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Head of Operations/Program Lead (Founding)San Francisco | Full-Time | Early-Stage

About Fare

Fare is building a new national transparency standard for clean food, backed by third-party testing to verify purity and nutritional quality. We turn independent laboratory data into defensible verification and transparency infrastructure for food. We are building category-defining infrastructure for food transparency.

The Role

We are hiring an operator who will build & lead the operational infrastructure behind Fare’s testing and verification programs. This role is responsible for designing, executing, and continuously improving the systems that support sampling workflows, laboratory coordination, chain-of-custody integrity, and operational system design. You will build the executional backbone that supports national expansion. This role sits directly alongside the CEO to build operational structure that scales.

Core Responsibilities

  • Sampling & Field Operations
    • Design and manage end-to-end sampling workflows for food (meat, dairy, produce, CPG)
    • Manage sample collection kits (BOM, inventory, distribution, replenishment)
    • Ensure SOP compliance for cold chain, handling, labeling, and documentation
    • Track samples across all stages and resolve breakdowns quickly
    • Maintain complete, organized, defensible records
  • Laboratory & Testing Coordination
    • Serve as primary operational contact for partner laboratories
    • Coordinate testing panels, pricing, volume planning, and turnaround times
    • Ensure submission accuracy and documentation completeness
    • Manage retests, discrepancies, and exceptions
  • Chain-of-Custody & Compliance
    • Maintain rigorous traceability standards
    • Align processes with ISO 17025 expectations
    • Support audit readiness and defensibility
    • Maintain version control of SOPs and operational documentation
  • Systems & Process Development
    • Convert informal processes into repeatable, scalable workflows
    • Build tracking systems and dashboards
    • Identify operational risk, cost drivers, and bottlenecks
    • Implement process improvements ahead of scale

Preferred Experience

  • Food testing, food safety, life sciences, or environmental testing
  • Familiarity with ISO 17025 or regulated lab environments
  • Experience coordinating distributed or field-based teams

Who You Are

  • 3+ years in operations, program management, QA, lab operations, supply chain, or regulated systems
  • Builder mindset. You create structure where none exists
  • Detail-obsessed and commercially aware
  • Comfortable operating in early-stage environments
  • Strong process discipline and organizational rigor
  • You fix broken systems instead of tolerating them

Why This Role Is Different

You will help define the operational DNA of a new national food transparency standard.

Compensation

Competitive early-stage compensation with meaningful equity participation.

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