Business Operations and Administration Manager

Overview

At HighQ, we strive to provide talented people with three things -- challenging work, a great team, and a strong work-life balance. We want to create an environment where people can pursue their passions, both inside and outside of work.

We’re a boutique engineering design firm developing custom digital systems for experimental aircraft and spacecraft. Our team is lean, collaborative, and technically driven.

We’re looking for a Business Operations and Administration Manager to become the operational backbone of the company. This person will bring structure to a growing organization, keep the business running smoothly, and enable our engineers to focus on what they do best: solving hard technical problems.

Roles & Responsibilities

We are seeking a Business Operations and Administration Manager to act as an operational partner to the entire team. The ideal candidate has experience working in a technical environment - ideally in engineering, aerospace, manufacturing, software, or another technology-driven organization - and is comfortable wearing multiple hats, and takes ownership of the things they touch. You don't need to be an engineer, but you should be comfortable working with technical people, learning unfamiliar concepts, and communicating effectively about technical work.

This is a professional position in which the person is expected to exercise independent judgment, anticipate needs, and take ownership of operational and business outcomes. You'll manage critical business infrastructure, coordinate across teams, and proactively identify and solve problems that would otherwise slow the organization down.

Operations & Business Management

• Own day-to-day operations across the business—from customer coordination to internal process management
• Translate the company priorities into clear action items, timelines, and follow-through
• Build and maintain simple, scalable processes that support a growing engineering organization
• Proactively identify inefficiencies in how we operate and propose practical improvements
• Provide executive support such as travel planning and light calendar management

HR and People Operations

• Own the recruiting pipeline including drafting and posting job descriptions (you’ll be working with plenty of engineers, so a comfort level with technical roles is a plus), perform initial interviews, maintain an applicant tracking system, etc.
• Support onboarding and offboarding, maintain personnel files, and ensure compliance with local, state, and federal employment laws
• Maintain and update the employee handbook, HR policies, and core SOPs
• Identify, implement, and administer employee benefit programs

Business Development

• Identify new potential customers, maintain a CRM database, and perform initial outreach via personalized, 1:1 communications
• Draft, review, and mark up statements of work, NDAs, service agreements, and other contractual documents
• Identify and plan attendance and meetings at conferences and trade shows

Marketing and Brand Development

• Define and manage efforts to develop brand awareness including website updates, social media campaigns, and email newsletters
• Develop corporate marketing assets such as customer testimonials, media, logos, etc.
• Source company swag

Office Management

• Receive and inventory equipment and components
• Provide basic supply chain support such as vendor purchases, reimbursements, and shipping/receiving
• Assess and stock general office supplies
• Provide light office maintenance

Accounting and Finance

• Support basic monthly bookkeeping including account reconciliations, invoicing, accounts payable, and generating financial reports
• Support payroll, tax filings, cash management, and issue corporate credit cards
• Handle employee reimbursements

Required Experience

We care more about your ability to learn quickly, build efficient systems, exercise good judgment, and take ownership than about checking every box. The ideal candidate is someone who can confidently step into unfamiliar territory, figure things out, and know when to seek help or bring in the right expertise.

• 5 years of experience in operations, HR, executive support, or business management
• Proven experience building and owning operations inside small, high-growth tech or engineering companies, early-stage startups, or founder-led businesses
• Demonstrated ability to build and own processes without a playbook in environments where you were often the only person doing what you do
• Experience with financial systems and accounting software (Zoho Books, QuickBooks, or similar)
• Exceptional organization, prioritization, and follow-through
• Experience with customer relationship management systems (Zoho CRM, Salesforce, or similar)
• Proficiency with Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, Calendar, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and take ownership of outcomes
• Strong time management skills
• Experience working in a technical environment such as engineering, aerospace, manufacturing, software, hardware, or another technology-driven organization
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with engineers and other technical teams
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in sensitive situations

Bonus Points

• Familiarity with startup operations and the unique challenges of scaling from small to mid-size
• Entrepreneurial background or startup experience highly valued
• Experience with HR systems, benefits administration, or people operations
• Project management experience or background
• Knowledge of Zoho products (Books, CRM, or other modules)
• Experience with marketing coordination or campaign management

We are looking for support as a full-time or part-time, hybrid role based in our Englewood, Colorado office, requiring varying amounts of on-site collaboration with the possibility of remote work for specific tasks.

Get in Touch

If the above sounds good to you, reach out to us with a resume or any documentation that shows you've built great systems, solved interesting problems, or made organizations run more smoothly. We're looking for someone who sees opportunity in chaos and takes pride in creating order and enabling others to do their best work. If you're excited by the prospect of being a true business partner in a fast-moving, mission-driven team, we'd love to connect.

Pay: $40.00 - $65.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule
• Paid time off

Application Question(s):

• Are you able to reliably work on-site at our Englewood, CO office as required for this role?

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Englewood, CO 80112

Salary : $40 - $65