Senior Director of Strategic Operations in Wheat Ridge, Colorado at Sarah O. Jewelry

Salary Range: $160,000 - $185,000
Type: Full time, salaried
Location: Wheat Ridge, CO, fully onsite
Schedule: Monday - Friday, standard business hours
Benefits: Health insurance (medical, dental, vision), PTO, 401(k) match, employee discounts
Reports to: CEO
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled

We believe every piece tells a story, one as unique as the person wearing it. Sarah O. is a woman-owned fine jewelry company known for our distinctive designs, ethically sourced materials, and thoughtful craftsmanship. Our collections blend timeless elegance with modern artistry, featuring everything from alternative bridal pieces to custom creations that celebrate life’s most meaningful moments.

We take pride in our collaborative, creative, and customer-focused culture. Whether designing in the studio, helping clients find their perfect ring, or crafting bespoke pieces that capture personal milestones, our team is passionate about creating jewelry that inspires connection, confidence, and joy.

Join us in bringing authenticity to the world of fine jewelry, one story at a time.

You’re a proactive, highly accountable senior operator and people leader who knows how to turn a CEO’s vision and company priorities into action. You naturally connect the dots across teams, initiatives, and business needs, anticipate what needs to happen next, and take ownership without waiting to be told where to look.

You’re a strong people leader who sets clear expectations, gives direct and constructive feedback, develops others, addresses performance issues, and creates accountability while building trust. You know how to lead both through direct reports and through influence across the organization.

You’re comfortable leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from strategy through execution, bringing structure to ambiguity, driving alignment among senior stakeholders, and keeping work moving without requiring the CEO to manage day-to-day coordination.

You bring strong business judgment and know how to move between strategic thinking and hands-on execution. You use data, context, and input from stakeholders to develop thoughtful recommendations, challenge assumptions when appropriate, and help leadership evaluate tradeoffs and determine the path forward.

Once a direction is set, you translate it into clear ownership, timelines, and accountability and drive the work through completion. You understand when to make decisions independently, when to build alignment, and when executive input is necessary.

You’re excited by the opportunity to potentially grow into broader operational leadership over time.

• Partner closely with the CEO to translate company strategy and priorities into clear plans, ownership, and execution.
• Lead complex, high-priority initiatives that span departments or do not naturally sit within a single function.
• Identify operational gaps, business risks, and growth opportunities and develop thoughtful recommendations for leadership.
• Evaluate and improve organizational structure, processes, ownership, and ways of working as the company grows.
• Manage multiple priorities independently, making thoughtful tradeoffs and maintaining momentum without ongoing direction.
• Define success measures and evaluate outcomes to ensure key initiatives deliver meaningful business impact.

• Build strong relationships across the Founder, CEO, Directors, and fractional leaders to drive alignment and execution.
• Lead cross-functional coordination, clarifying ownership, managing dependencies, and resolving blockers.
• Hold stakeholders accountable for commitments and deadlines while navigating competing priorities and perspectives.
• Lead and develop direct reports through clear expectations, ongoing feedback, coaching, and accountability.
• Partner with the CEO and HR on organizational needs, including talent, capacity, and change initiatives.

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the CEO, bringing an organization-wide perspective to priorities, challenges, and opportunities.
• Develop analyses and recommendations that clearly outline key considerations, tradeoffs, risks, and proposed next steps.
• Maintain visibility into key company priorities, decisions, and commitments and drive follow-through.
• Exercise strong judgment around what requires CEO involvement and what can be resolved independently.
• Help create greater leverage for the CEO by strengthening ownership and accountability across the organization.

• Lead the leadership team’s operating cadence, including planning, meetings, decision tracking, and follow-through.
• Own and continuously improve the annual operating calendar and recurring planning and review processes.
• Maintain visibility into the status, risks, dependencies, and outcomes of key organizational initiatives.
• Analyze operational, financial, customer, and company data to identify trends and inform decision-making.
• Build and improve scalable processes, SOPs, and operating infrastructure as the company grows.
• Support key leadership hiring and onboarding, executive presentations, research, and quarterly and annual strategy sessions.
• Identify opportunities to use technology and AI to improve efficiency, communication, decision-making, and company operations.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in business operations, corporate strategy, management consulting, or strategic program leadership, including experience at the Director or senior leadership level.
• Proven ability to lead complex, company-wide initiatives from strategy through execution and deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Strong executive presence and business judgment, with the ability to advise senior leaders, evaluate tradeoffs, and turn ambiguity into clear recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and drive alignment and accountability across executives, Directors, and cross-functional teams.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to use data and business context to inform decisions and priorities.
• Experience building and improving operating systems, planning processes, and organizational infrastructure as a company grows.
• Comfortable operating with significant autonomy in a fast-moving, founder-led environment while remaining hands-on when needed.
• Working knowledge of HR and finance and the ability to partner effectively across both functions.
• Preferred: Experience in retail, jewelry, luxury, or another fast-paced consumer business.

Sarah O. is an equal opportunity employer, passionately committed to equitable hiring and boldly dedicated to diversity in our work and teams. We do not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions), age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, uniformed service member status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, you might be the right candidate for this or other roles.