Business Operations Manager

Job description

SpAItial is pioneering Physically-grounded World Models, a new AI paradigm designed to generate and reason about the appearance and physics of real and imagined environments. We are moving beyond 2D pixels to build models that natively understand the geometry of our world, and redefining how industries from robotics and AR/VR to gaming and cinema create and interact with 3D environments. You will own the recurring operations of the business, such as the monthly finance cycle, payroll, onboarding, vendors, filings, reporting, etc. You will work directly with our COO to facilitate smooth business ops and form the backbone of our company. We are looking for someone diligent with attention to detail. Someone who keeps lists, who schedules the recurring thing the first time they see it, who notices that a deadline collides with a bank holiday before anyone else does. If you find satisfaction in a well-run cadence and a clean inbox, this role will suit you. It is hands-on, high-trust, and it will give you unusual visibility into how a frontier AI company gets built. RESPONSIBILITIES - Finance cycle with our accountants (reconciliations, management accounts, expenses, invoicing) and keep cash, burn, runway, and budget current and trustworthy. - People operations. Own payroll, onboarding, contracts, benefits, and employee documentation, and make sure a new joiner's first two weeks are excellent. - Advisors and compliance. Coordinate our payroll providers, pension, healthcare, banks, insurers, and legal counsel and keep the company in good standing across filings, VAT, statutory obligations, and insurance. - Vendors and spend. Own vendor relationships, contracts, and renewals, including significant compute and infrastructure commitments. - Workplace. Own our London office as a place people want to be, including management of space, equipment, suppliers, and support team events that make every day in the office worth it. - Process. Turn founder-led, manual workflows into documented processes that run without anyone remembering to run them. - Reporting. Prepare inputs for board materials, investor updates, and reporting packs, and work with our German colleagues and suppliers to keep things aligned KEY QUALIFICATIONS - 4+ years in operations, business operations, finance operations, or a similar role, including time in a startup or fast-moving technology company. - At least one role held long enough to live with the systems you built and fix them when they broke. - Exceptional diligence. You keep lists, you trust your system more than your memory, and you close things out, including the tedious ones. - Numerate and comfortable in spreadsheets, with the judgment to know when a figure looks wrong. - Genuinely AI-native. You already use these tools daily and reach for them first when work repeats. NICE TO HAVE - Experience as the ops person at a company between 15 and 60 people. - Exposure to venture-backed company operations: fundraising processes, board reporting, cap table administration. - Experience working across multiple entities, currencies, or employment systems, particularly UK and Germany. - Familiarity with Xero, payroll platforms, HRIS (Personio, Bob) and expense tools, Carta, Notion, or Google Workspace. - Real interest in AI, machine learning, computer vision, 3D technology, or deep tech. At SpAItial, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We are an equal opportunity employer and ensure all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.