**Role Overview:** The Strategic Operations Associate will start supporting Pearl Talent’s marketing and growth team by executing high-impact outreach and operational tasks across evolving priorities. This is a generalist role built for adaptable, self-directed individuals who thrive with clear objectives and the autonomy to hit them. Your first assignment will focus on manual backlinking and citation outreach—identifying opportunities from AI citation data and reaching out to publishers to secure brand mentions and backlinks for Pearl Talent. As workflows are validated and automated, you’ll transition into new strategic operations tasks. This role is ideal for sharp, resourceful operators who learn fast, write naturally, and deliver consistently without constant oversight. Your ImpactYour outreach directly increases Pearl Talent’s visibility in both traditional search engines and AI-generated recommendations. By securing backlinks and brand mentions across high-value third-party sites, you help Pearl show up when startup founders ask tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity where to find top remote talent. The data you collect during the manual phase informs the automation systems that will scale this work. Every outreach you send is a data point that makes the whole operation smarter. **Areas of Responsibility:** Publisher Outreach & Contact Research — 40% - Receive curated target lists of 25–50 citation opportunities from the marketing strategist (sourced from AI citation tracking tools) - Research each target to identify the right contact—article author, editor, content manager, or webmaster—using LinkedIn, email finders, and manual investigation - Personalize and send outreach emails using scenario-specific templates (backlink request for sites that mention Pearl; inclusion pitch for sites that don’t) - Manage follow-up sequences for non-responders (up to 2 follow-ups per target) Response Handling & Escalation — 20% - Flag positive responses immediately to the internal marketing team for negotiation - Prepare ready-made content (blurbs, link text, article snippets) to make publisher inclusion frictionless - Escalate requests involving payment, link exchanges, or special terms—do not negotiate independently Tracking, Reporting & Data Quality — 20% - Maintain the master outreach tracking sheet with daily updates on status, contacts, response notes, and outcomes - Report daily in Slack on volume sent, responses received, and blockers - Submit weekly summary reports covering outreach volume, response rates, confirmed wins, and observations Flexible Operations (Evolving Scope) — 20% - As backlinking workflows are automated, transition into new growth tasks as assigned - Potential future tasks include: community-based brand engagement (Reddit, LinkedIn, Quora), content gap research from AI citation data, competitor intelligence gathering, CMS updates and internal linking audits, and outreach for additional client accounts - Bring new ideas, tools, and process improvements to the team proactively

• Operational Implementation: Develop, document, and continuously refine standard operating procedures to improve clarity, consistency, and day-to-day execution across departments. • Process Optimization: Proactively identify operational bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and implement practical process improvements that streamline workflows and strengthen team accountability. • KPI Tracking & Accountability: Design, roll out, and maintain performance metrics and dashboards that provide visibility into results, reinforce billing discipline, and ensure alignment with firm targets. • Expense Oversight & Cost Control: Monitor operational expenses, strengthen financial hygiene and billing oversight, and execute cost-control initiatives aligned with the firm’s 5% expense reduction goal. • Strategic Growth: Refine and reinforce existing systems and workflows to ensure the firm can scale efficiently while maintaining operational consistency and control as it grows.

• Support the day-to-day execution of Driver Operations function • Serve as a primary support contact for drivers regarding general questions, issues, and requests • Manage inbound driver cases related to performance concerns, compliance issues, and account status • Coordinate driver onboarding activities, including documentation collection and system setup • Investigate and resolve driver payment issues, discrepancies, and inquiries

• Develop and execute comprehensive strategy for Airspace’s driver network aligned with company growth objectives • Serve as the primary internal and external representative for Driver Operations, representing the function to senior leadership, customers and external partners • Lead driver performance management strategy through the development and execution of scalable processes that ensure quality, reliability, and consistency across the national network • Identify and capitalize on strategic opportunities for network optimization, cost efficiency and service improvement • Lead planning and execution of driver network expansion for major new customers and market expansions • Design and implement driver sourcing, recruitment, and onboarding strategies to ensure coverage aligns with demand requirements at launch • Coordinate cross-functional launch efforts, ensuring seamless integration of driver capabilities with customer needs • Establish launch playbooks and best practices for repeatable, scalable driver network expansion • Partner closely with leadership to optimize driver compensation structures and drive strategic cost decisions • Develop and implement cost optimization strategies for driver network while maintaining service quality and retention • Analyze driver economics, utilization rates, and market dynamics to inform compensation and incentive strategies • Support margin objectives through efficient driver deployment and cost-per-delivery optimization • Partner closely with the Director of Vendor Management to ensure strategic alignment on capacity, coverage, and growth initiatives • Collaborate on sourcing and onboarding strategy for driver network expansion to meet business needs • Ensure driver operations strategy aligns with vendor management strategy to create unified service delivery approach • Maintain high-level oversight of driver capacity planning without involvement in daily tactical execution • Lead and develop a team of at least three direct reports with broader organizational responsibility for the extended downline • Build organizational capacity in driver recruitment, performance management, training and retention • Create clear accountability structures that enable Driver Operations Managers to excel in operational execution while leadership focuses on strategic impact • Foster a culture of continuous improvement and proactive problem-solving