Operations Associate - New Grad

Who We Are GITAI is a space robotics company working to reduce the cost of work in space by 100x. Space is no longer defined only by the cost of launch. Satellites, space stations, lunar infrastructure, and defense systems are becoming more capable and more ambitious. But getting hardware to space is only the first step. The harder problem is doing useful work once it is there. GITAI develops robotic systems for orbital, lunar, and defense applications. Our robots are designed for tasks such as assembly, inspection, maintenance, construction, and surface operations in environments where human labor is expensive, dangerous, or impractical. To move fast and drive cost down, we keep hardware, software, testing, and integration close together. This allows our team to learn from real tests, shorten development cycles, and reduce dependency on slow external handoffs. We are still early. The systems, the company, and the market are all being built at the same time. If you are the kind of person who finds energy in hard problems and wants to build through difficult challenges before the path is fully clear, GITAI may be the right place for you.   About The Role As an Operations Associate at GITAI, you will support the daily operations of a fast-moving hardware startup. This is an entry-level role designed for someone early in their career, but it is not a light administrative role. You will learn startup operations by doing the work directly: office operations, purchasing support, receiving and shipping, employee travel, internal events, benefits and onboarding support, vendor coordination, finance administration, and basic process documentation. We do not expect you to know everything on day one. We do expect you to notice problems, ask good questions, follow through, and close the loop. Small operational misses can cost engineers time, so reliability matters here. If you want a narrow office job with fixed tasks, this is not the right role. If you want to learn how a hard-tech startup actually runs, by helping with the daily work that keeps engineers and teams moving, this is a strong place to start.   What You’ll Support and Grow Into • Support daily workplace operations, including office organization, supplies, repairs, maintenance, mail, deliveries, vendor coordination, and workspace setup. • Help maintain a clean, safe, organized, and secure office environment for employees, candidates, visitors, and vendors. • Support purchasing and procurement operations, including purchase requests, vendor communication, purchasing system updates, documentation, order tracking, and internal follow-up. • Assist with receiving, shipping, inventory checks, and logistics coordination for office supplies, hardware-related items, and other daily operational needs. • Arrange employee travel, including hotels, flights, rental cars, and transportation, while following company policies and budget requirements. • Support external test-site operations, including contractor and vendor coordination, site visits, scheduling, purchasing follow-up, and occasional short business trips when needed. • Support employee-related operations, including onboarding logistics, benefits administration support, internal events, team activities, and other People Operations tasks. • Assist Accounting and Corporate teams with invoices, receipts, vendor records, reimbursement support, document collection, and other administrative work. • Create, update, and maintain simple internal procedures, checklists, and trackers so recurring work becomes faster and clearer. • Identify small operational problems and help resolve them before they become distractions for engineers, managers, or the leadership team. • Take on more responsibility as you learn the company and build trust.   What We’re Looking For  • Recent graduate or early-career candidate with strong execution ability. Prior internships, part-time work, campus jobs, student organization leadership, retail, hospitality, customer support, logistics, event operations, or other hands-on experience is helpful. • Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent practical experience. • Comfortable working fully onsite in Torrance, CA and supporting hands-on office operations, including receiving packages, moving supplies, setting up rooms, coordinating vendors, tracking orders, updating records, and handling daily office needs. • Strong attention to detail, follow-through, and ownership. You do not need years of experience, but you do need to be reliable with many small tasks. • Clear written and verbal communication. You will work with employees, managers, vendors, candidates, visitors, and external partners. • Comfortable using Google Workspace, Slack, spreadsheets, and common office software. You should be able to learn new tools quickly. • Ability to use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or similar tools responsibly to work faster and more accurately, including drafting documents, creating checklists, organizing information, summarizing details, and improving workflows. • Practical judgment and the ability to stay calm when priorities change during the day. • Comfortable with physical office tasks, including lifting and moving items up to 50 lbs as needed. • Willingness to support occasional local or regional business travel, including same-day trips or short overnight stays, for test-site setup, vendor coordination, or other operational needs. • Interest in learning how a fast-moving hardware startup operates from the inside.   Location and Position Type • Torrance, CA (On-Site) • Full-Time Regular Work Hours • 9 am - 5 pm Salary Range • $26 - $32/h  • Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Benefits • Health Insurance – Platinum medical plan with 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 90% for dependents • 401(k) Plan – Company match up to 3.5%, with traditional and Roth options • Time Off – 11 paid holidays per year, 12 days of paid vacation per year, and paid sick leave (in accordance with applicable law) • Office Perks – Free snacks and drinks, plus regular team events • Mission-Driven Culture – Work alongside passionate teammates on real space hardware • Cutting-Edge Work – Direct access to next-gen space robotics and flight hardware   No agency submissions, please. Compensation may include base salary or hourly pay and, depending on the position, equity. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, skillset, and other job-related factors. LA salary range $54,080 - $66,560 USD Important Notice • Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. • To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), GITAI Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable.  • GITAI USA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment with GITAI USA is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.