Operations Manager

About the role

Sapient Intelligence develops next-generation AI models and autonomous research systems. It is looking for an Operations Manager who reports to the Cofounder, works in a team of about 50 people, and coordinates people operations, office resources, procurement and projects. The role turns loosely defined needs into clear responsibilities, processes and results, and drives company priorities through to completion.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operations and work with the Cofounder to set priorities and resolve issues affecting the team's effectiveness.
• Develop and improve internal processes for collaboration, procurement, contract routing, approvals, recordkeeping and knowledge management.
• Build and manage workplace systems such as Lark/Feishu and office automation, turning needs into workflows, forms, permissions and automation rules.
• Turn management priorities into plans with owners, milestones and delivery standards, and coordinate research, product and other teams.
• Coordinate recruitment, onboarding, offboarding, employee records and internal communications.
• Manage office space, equipment, travel, vendors and service providers, and work with the Head of Finance on budgets, expenses and payments.
• Set up operational reporting and review processes, and provide the Cofounder with accurate, concise updates.
• Explore AI tools for organizing information, processing documents, managing knowledge, tracking projects and automating workflows.

Required profile

• Overseas study experience; fluent spoken and written English and Mandarin, able to join English and Chinese meetings and write documents.
• Strong systems thinking and execution skills, with comfort in a startup pace and a sense of ownership.
• Good communication, coordination and writing skills, able to work with technical teams and external providers without direct managerial authority.
• Sound cost awareness, service orientation and discretion.
• Based mainly in Singapore, the United States or China (Beijing), with short- to medium-term business travel; EP, OPT and H-1B sponsorship may be available depending on qualifications.

Required skills

• Familiarity with Lark/Feishu and office automation systems, with hands-on configuration or improvement experience.
• Interest in and proficiency with AI tools, with demonstrable use cases and efficiency gains.
• Preferred: experience founding a business or building operations from scratch, in an AI or R&D company, coordinating international teams, and using data analysis, low-code or workflow automation tools.

What we offer

• Close collaboration with researchers and engineers and direct involvement in frontier AI development.
• Working directly with the founders and the freedom to propose and test ideas.
• A comfortable working environment with the resources to do good work.