Business Operations Lead at Acorn Product Development in Waltham, MA

Acorn Product Development is seeking an experienced Business Operations Lead to own and strengthen the operational backbone of our firm. This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, innovative product development environment serving clients across the consumer, robotics, automation, networking, and medical industries.

At Acorn, we provide engineering consulting services for world-class clients ranging from Fortune 100 and 500 companies to emerging startups. For over 33 years, we have been at the forefront of product design and engineering, building a reputation for excellence and creativity.

We are looking for a highly organized, proactive leader who can work both independently and as part of a collaborative team across our project management, engineering, design, and business development functions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee general office and facilities operations (office park relationship, office supplies, kitchen stock, and company travel coordination).

• Coordinate office and lab upgrades, and support ISO compliance efforts.

• Identify and implement AI tools to improve operational efficiency across the business.

• Manage material receiving and tracking for project builds, ensuring all documentation is archived and that engineers and project managers are engaged to perform incoming inspection.

• Manage logistics for delivering prototypes to clients.

• Provide project management support to client projects:

◦ Track project budgets across labor and materials, with regular internal and external updates.

◦ Own the vendor purchase order process and material proposals on projects.

• Lead business development and sales operations support:

◦ Consolidate weekly pipeline metrics and report to the management team.

◦ Finalize and implement project contracts.

◦ Plan and manage internal team and external BD and sales events, including office outings, client appreciation events, and tradeshow and conference logistics.

• Lead recruiting and onboarding support:

◦ Run early-stage resume and phone screening, and coordinate interview logistics.

◦ Manage the Workable account for open roles.

◦ Prepare for and lead the onboarding of new employees.

• Coordinate visitors, on-site interviews, office events, and team activities.

• Support day-to-day business operations as needed.

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations, or a related field.

• Several years of experience in operations, office management, or project coordination, ideally within a consulting, engineering, or professional services environment.

• Demonstrated people management and interpersonal skills.

• Strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project).

• Detail-oriented, resourceful, and proactive.

• Experience applying or developing AI tools for business applications is a strong plus.

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.

• Paid time off and holidays.

• 401(k) retirement plan.

• Opportunity to work with a highly skilled, cross-functional engineering and operations team.

• Exposure to world-class clients and innovative product development projects.

If you are ready to bring structure, energy, and operational excellence to a growing product development firm, we would love to hear from you.