Head of Operations

Full-time | On-site, San Francisco or New York | Competitive salary plus meaningful early-stage equity
Reports to the COO

About American Terawatt

American Terawatt (AmWatt) builds private transmission networks anchored on HVDC technology. We connect large power users to generation faster than the existing grid allows, with greater flexibility and at lower cost than BTM colocation.

Our first customers are AI data centers serving hyperscalers and frontier research labs. We are early-stage and venture-backed, with an experienced 15-person team and active projects across the US. Investors include Altimeter, Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, Zero Infinity Partners, and others.

About the role

We are hiring our founding Head of Operations to build the systems and infrastructure that allow AmWatt to scale. This is a broad builder role spanning company operations, TalentOps, systems and tooling, and the initial buildout of Marketing.

You will work directly with the founders and leadership team. This is an IC role today, with the opportunity to build a team over time.

What you will own

Company operations and systems

• Build the company operating cadence, including leadership meetings, all-hands, goal tracking, board logistics, and cross-functional project management

• Own internal systems and tooling, including CRM, knowledge management, IT, data hygiene, AI tools

• Manage office space, our R&D site, insurance, vendors, contracts, subscriptions, company offsites

• Build KPI dashboards and systems that create clear ownership and accountability

• Partner with Engineering and Legal on SOC 2, business continuity, IP knowledge management

• Support FinOps on budgeting, vendor onboarding, board materials, data rooms, diligence

TalentOps

• Build the recruiting and TalentOps infrastructure for a future Head of Talent to inherit

• Own Ashby ATS, recruiting pipelines, interview processes, scorecards, funnel reporting, candidate experience

• Partner with leadership on headcount planning, compensation bands, hiring priorities

• Manage external recruiters and search firms

• Own onboarding, offboarding, HRIS/PEO (SequoiaPEO), 401(k), immigration, relevant company policies

• Establish stage-appropriate performance management processes

Marketing and communications (stand-up to hand-off in future)

• Develop a stage-appropriate marketing strategy and determine where AmWatt should focus limited resources

• Select and manage external partners across PR, brand, design, website, events

• Manage the company's LinkedIn, website, announcements, external communications

• Build a consistent visual identity and asset library (templates, slides, logos, etc)

• Own conference strategy, sponsorships, speaking opportunities, logistics, ROI tracking

• Plan AmWatt-hosted dinners, roundtables, briefings

• Hire and onboard a dedicated marketing lead when the function is ready
  

What success looks like

In the first month: recruiting is running smoothly, the CRM is selected, company files and knowledge are organized, an operating cadence is in place, LinkedIn and open roles are refreshed, and the website and conference strategy are defined.

By month six: the CRM is fully adopted, core operating systems are running smoothly, external PR and brand partners are in place, the conference calendar is actively managed, AmWatt has hosted its first external event, compensation bands are implemented, the 2027 budget and headcount plan are complete, and a Head of Talent is hired and onboarded.

What we are looking for

• A scrappy startup operator, chief of staff, or business-operations leader

• A ruthless prioritizer with strong judgment

• A process-oriented builder who creates systems teams actually use

• Comfort standing up functions from scratch and managing external partners

• A natural cross-functional connector across engineering, business development, finance, candidates, partners

• Extremely high agency: resourceful, calm as priorities shift, biased toward action