Operational Assistant Jobs in Union, NJ (NOW HIRING)

Home Surplus is a multi-location retail warehouse superstore for cabinets, doors, and more, featuring in-stock products, expert design, and outstanding customer service at value prices. After operating as a single location for over 60 years, Home Surplus has expanded to five stores in New Jersey and Maryland in recent years as it grows into a national footprint.

This is not a traditional Executive Assistant position. While the role includes administrative and coordination responsibilities, it is designed for someone who wants broad exposure to operations, systems, reporting, leadership, and business decision-making within a growing company.

The Assistant serves as a highly trusted extension of the COO in a growing, operationally complex company. The position requires someone who can quickly learn the business, build credibility throughout the organization, and operate as the COO's eyes and ears at times. The Assistant will help drive accountability, track priorities, coordinate follow-up, gather operational information, reduce bottlenecks, improve follow-through and represent the COO professionally in certain meetings, store visits, and operational discussions when appropriate.

This individual must be highly organized, proactive, adaptable, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment where priorities shift frequently, and many responsibilities overlap.

Over time, the right person will develop a deep understanding of the business and become a trusted operational partner capable of identifying issues early, escalating concerns appropriately, and helping improve organizational execution.

• Support the COO across a broad range of operational, administrative, analytical, and organizational responsibilities.
• Track action items, operational priorities, deadlines, and follow-through across multiple departments.
• Pull data, generate reports, and become highly functional within the company ERP system (NetSuite).
• Assist in gathering operational information needed for decision-making.
• Identify problems, gaps, inconsistencies, or unresolved issues and communicate them clearly.
• Build strong working relationships across stores, the distribution center, and corporate functions despite limited formal authority.
• Help create structure, organization, and accountability in an evolving business environment.
• Handle a mix of high-level operational exposure and detailed administrative or clerical work as needed.
• Act as an extension of the COO in communications, follow-up, and day-to-day operational coordination.
• Participate in store visits, operational reviews, and meetings; in some situations, eventually represent the COO independently.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, proactive, intellectually curious, and eager to learn the business deeply rather than simply complete assigned tasks. This person should be comfortable balancing strategic exposure with detailed execution work.

Success in the role requires someone who:

• Anticipates needs instead of waiting for direction.
• Learns systems and workflows quickly.
• Communicates professionally with leaders and frontline employees alike.
• Earns trust and credibility through competence, consistency, and follow-through.
• Is adaptable in communication style and comfortable interacting with many personality types.
• Is a strong listener with good judgment and low ego.
• Can influence and build relationships without relying on formal authority.
• Is comfortable "living in the details" while also understanding broader business priorities

MUST HAVE a 4 year bachelors degree at minimum.

This position is designed to get the COO into a heads-up posture, while fostering broad exposure to operations, systems, finance, reporting, stores, supply chain, and organizational leadership. The long-term expectation is not necessarily for the individual to remain in the role indefinitely. After 2-3 years, strong performers may ultimately grow into operational or functional leadership paths. Therefore, this role may be especially attractive to an ambitious early-career professional currently constrained in a siloed role, who is seeking accelerated exposure, responsibility, and long-term growth opportunity within a growing company.