Business Operations Associate

How Nuance Differentiates

Most conversational AI avatars today are hacks - a face slapped on a speech-to-speech pipeline, stuck in the uncanny valley: emotionless, mechanical, one-turn-at-a-time. Current systems take 2-5 seconds to respond; natural conversation requires sub-500ms. That's a 10x improvement, and it demands rethinking the entire stack.

That rethinking starts with full-duplex: an AI that listens and speaks simultaneously, perceives emotion in real time, and responds with a face that actually reflects it. It's an extremely hard problem, and we're developing foundation models designed for it from the ground up.

About the Role

We're looking for a Business Operations Associate to help Nuance Labs run smoothly day-to-day and build the foundation for the next stage of growth. You'll own our day-to-day finance operations, from expense tracking and vendor payments to month-end close. Beyond finance, you'll take on cross-functional and special projects across the company. This is a hands-on role with an emphasis on reliable finance execution and practical problem-solving wherever the business needs it most.

What You'll Own

• Day-to-day finance, including expense tracking, month-end close with our external accountant, and finding ways to make our spend smarter.
• Cross-functional projects from start to finish.
• Internal communication systems that keep the team aligned as we scale.
• New processes and systems built from scratch as the company grows.

What We're Looking For

• Bring 1-4 years of experience in finance, consulting, or startup operations, with a proven ability to tackle unstructured problems and deliver results.
• Care deeply about building teams and shaping a positive and high-performing culture.
• Are resourceful in navigating finance, HR, and other processes - able to build order where none exists.
• Can partner closely with the team to turn vague needs (and sometimes half-baked ideas) into structured processes, anticipating problems and solutions before they're spelled out.
• Enjoy wearing multiple hats and thrive in a small, ambitious, high-trust team.

Compensation

$90,000-$135,000 base salary, plus meaningful equity. We think long-term ownership matters and structure equity accordingly.

Logistics

• Location: In-person in Seattle, five days a week - we believe in the compounding value of working shoulder-to-shoulder.
• Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas (O-1, H-1B, green card, etc.) from day one.
• AI-native tooling: Do your best work with the best tools, including unlimited tokens.

Benefits & Perks

• Health: We offer a variety of plans that meet your needs, including an HDHP with ~$2,000 in annual HSA contributions by the company (roughly 2x what most big tech companies put in).
• Wellness: $2,000/yr to spend on gym memberships, fitness equipment, training/coaching, classes, and more.
• Work setup: One-time $500 to spend on any tech or accessories that you might need to optimize your workflow.
• Time off: 15 days of PTO, 10 public holidays, and we close the office for a full week at year-end.
• Culture: Quarterly events, annual retreat, holiday party, etc.
• Food: Lunch, drinks, and snacks on us every workday. We observe boba tea Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Commuter benefits: Utilize pre-tax money (up to $340/month) for parking and transportation.
• 401(k): 4% match (100% of 1st 3% + 50% of next 2% contributions).