Operations Associate

NOX METALS
Ferndale, US
On-siteCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

Operations candidates with problem-solving acumen and a willingness to take initiative will find this hands-on, high-impact role in a fast-growing startup environment

Best fit for

  • Candidates with cross-functional experience and a history of building projects or teams
    — “Someone who has built something: a business, a side hustle, a club, a team, even if it didn't work out”
  • Individuals who thrive in dynamic settings and are comfortable with ambiguity
    — “You'll get handed problems nobody has solved yet”
  • People who can bridge operational and analytical roles with strong spreadsheet skills
    — “Strong with spreadsheets and comfortable with numbers”

Things to consider

  • This role requires a significant time commitment, with 60 to 80 hour workweeks expected
    — “expect 60 to 80 hours a week for the foreseeable future”
  • Candidates must be prepared to work in-person in Detroit, with no remote flexibility
    — “This role is full time, in person in Detroit”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your ability to own projects end to end and resolve complex issues
    — “Own projects end to end, from figuring out the problem to getting it fixed”
  • Emphasize your adaptability and eagerness to learn new skills quickly
    — “Smart, and quick to learn things you've never done before”
  • Showcase your experience with data analysis and how you've used it to drive decisions
    — “Dig into the numbers behind the operation... and use them to make the case for what we do next”
  • Demonstrate your comfort with both operational and managerial responsibilities
    — “Work with shift leads, quality, receiving, and shipping to hit our daily order targets”
  • Position yourself as a proactive problem-solver who doesn't wait for direction
    — “You don't need a manufacturing background... they wanted to work hard, took whatever job needed doing”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • learn factory operations
  • keep GM organized
  • own projects end to end
  • use data to make decisions
  • hit daily order targets
Typical background
willingness to work hardquick learnerhigh agency

Skills & requirements

Required

Factory OperationsProject ManagementProblem-solvingSpreadsheetsSOP Adherence

Preferred

Manufacturing ExperienceLeadershipStartup ExperienceAI Tools

Stack & domain

Factory OperationsProject ManagementSpreadsheetsSopsThoroughnessHigh AgencyQuick LearningCommunicationLeadershipProblem-solvingManufacturingSupply Chain

About the role

Original posting from NOX METALS via Ashby

Operations Associate | Nox Metals | Detroit, MI

About Nox Metals. American factories deserve a supply chain that moves as fast as they do. Nox Metals is building it, along with the tools that run it. We’re a technology company in Metro Detroit supplying aluminum plate, bar, and rounds to aerospace and defense manufacturers. We use software and automation to supply metal to American factories faster than the industry thought possible.

The role. We're hiring an Operations Associate to be our General Manager's right hand. This is not a 40-hour job. You'll work across the factory floor and the office, learn how the whole operation runs, and keep it moving. You'll get handed problems nobody has solved yet. Take them as far as you can, and when you get stuck, come back with what you tried and what you think we should do next.

As Nox opens new plants and our GM spends time getting them running, you're the person who keeps Detroit running without missing a beat. You report to the General Manager.

You don't need a manufacturing background. Some of the people who've grown fastest here came from finance, engineering, and supply chain. What they had in common: they wanted to work hard, took whatever job needed doing, and figured it out.

Shift hours:

Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM to 4:00 PM on paper. In reality, expect 60 to 80 hours a week for the foreseeable future, including early mornings, late nights, and weekends.

You will:

· Learn the factory inside and out: how an order moves from quote to cut to ship, and where it gets stuck

· Keep our GM organized: track priorities, follow up on open items, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks

· Own projects end to end, from figuring out the problem to getting it fixed

· Dig into the numbers behind the operation, like capacity, labor hours, cost per unit, and on-time shipping, and use them to make the case for what we do next

· Work with shift leads, quality, receiving, and shipping to hit our daily order targets

· Step in wherever the operation needs you, on the floor or in the office

· Follow every SOP, and tell us when one is broken so we can fix it

You are:

· Thorough: you finish the job and check your own work

· High agency: you don't wait for permission or perfect directions

· Smart, and quick to learn things you've never done before

· Ready to work 60 to 80 hour weeks while we build this, and still sharp at the end of them

· Someone who has built something: a business, a side hustle, a club, a team, even if it didn't work out

· Comfortable on a factory floor and with the people who work there

· A clear, direct communicator who can tell a manager what's wrong and how to fix it

· Strong with spreadsheets and comfortable with numbers

· Never says "that's not my job"

Nice to have:

· Manufacturing, operations, or supply chain experience

· Experience leading people, in any setting

· Experience at a startup or fast-growing company

· Comfortable using AI tools to work faster and smarter

Pay and benefits:

· $70,000 to $80,000 salary, based on experience

· Equity in Nox Metals

· Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance

This role is full time, in person in Detroit.

Nox Metals is an equal opportunity employer. We hire based on skill, attitude, and fit for the work, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, height, weight, marital status, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law.

Source: NOX METALS careers (Ashby)

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