Founding Operations Lead

Why Zania

Every enterprise spends millions of dollars on Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC). It's one of the most critical, yet universally painful, parts of running a business. For decades, this industry has been dominated by legacy systems with notoriously low NPS scores, making it totally ripe for disruption.

Zania is building agentic AI for Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) to solve this massive problem. We are on a rocketship trajectory, creating intelligent agents that automate and augment the most complex risk and compliance workflows. We have found exceptional product-market fit and are scaling our team very quickly. Some reasons to join Zania are:

• Dream Customers: Our customers are the most notable enterprises in the world, including FAANG, Big 4 firms and a portfolio of top customers.

• Tier 1 Backing: Funded by a leading Tier 1 venture capital fund, giving us the resources to build a generational company.

• World-Class Team: Zania is hiring the best. Our team includes AI and Security leaders from Airbnb, Microsoft, Bain & Company, Deloitte, PwC, Brex, and Instacart.

• Pioneering Technology: Our engineers and GRC experts work at the absolute forefront of applied AI, building the next generation of agentic systems that will define the future of compliance.

• Hyper-Growth: We have seen 10x ARR growth in the last year and are rapidly expanding.

• Competitive Compensation & Equity.

Role Overview

As our Founding Operations Lead, you’ll own how Zania executes and scales internally. You’ll work closely with founders and functional leaders to build the operating foundation of the company—across finance, systems, processes, and cross-functional execution—so the team can move fast without breaking.

This is a high-impact, hands-on role for someone who enjoys turning ambiguity into action. You’ll design core operating workflows, run strategic initiatives that cut across teams, and help define how a fast-growing Series A/B company actually runs day to day.

What you'll do

• Own core business operations: Build and improve processes across finance, vendor management, tooling, and internal workflows to support rapid growth.

• Drive cross-functional execution: Partner with Product, Go-To-Market, and Customer teams to scope, execute, and operationalize strategic initiatives.

• Build scalable systems: Stand up and maintain operational tooling (CRM hygiene, project tracking, internal documentation, reporting dashboards).

• Support financial and people operations: Manage budgeting processes, spend tracking, vendor contracts, people contracts, and coordination with external accounting and legal partners.

• Design the operating cadence: Help run planning cycles, reviews, and leadership operating rhythms to keep teams aligned and executing against priorities.

• Lead special projects: Take on high-priority, ambiguous initiatives directly from the founders and drive them to completion.

What You Have

• Experience: 4+ years in Business Operations, Chief of Staff, or equivalent roles at a Series A or Series B startup, with direct exposure to scaling teams, systems, and processes.

• Execution Strength: Proven ability to own complex, cross-functional projects end-to-end in fast-moving environments.

• Analytical & Systems Thinking: Comfortable working with data, tools, and workflows to diagnose problems and implement practical solutions.

• Mindset: Thrives in high-growth, high-ambiguity settings; energized by building structure from zero and improving how a company operates.

• Ownership: Takes responsibility for outcomes, not just inputs; comfortable making decisions with imperfect information.

• Location: Based in (or willing to relocate to) Palo Alto, working in-person with the team five days a week.

• Flexible PTO policy.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Meals and snacks in the office

• Relocation and immigration support

Zania is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition, or any other basis protected by law.