Director of Operations

Director of Operations

Location: Torrance, CA • In office
Type: Full-time

About Equatic

Equatic is a Series A climate-tech startup scaling pioneering seawater electrolysis to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere while generating clean hydrogen. After a successful Series A raise, we’re expanding from demonstration plants toward commercial-scale operations. Join us to build the ops backbone of a technology that will permanently remove gigatons of CO₂ and close the gap to net zero.

The Role

This is a hands-on, builder role. You will be the person who creates the company’s core operations from the ground up, developing the HR, business analytics, procurement and IT systems and personally running the workflows until they can be scaled or delegated. You’ll work directly with the CEO and company leadership, prepare reporting for the Board and investors, and keeping the company running day-to-day while building the backbone needed to grow.

Key Responsibilities

Core Operations & Office Administration

• Run day-to-day operations: pay bills, manage payroll, submit reimbursements, negotiate with vendors and maintain compliance filings.
• Set up and manage Equatic’s Torrance office and Port of LA development facility: lease administration, utilities, facilities and lab/office supplies.
• Establish procurement workflows: vendor selection, purchase orders, inventory tracking and shipping/logistics for equipment.
• Implement company policies for travel, expenses, document retention and IT security.

Finance, Analytics & Reporting

• Own the near-term budget and expenditure process: gather workstream inputs, model cashflow scenarios, identify non-compliance, update actuals vs budget monthly.
• Build and maintain dashboards for burn rate, runway and program milestones.
• Prepare Board packs and investor updates, pulling raw financial and operational data into usable reports.

Strategy & Operations Execution

• With the leadership team, translate the company’s strategic goals into quarterly OKRs, workplans and track progress to deadlines.
• Create standardized templates for project tracking, decision logs, RFP/vendor evaluations.
• Select, implement and administer company systems (e.g., Asana, Slack, G-Suite, CRM- and ERP-lite tools).
• Manage IT infrastructure: email accounts, file permissions, cloud storage, VPN/security, software licenses.

People Ops

• Post jobs, run initial candidate screens, manage interview scheduling, draft offer letters.
• Set up and run onboarding: IT setup, compliance training, first-week schedules.
• Draft and maintain the employee handbook, performance review templates and compensation bands.
• Build culture intentionally: organize team offsites, create internal comms rhythm, troubleshoot HR issues directly.

What you’ll bring

• Education: Master’s degree in a technical field required; PhD strongly preferred.
• Experience: 3–5 years in a startup or scale-up setting, ideally with direct responsibility for at least one of finance, operations or people management.
• You’ve actually created and run processes, e.g., closed books, hired people, implemented systems, not just inherited and overseen them.
• Strong data skills: Excel/Sheets modeling, KPI dashboards.
• Ability to juggle multiple urgent priorities and create order, and deliver results, despite ambiguity.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: you see a gap, you fill it.

Why Join Equatic

You’ll work at the intersection of climate impact and operational excellence: building the systems that allow carbon removal to scale globally. You’ll collaborate closely with a motivated cross-functional team and play a defining role in shaping Equatic’s future.

• Compensation: up to $150,000 base + competitive equity
• Benefits: Health, dental, and vision; 401(k) with employer match
• Culture: Mission-first and deeply purpose-driven