Happy Friday, and welcome to Edition 50 of Ali Rohde Jobs!
Excited to kick off our new “Operator of the Day” series below, to showcase operators whose careers and paths others can learn from. In the future, I will share a form where you can nominate yourself or others to be featured.
As usual, feel free to follow Ali Rohde Jobs on LinkedIn or Twitter, or book a time to chat with me here. - Ali
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Operator of the day: Wafic El-Assi, Product Operations Manager at Uber & Mentor at Skillful
Welcome to our new Operator of the Day series! Wafic grew up in the Middle East before attending the University of Toronto, where he studied civil engineering. He started his career as an engineer on construction sites, but quickly realized this life was not for him. He pivoted to the world of academia at the University of Toronto working on transportation modeling research. There, he developed strong analytical skills and started immersing himself in the Toronto startup scene. This helped him land a job as a Data Scientist at a startup, where he built ML-driven products. Wafic is now at Uber, where he’s held multiple roles across BizOps and product.
What’s 1 piece of advice you have for others just starting their careers?
Explore and Exploit. I actually just wrote a piece on this. When you’re just starting out, you have a lot of time and greenfield to explore. This is the time to join networks, build side projects, try different roles through internships, consulting engagements, etc. Figure out where you thrive, and what type of work puts you in that creative zone. And then, once you find it, double down.
What skills do you rely on most often, and how did you build these skills?
Analytical rigor: I was lucky to start my career in data science, which has come in handy even at my current role at Uber. My analytical thinking is pivotal in supporting experimental design and analysis efforts on a highly technical team.
Communications: Given my technical background, communication and stakeholder management skills did not come naturally. I was fortunate to have great mentors and colleagues who were there to help. They were kind enough to review my decks, or lend an ear for a mock presentation prior to an important meeting. I also push myself to network and partner with others on interesting new projects, just to be vulnerable and strengthen those skills.
What resource do you rely on again and again?
Antifragile had a big impact on me and how I build my brand and skillset. It’s part of the reason I’ve done roles across so many verticals in tech — to be anti-fragile and ready to evolve with the times.
I’d also recommend being in groups and networks that lift you up. For me, that’s Skillful and the Renaissance Collective.
If people want to learn more about you, where should they go?
Who are other operators we should feature?
Highly recommend Alex Palmer, Head of Growth at Skillful, and Shane Parkhill, Head of Ops at KOHO!
Resource of the day: Skiplevel deal
Skiplevel — the program I mentioned 2 weeks ago that helps non-engineering tech professionals become more technical without learning how to code — is running a holiday promo!
Started by engineer Irene Yu, rather than coding, Skiplevel focuses on helping these professionals build a fundamental understanding of software, be able to communicate from a technical perspective, and understand the process of developing software.
Use code WELCOME2022 for $35 off program enrollment. Expires 12/31.
Role of the day: Chief of Staff & Special Projects Manager at Ruggable. Based in LA.
Ruggable is a Los Angeles-based, venture-backed, rapidly growing e-commerce startup that is disrupting the $7B rug industry and revolutionizing the market for residential rugs. Our patented 2-Piece Rug System allows you to remove the top layer of your rug and wash it in your home washing machine, offering an affordable, stylish and convenient solution for young families, pet owners, and busy individuals.
More details:
Chief of Staff roles
Chief of Staff, Loom (Communications Software, Series C, YC, backed by Sequoia), Remote, US
Chief of Staff, Wreno (HR, Early-stage), Atlanta, GA / Phoenix, AZ / Palo Alto, CA / Remote
Chief of Staff to CEO, Unit21 (DevTools, Series B, backed by ICONIQ), SF
Chief of Staff to the Founding Team, Automate Medical (Healthcare, Seed), Remote
Chief of Staff, Method Financial (Fintech, Seed, YC), Austin / Remote
Chief of Staff, Clari (Analytics, Series E, backed by Sequoia), Sunnyvale, CA
Chief of Staff, Ninety.io (Productivity, Series A), Remote, US
Chief of Staff, Genies (Media and Entertainment, Series B, backed by NEA), Los Angeles
Chief of Staff, Zum (Transportation, Series D, backed by Sequoia), SF
Chief of Staff, Bodily (Healthcare, Early-stage), Brooklyn, NY / Remote
Chief of Staff, Perelel (Healthcare, Early-stage), Los Angeles
BizOps roles
Business Operations Associate, Sika Health (Healthcare, Early-stage), NYC / Remote
Revenue Operations Manager, Rewatch (Video Streaming, Series A, backed by a16z), Remote, US
Business Operations Associate, Nimble Robotics (Robotics, Series A, backed by Accel), SF
Business Operations Analyst, MetaMask (Crypto, Early-stage), Remote, US/Canada
Business Operations Lead, Idenati (Productivity, Seed), NYC / Remote
Associate, Strategy & Business Operations, Helix (Biotech, Series C, backed by Kleiner Perkins), San Mateo, CA
Venture Capital roles
Chief of Staff, Verity Venture Partners, SF
Head of Platform, ff Venture Capital, NYC
Venture Analyst, Playground Global, Palo Alto, CA
Internship - Cryptocurrency Researcher, Polychain Capital, SF
Associate, Bio, Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Park, CA
Investor (Healthcare), First Round, NYC
Venture Manager, Aegis Ventures, NYC