Strategy & Operations Associate Principal
Designer Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage tech companies using design to improve health, sustainability, or prosperity for people. It backs founding teams, particularly those with design backgrounds, across sectors like fintech, healthcare, climate tech, and developer tools.
About Designer Fund
Designer Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in tech companies leveraging design to drive positive outcomes in health, sustainability, and financial prosperity. Its portfolio spans a wide range of sectors including financial infrastructure (Stripe), preventative health (Omada), collaborative tools (Notion), developer tools (Netlify), product management (Linear), payroll and benefits (Gusto), design tools (Framer), and healthcare infrastructure (Commure), among dozens of other companies across fintech, climate tech, healthcare, EdTech, and AI. The firm also runs 'Designer Founders,' a community and platform highlighting designers who have gone on to found and lead companies, reflecting its focus on backing design-driven founders and design-centric startups from early stages through growth and acquisition.
Skills
About the Role
You'll manage the daily onsite operations of Via's transportation service, making sure everything runs smoothly to provide riders with safe, reliable, and accessible transportation. You'll make real-time decisions about fleet, driver supply, compliance, rider needs, and unexpected issues, stepping in quickly to keep service excellent and dependable. You'll oversee the full employee lifecycle for drivers, including scheduling, PTO approvals, daily inquiries, and performance conversations. You'll manage driver work schedules to ensure the right number of vehicles are in service to meet demand, and you'll act as the operational bridge between city partners, drivers, unions, and community leaders. You'll use data and technology to diagnose problems and implement solutions, ensure compliance with regulations, and lead, coach, and develop an engaged team of drivers. This is a fully in-person role requiring you to be onsite 4-5 days per week, with occasional early mornings or evenings.
Requirements
- Minimum of 3+ years of experience
- Bachelor's degree
- Independent self-starter comfortable in fast-paced environments with high responsibility
- Savvy and tactful communicator
- Detail-oriented and action-oriented executor
- Experienced leader with extensive experience leading support teams
- Flexible and adaptable to rapid change
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Based in the Fort Worth area or willing to relocate
Responsibilities
- Manage the daily onsite operations of the service
- Make informed, real-time decisions about fleet, driver supply, compliance, rider needs, and unexpected issues
- Manage the full employee lifecycle for drivers including scheduling, PTO approvals, daily inquiries, and performance conversations
- Manage driver work schedules to ensure appropriate vehicle availability to meet demand
- Act as the operational bridge between city partners, drivers, unions, and community leaders
- Use data and technology to understand service performance, diagnose problems, and implement solutions
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, local and company policies, procedures and regulations
- Lead, coach and develop an engaged team of drivers
Benefits
- Free medical plans
- 401K matching
