This role is operationally focused. Executive support is owned by our existing EA, so you don't need EA experience.
What You'll Own:
Office facilities including supplies, vendors, repairs, and build-out coordination
Shipping and receiving support including coordinating inbound deliveries with the build team
Visitor and customer logistics for site visits and demos in the SF lab
Office and lab inventory of consumables, PPE, safety supplies, and general stock
Snacks, lunches, and the in-office experience that keeps the team productive
Event and offsite logistics for SF-based team events
What We're Looking For:
3+ years in office management, operations, logistics, or military supply / admin roles
Strong organizational skills, comfortable with multiple vendors and timelines at once
Comfortable on a hardware floor including lifting boxes and managing pallets
Trustworthy, proactive, low-ego, and bias to action
Comfortable with ambiguity in an early-stage company that's still figuring out its processes
Where you probably come from: Office or operations management at a hardware startup, military supply or admin trades, executive support roles where you also handled office ops, or facilities and logistics at a small company.
We want to talk if: You're proactive, you don't wait to be asked, and "not my job" isn't in your vocabulary. You're comfortable lifting boxes and managing a vendor email thread the same day.
Not a fit if: You're looking for an EA-only role, you've never seen a pallet, or you need a written process for everything before you'll act.
Nice to Haves:
Veteran with military supply, admin, or logistics background
ITAR-aware shipping and receiving experience
Notary or basic facilities certifications
Experience supporting events or company offsites
Education:
No degree required.
How You Operate:
Extreme bias for action. You'd rather solve it now than schedule a meeting
You handle problems before they hit anyone's inbox
Comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration in a startup environment
Clear communicator across the team, vendors, and visitors
Self directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told
Why Join Aurelius Systems?
Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet.
Career velocity is real. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact.
Work on a problem that actually matters. Small cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer — infinite magazine, near zero cost per shot, scalable to every base, border, facility, and truck.
Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built.
How We Work:
Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show.
Benefits:
Competitive salary + equity
United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage
Flexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days
Travel to field test events and range days
Covered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks
E-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500)
Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work
Export Control Notice:
This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a "U.S. Person": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
Compensation Range: $90K - $120K