Operations Associate

The Organization

What if K-12 education were designed to help all students develop lives of meaning and purpose? Wayfinder was founded at the Stanford d.school to answer this question. Our goal is to double our impact each year for the coming years. Our vision is to become the preeminent future-readiness curriculum company in the world — leading the global movement of purpose, meaning, and belonging-based education worldwide. 

What We Value

You’ll be joining a team of incredibly motivated and dedicated staff members committed to living our organization's values. We work collaboratively across teams, and we feel and act like a purpose-driven organization. To the best of our abilities, each person’s role aligns with their own sense of purpose, which feeds into Wayfinder’s larger sense of purpose.

Read this article about our workplace culture in Conscious Company.

We value equal access, inclusive community, and belonging, and these values are represented in our product, our team, and our school partners.

Product: We develop our learning tools using human-centered design principles. We work with grade-level experts to ensure our curriculum is developmentally appropriate and engaging at all levels. Every Wayfinder lesson is supported by relevant research, prototyped in classrooms, and vetted by teachers over rounds of feedback and iteration. We use Universal Design for Learning principles to give every student an equal opportunity to succeed.

Team: Our team is composed of people from all different backgrounds and walks of life. We intentionally recruit, hire, and work with people of all identities + experiences. We focus on belonging: being connected, accepted, and valued by the people around us. 

School Partners: We intentionally target a wide array of educational partners, from traditional to non-traditional, that work with a range of students from different socioeconomic groups. We’ve taught our curriculum in high-need schools in the Bronx, independent schools in Silicon Valley, and after-school programs in San Antonio.

The Role

Wayfinder is looking for a full-time Operations Associate to join our team! The ideal candidate will maintain keen attention to detail while operating in a fast-moving startup environment. The Operations Associate will contribute to Wayfinder financial operations, sales operations, and business operations efforts. Reporting to the Senior Operations Manager, the Operations Associate should be highly adaptable and able to make contributions across a wide range of projects. 

This is an ideal role for someone interested in developing a broad skill set and wanting to get a front row seat to the behind-the-scenes operations of a fast-growing, venture-backed EdTech startup.

We strongly encourage people from traditionally underrepresented populations in tech - such as women, People of Color, People with Disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people, etc - to apply!

Responsibilities

• Support Wayfinder’s back-to-school fulfillment season by placing orders, tracking progress, and troubleshooting issues in close partnership with our printing/shipping vendor
• Support Accounts Payable by processing bill payments and coordinating approvals and coding so bills are paid on time and accurately recorded.
• Liaise with customers to ensure timely payment of invoices and support an effective Accounts Receivable (AR) system
• Monitor and triage multiple company email inboxes, responding to requests, routing messages to the right owners, and keeping communications organized and easy to find
• Contribute to maintaining an accurate and actionable CRM (Salesforce) by updating accounts, pulling reports, and conducting analyses, as needed
• Supported Wayfinder’s sales tax process by requesting and managing exemption certificates, tracking state-by-state requirements, supporting state registrations, and helping maintain ongoing compliance.
• Work cross-departmentally to strategize and develop improvements and processes that contribute to the operational success of Wayfinder
• Supported Business Operations by maintaining accurate company records and documentation (e.g., W-9s, insurance, corporate details), and providing information to customers and sales reps as needed.
• Provide day-to-day tech support and reinforced company tech compliance (access, tools, and basic troubleshooting)
• Support People Operations with Onboarding & Offboarding of Employees, Contractors, and other strategic partners

Requirements

Qualifications

• Business or Finance bachelor’s degree, or 2-3 years of relevant experience in an Operations/Admin role  preferred
• Highly proficient in the Google Suite (Gmail, Docs, Slides, Sheets)
• Strong organizational and analytical skills—great at catching the small details that really matter
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and work ethic
• Ability to work independently and as a team player
• Self-starter who can learn new tools and processes independently – ready to dive in and figure it out
• Tech savvy —you don’t need to know it all, but you can learn quickly and then teach/help someone else.
• Craves context, excited by being an expert, wants to understand all aspects of what they are doing, and doesn’t leave questions unanswered

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience working in Salesforce
• Experience working in Maxio and QuickBooks
• Experience working in K12 Education 
• Passion for purpose driven work
• A background in Finance, Operations, Executive Assisting, or similar roles

Benefits

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation - Salary range of $55,000-$70,000 commensurate with experience and location.

Benefits: We offer a competitive package that is based on location and experience. We also offer the following benefits:

• Stock: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
• 401k: We care about your ability to save for your future.
• Family Focus: Parental leave and flexibility for families.
• Time Off: Flexible vacation policy to encourage people to get out and see the world.
• Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision policies.
• Goodies: Whatever hardware and software you need to get the job done.
• Team Fun: Regularly scheduled events, annual retreat, and celebrations.
• Learning: Learning & Development Opportunities to grow your skills and career.
• Great team: Working with fun, hard-working, kind people committed to making a difference!
• Flexible culture: We are results-focused. We don’t work at the office every day.
• And much more! Lots of other perks make this company an incredible place to work.

Location

Remote work. Wayfinders’ regular operating hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The daily work schedule may vary depending on the crew in which you are working.

Next Steps, If Interested

If you are interested, please fill out the Application Form on Workable. Applications will close at 9AM PST on Friday, March 27th.

EEO Statement 

At Wayfinder, we don’t just accept differences — we celebrate them, we support them, and we thrive on them for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Wayfinder is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Pay Transparency 

Wayfinder compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to job location, a candidate's education, training, experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value analysis including seniority and merit systems, as well as internal pay alignment. Annual salary is just one component of Wayfinder’s total compensation package. Additionally, Wayfinder provides a variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance coverage, a monthly stipend, office buildout stipend, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and paid time off. Compensation ranges may differ based on contract value but will be commensurate with job duties and relevant work experience. An applicant's salary history will not be used in determining compensation.

Reasonable Accommodations

Wayfinder is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, contact HR at peopleoperations@withwayfinder.com. 

Additional Notice

Please note that this job description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible responsibilities, tasks, and duties.