Business Operations Contractor – Incubations (Startup Operations & Pilot Programs)
Location: Hybrid | San Francisco, CA | 3-5 days/week (depending on the team schedule)
Duration: 6-Month Contract (Potential Extension)
About The Opportunity
Our client is building a brand-new Incubations team focused on identifying, testing, and launching the next generation of customer experiences. This is a unique opportunity to join a fast-moving team responsible for turning innovative ideas into real-world pilot programs.
This is not a traditional Business Operations or Project Management role. We're looking for someone who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys building from scratch, and isn't afraid to roll up their sleeves to make things happen. If you've worked in a startup, marketplace business, innovation team, or launch organization, this could be an excellent fit.
What You'll Do
- Launch pilot programs by coordinating everything needed to move ideas from concept to execution.
- Recruit customers, partners, vendors, and other participants for pilot initiatives.
- Conduct fieldwork, site visits, and customer interviews to support live testing.
- Coordinate multiple pilots simultaneously while managing timelines, logistics, and deliverables.
- Identify and remove operational roadblocks to keep projects moving.
- Capture customer feedback and pilot results, turning insights into clear recommendations.
- Partner with cross-functional teams including Product, Strategy, Engineering, Finance, and Operations.
- Support rapid experimentation and help determine which ideas should scale and which should be discontinued.
What We're Looking For
- 6–10 years of experience in Business Operations, Startup Operations, Strategy & Operations, Growth Operations, Marketplace Operations, Consulting, Program Management, or Launch Operations.
- Proven experience executing projects in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
- Experience launching new initiatives, pilots, products, or operational programs.
- Strong organizational and project execution skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Comfortable interacting directly with customers, partners, and external stakeholders.
- Ability to work independently with minimal direction while adapting quickly to changing priorities.
- Basic financial modeling and business case development experience.
Preferred Experience
Candidates from the following environments are especially encouraged to apply:
- Startup companies
- Marketplace businesses
- Travel or hospitality technology
- Innovation or incubation teams
- Growth or launch organizations
- Consulting firms focused on strategy or operations
Nice-to-Have Skills
- SQL
- Excel or Google Sheets
- AI productivity tools (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.)
- Data analysis and reporting
Why This Role?
This is an opportunity to work on 0-to-1 initiatives—helping shape and validate entirely new business ideas before they become products or services used by millions. You'll have the chance to work alongside experienced leaders in a highly entrepreneurial environment where speed, creativity, and execution matter.
If you're someone who enjoys solving problems, building from scratch, and making ideas happen, we'd love to hear from you.
About SSI People: With over 26 years of industry experience, SSi People has built its reputation and expertise on putting people first. Everything we do works toward delivering exceptional experience for our consultants, our clients, and our internal team. Through a genuine commitment to people in everything we do. We have developed refined processes and a stellar internal team to deliver talent quickly. More importantly, we focus on building long-term relationships, not transactions. Putting people first is just what we do well.
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