Technical Operations Manager Jobs in San Rafael, CA

EQL Tech is a globally-connected executive search firm built for the next generation of tech and philanthropy. We work exclusively with mission-driven organisations - philanthropic foundations, frontier tech companies and emerging startups - placing the c-suite leaders, founding team members and mission-critical contributors who will shape their success.

We are based in San Francisco and the UK, with deep networks across the leading science and technology ecosystems across the US, in Europe and in Asia. We operate on a retained, exclusive basis and lead a diverse range of highly specialist searches at any one time. That choice is deliberate: it lets us go deep on every search rather than work a high-volume pipeline, and it means the quality of our operations is not a back-office concern - it is the product.

We are building the operational spine of the firm. To grow the number of searches we can hold at once without diluting the depth clients retain us for, we must continue to improve the quality of our delivery. We need someone to own process, systems, data and candidate experience end-to-end - turning a founder-led practice into a repeatable, high-quality engine.

This is not a coordinator role with a senior title. You will own processes end to end. You will design processes, implement them, refine them and influence key decisions as we architect our core product-backed service offering and platform growth. If you are excellent, you will become the reason we can take on a search and know, on day one, exactly how it will be run.

You will work directly with the founder and a senior team, with real ownership from the start and no layers between you and the work that matters. We hire for the long term and back people who raise the firm's ceiling.

Search operations. Run the operational backbone of every retained search - co-develop the search strategy, collate all necessary materials & outreach collateral, stand it up in the ATS, structure the pipeline, hold the research and outreach cadence, and keep each search on track against its milestones from brief to onboarding. You are the person who always knows the true state of every search.

Systems & infrastructure. Own and continuously improve our tooling stack. Design the workflows, templates and trackers that let a small senior team punch far above its size. Build the playbook that makes our quality repeatable rather than heroic.

Client-grade outputs. Produce and quality-control the artefacts clients see - search strategy overviews, marketing materials, process documents, calibration lists, dedicated search dashboards & trackers, long-lists with assessment summaries, shortlist documents, candidate write-ups, interview preparation notes, reference summaries, status reports. Everything that leaves the firm should look like it came from the market leader in our space because - to our client partners - that's who we already are.

Candidate experience. Manage extensive correspondence, coordinate scheduling across timezones, deliver decisions/outcomes, manage feedback processes. Help ensure that every person we touch - placed or not - comes away with a high opinion of us. Our reputation in small, referral-driven talent pools depends on it.

Data & reporting. Maintain pipeline metrics and search dashboards, run the firm's reporting rhythm, and turn search data into something the founder and clients can act on.

Compliance & vendor operations. Own data protection, candidate data hygiene, vendor onboarding and the operational admin that keeps a cross-border firm clean and credible.

Requirements

• 4+ years in a role that demanded exceptional structure and judgement - management consulting, strategy, chief-of-staff or operations roles, executive search, or in-house talent at an organisation with an unusually high bar. We care far more about how you think and operate than about which industry you come from; recruitment experience is welcome but not required.

• A systems-builder. You have stood up or rebuilt a process, a workflow or an operations function - not just worked within one someone else designed. An ATS or search process is a plus; the underlying instinct matters more than the specific tool. You're excited about using AI to build, refine and scale workstreams, not resistant to it.
• Exceptional organisation and judgement. You hold many moving parts at once and drop nothing. When priorities collide, you make the right call and move.
• Client-grade written communication. Your documents are clear, precise and considered. People assume you are more senior than you are.
• High agency, used to operating with a sense of urgency and comfortable with ambiguity. You are energised, not unsettled, by building the thing that doesn't exist yet.
• Discretion. You will sit close to senior, sensitive and confidential networks and treat them accordingly.

Bonus: exposure to frontier tech, science or philanthropy; fluency with AI & tech platforms; genuine data fluency; a track record at an organisation known for operational excellence.

Benefits

• Competitive salary calibrated to the cost of living in your home town/city.
• Pension/401k contributions
• Health insurance
• Enhanced holidays
• Professional development budget