Business Operations Associate

About Cartesian

Cartesian is building spatial intelligence for indoor environments to drive operational efficiency. We’re tackling one of the biggest challenges in the $35T global retail industry: in-store inventory visibility. Our platform delivers accurate indoor positioning and actionable product location insights, helping retailers streamline operations, optimize workflows, and reduce inefficiencies. Leveraging RF signals, we provide a uniquely scalable, infrastructure-free solution already deployed by international fashion brands.

Founded by an MIT engineering professor and alumni behind award-winning, patented core technologies, Cartesian spun out in 2023. Originally backed by a U.S. National Science Foundation SBIR Award, we’ve bootstrapped to a live product now deployed in multiple countries and are scaling aggressively.

About the Role

We are looking for an Business Operations Associate to join Cartesian as we scale our business and customer deployments. This role is ideal for someone who is highly organized, detail-oriented, reliable, and excited to learn quickly in a fast-moving startup environment.

As an Operations Associate, you will work directly with company leadership to keep critical business processes running smoothly, support customer-facing activities, and build systems that help the company scale efficiently.

You will initially support recurring operational workflows across the business, then grow into owning and improving these processes as you build context and trust. This is a hands-on role with significant visibility across finance, operations, customer success, events, and general business operations.

Location: In-person in Kendall Square, Cambridge Salary: $65,000 - $80,000 annually

What You’ll Do

Own recurring operational workflows across finance, customer operations, office operations, and internal coordination

Build lightweight systems, checklists, documentation, and processes that make the team more efficient

Track deadlines, action items, vendors, invoices, customer logistics, and internal follow-ups to ensure nothing falls through the cracks

Support trade shows, conferences, customer visits, and company events from planning through execution

Support finance and accounting operations, including expense reconciliation, invoice processing, billing support, and vendor management

Support on-site office operations, including office organization, internal events, and procurement.

Support customer demos and pilot activities, ensuring smooth communication between customers, business teams, and engineering teams

Coordinate company travel, lodging, and logistics for employees and leadership

Handle scheduling, administrative coordination, and special projects that help the team operate smoothly

As the company scales, this role will continue to evolve with new opportunities for ownership and impact.

Qualifications

0-2 years of experience in operations, administration, project coordination, finance operations, accounting support, event management, customer success, or a related field

Exceptional organizational skills and strong attention to detail

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously

High degree of reliability, professionalism, and follow-through

Comfort working in a fast-paced startup environment with changing priorities

Strong problem-solving skills and willingness to take ownership of outcomes

Nice to Have

Experience with tools such as Ramp, Brex, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Notion, Airtable, Asana, or similar platforms

Experience supporting finance, bookkeeping, billing, events, travel, or customer-facing operations

Experience working in a startup, small team, or fast-moving environment

Why Cartesian

Work directly with the founders and leadership team at a fast-growing startup

Gain broad exposure to finance, operations, customer success, events, and go-to-market work

Take on work that directly affects customer deployments, internal operations, and company growth

Help build the systems and processes that allow Cartesian to scale from an early team into a larger company

Join a collaborative, ambitious team solving a real operational problem for major retailers

Grow with the company as the role expands and new areas of ownership emerge

If You’re Not Sure You’re a Perfect Fit

We know that no one checks every box—and we don’t expect you to. If this role sounds exciting to you, and you think you could contribute to Cartesian’s mission, we encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn’t perfectly match the description. We care deeply about people who are curious, thoughtful, and motivated to learn, and we believe strong teams are built from a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Interview Process

Introductory call to assess motivation and overall fit

Behavioral interview focused on ownership, organization, and problem solving

Practical exercise focused on prioritization, operations, or process design

Final in person interview with company leadership

Reference checks