Business Operations Associate

Albacore Inc. is a Philadelphia-based company building highly-capable, mass-producible drone submarines to defend sovereign waters of America and allied nations. We are backed with more than $10 million from Y Combinator and venture capital investors. The Role We’re hiring a Business Operations Associate to help build the processes, systems, and operating discipline that support Albacore’s growth. You’ll work directly with the executive team and partner across engineering, finance, people, supply chain, and business development to solve business problems, develop proposals, and move important initiatives forward. This is a broad, hands-on role that combines analysis, writing, and execution. You might build a model to inform a resource decision, develop a customer proposal with technical leaders, or advise the executive team on an operational challenge. You should be comfortable turning incomplete information into clear recommendations and following through on implementation. The right person combines strong analytical and writing skills with the judgment, initiative, and discretion to work closely with senior leadership in an early-stage company. What You’ll Do Advise the C-suite. Analyze business opportunities and operational challenges, evaluate tradeoffs, and present clear recommendations to inform strategic decisions. Develop proposals. Write and coordinate customer and government proposals, including RFP and RFI responses, working with technical leaders to communicate Albacore’s capabilities and meet submission requirements. Support business planning. Build financial models, budgets, resource forecasts, and reporting that connect company priorities to hiring, spending, and execution. Own cross-functional projects. Lead initiatives from problem definition through implementation, aligning stakeholders, managing deadlines, and resolving roadblocks. Improve operations. Build practical processes and systems across purchasing, vendor management, and internal workflows that help the company operate effectively as it grows. What You’ll Bring 2+ years of experience in business operations, consulting, finance, or a similarly analytical and execution-focused role. Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets, with the ability to turn data into actionable recommendations. Excellent writing and communication skills, including the ability to translate technical information into compelling proposals and concise executive materials. Demonstrated ownership, sound judgment, and the ability to manage competing priorities with limited direction.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience at an early-stage startup or growing technology company. Exposure to hardware, robotics, manufacturing, aerospace, or defense. Experience with budget tracking, workforce planning, procurement, or business systems implementation. Familiarity with SQL, business intelligence tools, or workflow automation. Experience building a new process or capability where no established approach existed. Why Albacore You’ll work directly with the people building the company and see the impact of your work across the business. This is an opportunity to take meaningful ownership early, develop a broad understanding of a maritime defense company, and help shape how Albacore operates as it grows.