Business Operations Associate

Business Operations Associate
Stemwave · Seaport, Boston · Full-time, In-person

A note from Tom, CEO & Founder

Hi—I'm Tom Kostopoulos, Founder and CEO of Stemwave.

I'm hiring someone to work directly alongside me, and I want to be honest about what this is. It's not a typical job. I'm looking for a person I can bring right into the middle of how I run this company—someone who sits next to me on the real work, watches how decisions get made, and over time starts making more and more of them on their own.

I've done a lot of this myself, and I'm still doing most of it. This role exists because I want someone alongside me learning it all—so that a year or two from now, they're taking real weight off my plate and I trust them to act the way I would.

If you're exceptional, hungry, and want to learn how to actually run a company from the inside, keep reading.

About Stemwave

Stemwave is a medical device company. We make a shockwave therapy device used by clinics to treat patients—technology that helps people get out of pain and back to their lives.

We're 100 people, based in Seaport, Boston. We've never raised outside capital—not a single dollar. Everything we've built, we've built on our own revenue. We've grown roughly 70% a year for three straight years and made the Inc. 500 three years running.

That combination—profitable, self-funded, and growing fast—means we operate differently than most companies our size. We move quickly, we're accountable to ourselves rather than to investors, and every hire genuinely matters.

About the role

You'll work directly with me as my Business Operations Associate. Think of it as an apprenticeship in running a company. You'll start by working side-by-side with me on the actual work—carrying projects, sitting in on decisions, and learning how the business and I think. Over time, you'll take more and more off my plate and begin operating independently on the things that matter.

What you'll do

Own projects end-to-end. You'll be handed real initiatives and be accountable for driving them to completion, giving me a clear weekly picture of where each stands, what's blocked, and what's next. Nothing gets dropped.

Learn to act on my behalf. Through daily proximity to how I make decisions, you'll develop the judgment to make good calls when I'm unavailable—on management questions, on tradeoffs, on "what would we do if we tried this." I'll train this with you over time, in real situations.

Run the company's operating rhythm. You'll grow into running our monthly all-hands and leadership meetings, keeping the organization's cadence tight and making sure follow-through happens.

Free up my time. As you earn trust, you'll take work fully off my plate—executing independently with little direction and becoming a genuine thought partner rather than someone waiting to be told what to do.

Your first 90 days

Month one: You'll join every meeting I'm a part of and get integrated into the operations of the company. Week by week, you'll also embed with a different department—spending a full week with each—to understand how the organization actually operates and gather as much information as you can.

Month two: You'll start taking ownership of certain projects and giving me weekly updates on them, while sitting in on leadership and all-hands meetings.

Month three: You'll be working day-to-day on those projects, pushing things downfield, speaking on my behalf, and organizing things in a way that makes sense.

What you need to bring

These are non-negotiable for this role:

High emotional intelligence. You read people and situations well, and you navigate sensitive dynamics with maturity.

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. You're outstanding both at conveying ideas clearly and at building strong working relationships across the organization.

A relentless work ethic. You bring intensity and consistency, and you don't need to be pushed.

High processing speed. You think and move fast, absorbing information quickly and turning it into action.

Strong autonomous decision-making. You're comfortable making calls on your own and standing behind them.

A fast learning curve. You absorb quickly, take feedback well, and get sharper every week. This role is built for someone who wants to grow into far more.

Who this isn't for

To be fair to you and to me, this role is a poor fit if:

You don't thrive with a high degree of independence and autonomy.

You need every detail nailed down before you can execute.

You're timid or hesitant when it's time to make a decision.

You're lackadaisical or tend to miss details.

If those describe you, you'll be unhappy here—and that's okay. But if the opposite is true, this could be the best seat you'll ever have.

What I'm looking for

I'm background-agnostic. I care far more about horsepower than pedigree. That said, you might be a strong fit if you've operated as a generalist in a startup or fast-moving environment.

Experience level is open. Whether you're early in your career or a many years in, what matters is that you're exceptional and hungry to grow into a much larger role.

Compensation & benefits

$70,000–$120,000, depending on experience—with significant long-term upside as you grow into the role and take on more.

We also offer full benefits, including health insurance, and unlimited vacation.