Operations Manager

Operations Manager

Mad Systems, Inc.

Orange, California  |  Full-Time, On-Site  |  Travel as required by projects

About Mad Systems

Mad Systems is an audiovisual technology integrator based in Orange, California. We design and deliver traditional, hybrid, and IT-based audiovisual systems for museums, attractions, brands, cultural institutions, and large-scale venues.

We also specialize in governed, personalized visitor experiences through our technology stack, including AV++, Alice OnBoard, CheshireCat, Lory, and CaterPillar. Our technologies are backed by an issued and pending patent portfolio and demonstrated live at our Wonderland facility in Orange.

We work with cultural institutions, national brands, and major destination projects. The company is certified as WBENC WBE, federal WOSB, California SBE, LA County CBE, and California C10.

The Role

The Operations Manager is the operational backbone of Mad Systems. This person oversees the company's day-to-day operations, leads the operational and support functions, and ensures that Mad Systems operates efficiently, profitably, and professionally to meet the quality standards our clients expect.

This is an oversight role. The Operations Manager ensures that each function, including procurement, fabrication, installation, administration, and support, runs well and remains accountable, rather than personally handling the hands-on work of those functions. They pair strategic awareness with practical operating instincts: anticipating issues, owning routine operational decisions, resolving problems before they escalate, and taking the day-to-day load off the founders and senior technical leadership.

The role reports to our Founder and Chief Architect, Maris Ensing, and our President and CEO, Tricia Ensing. It works closely with the Chief Technology Officer, Principal Projects Manager, project managers, department leads, procurement, engineering, fabrication, and installation teams, administrative staff, vendors, subcontractors, and outside advisors.

The Person We're Looking For

A positive, organized, relationship-focused leader who wants to help build and strengthen Mad Systems. Self-driven, dependable, and comfortable taking charge while staying tuned to the team's needs. Someone who can take direction and knows when to step forward, make the call, and keep work moving. A strong listener and clear communicator who earns trust by following through.

The right candidate brings structure without creating friction, supports the team through positive reinforcement and accountability, and helps build a workplace where people feel heard, respected, and motivated. They balance professionalism with warmth, solve problems calmly, and contribute to a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and shared pride in the company's success.

Key Responsibilities

This role oversees the operational functions of Mad Systems and is accountable for how well each runs. The Operations Manager owns the systems, coordination, and follow-through; the specialists in each function (procurement, fabrication, installation, and administration) do the hands-on work. The job is to make sure all of it stays organized, on schedule, on budget, and to standard.

Operational Leadership

•     Translate company goals into clear operational plans, workflows, schedules, and priorities.

•     Own the operational health of the company, project delivery, resource planning, internal services, documentation, and support functions.

•     Make sure every department understands its expectations, timelines, responsibilities, and deliverables.

•     Build simple, practical systems the team can understand, follow, and maintain.

•     Spot operational risks early and resolve problems before they escalate.

•     Keep the company in a consistently organized, business-ready state and participate in long-term planning with the executive team.

•     Keep the executive team informed at the right level while owning routine operational decisions, so the founders and senior technical leadership aren't carrying the day-to-day.

Project Delivery Operations

•     Keep real-time awareness of all active project schedules, milestones, budgets, deliverables, resources, and risk areas.

•     Maintain master project schedules, resource calendars, delivery milestones, and project tracking systems.

•     Oversee the coordination of procurement, shipping, on-site logistics, installation travel, subcontractor scheduling, and internal resources across projects.

•     Track project budgets against actuals and flag financial or scheduling risks early.

•     Make sure project documentation stays current: change-order logs, RFI logs, submittal registers, closeout documents, warranty records, and as-builts.

•     Support project managers and technical leads by keeping operational details organized, visible, and moving.

•     Help deliver projects on time, on budget, and to Mad Systems' quality standards.

Process Improvement & Efficiency

•     Find where the company is losing time, money, clarity, or quality and fix it.

•     Improve workflows, handoffs, meeting rhythms, reporting, documentation, and accountability.

•     Cut steps that don't add value, and reduce waste in labor, materials, process, and communication.

•     Make sure staff hours, materials, and resources are used efficiently.

•     Bring in automation, software tools, and AI-supported workflows where they create real operational benefit, staying current with tools and practices that sharpen execution.

•     Keep work moving forward efficiently and predictably.

Vendor, Subcontractor & Procurement Oversight

•     Oversee the procurement function and the people who run it, ensuring equipment and materials are sourced, priced, purchased, and delivered correctly and on schedule, without taking over the hands-on buying.

•     Own the vendor and subcontractor master list and qualification process.

•     Oversee purchase-order workflows, lead-time tracking, long-lead items, and inventory coordination.

•     Set pricing and terms expectations for recurring suppliers, and step in on strategic or high-stakes vendor negotiations rather than routine purchasing.

•     Anticipate material, vendor, staffing, and lead-time risks that could affect delivery, and flag vendor concentration, pricing, and supply chain risks early.

Budgeting, Financial Control & Profitability

•     Prepare and oversee operational budgets in coordination with leadership.

•     Track spending, forecast costs, surface savings opportunities, and report variances promptly.

•     Protect and improve project margins through real-time operational awareness.

•     Work with finance and administrative functions to support timely invoicing, accounts receivable follow-up, and disciplined accounts payable management.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting

•     Set and maintain operational KPIs — productivity, quality, utilization, on-time delivery, vendor performance, project health, and financial performance.

•     Collect and analyze operational data to guide decisions.

•     Give the executive team concise, useful reports.

•     Use reporting to drive continuous improvement, not just recordkeeping.

Quality Control & Customer Satisfaction

•     Put quality-assurance practices in place that align with museum-grade, institutional, and professional AV integration work.

•     Oversee operational quality across production, fabrication, integration, delivery, and installation.

•     Handle client concerns promptly and professionally.

•     Support clear client communication on schedules, deliverables, expectations, and operational issues, acting as operational liaison where appropriate while keeping strong internal alignment.

Risk Management & Safety

•     Identify and manage operational risk across the supply chain, equipment, personnel, project delivery, safety, and outside factors.

•     Uphold health and safety standards consistent with Cal/OSHA, OSHA, and Mad Systems' C10 contractor obligations.

•     Make sure staff and subcontractors comply with safety requirements.

•     Keep safety documentation, training records, and incident reporting current.

Company Documentation & Bid Support

•     Maintain and improve internal company documents, job descriptions, org charts, company introductions, capability statements, bid templates, letterheads, and company profiles.

•     Support RFP and proposal responses by preparing operational sections and coordinating internal deadlines.

•     Drive the internal RFP schedule, track client questions, gather required data, and get submissions in on time.

•     Keep internal stakeholders informed of RFP status, deadlines, requirements, and responsibilities.

Team Leadership & Culture

•     Lead the operational and support functions of the company.

•     Set clear expectations, delegate effectively, and hold team members accountable.

•     Run regular check-ins and performance evaluations, and coach, mentor, and develop operations staff.

•     Balance staff schedules and workloads so people stay productive and engaged without burning out.

•     Foster collaboration across design, engineering, fabrication, installation, procurement, administration, and operations.

•     Stay visible and accessible so team members can raise concerns, ask questions, and ask for help.

•     Watch team morale and step in early when frustration, confusion, or conflict starts building.

•     Recognize individual and team wins, including the small ones, and turn setbacks into lessons instead of blame.

•     Address performance issues early and professionally, and keep a fair, clear process for resolving conflicts.

Facilities & Wonderland Operations

•     Keep the facility at 733 N. Main Street professional and presentation-ready.

•     Support the Wonderland demonstration environment in coordination with the technical team readiness, uptime, scheduling, visitor preparation, and executive briefings.

•     Manage visitor NDAs, visitor logs, building services, security, supplies, and facility vendors.

•     Coordinate travel and logistics for visiting clients, partners, and senior guests.

Information Systems & Operational Data

•     Own the company's operational systems, project management tools, file structure, contract repositories, vendor records, and task and pipeline tracking.

•     Keep operational data clean, accurate, and auditable for executive review, including org charts, SOPs, vendor and customer lists, project P&L history, change-order history, employee rosters, and contract registers.

•     Train teams on operational tools and processes as they're adopted.

•     Coordinate with the technical team on internal IT and access management without taking over engineering work.

Scope Boundaries

The Operations Manager does not own project design, integration engineering, patent prosecution, IP strategy, licensing, sales, business development, company certifications, corporate memberships, contractor-licensing administration, or corporate insurance administration. This role does not serve as a legal authority.

The Operations Manager coordinates with outside counsel, accounting firms, insurance brokers, and other advisors as needed, and escalates matters requiring executive, legal, financial, or technical authority.

What This Role Requires

The ideal candidate has a senior operations background in a project-based or specialty integration business. Direct experience in one or more of these is strongly preferred:

•     AV systems integration

•     Museum or exhibit fabrication and installation

•     Themed entertainment

•     Specialty construction

•     Design-build environments

•     Experiential technology

•     Comparable project-driven businesses involving field installation, subcontractors, long-lead procurement, and client approvals

The successful candidate will also bring:

•     A proven track record running operations and leading operational staff in a company of comparable scale and complexity.

•     Experience managing multiple active projects of varying size and complexity.

•     Experience leading and developing people, conducting performance reviews, and building a constructive team culture.

•     Working knowledge of California employment requirements, safety expectations, Certificates of Insurance, and the realities of a project-based integration business.

•     Practical operating instincts and the judgment to know when to step in and when to let the team run.

•     Strong written and verbal communication, including clear client updates, executive summaries, and operational reports.

•     Strong computer skills and comfort with digital tools, AI-supported workflows, and operational systems.

•     The ability to communicate directly and honestly without burying bad news or overstating progress.

•     Respect for deep technical work and the instinct to make the technical team's job easier.

•     A capability of working with AI to optimize tasks and flow.

•     The discretion and maturity to handle confidential financial, employee, contract, and strategic information.

This role is subject to standard confidentiality and intellectual-property assignment agreements consistent with California law.

Structure & Next Steps

This is a full-time, on-site role at Mad Systems' facility at 733 N. Main Street in Orange, California. Project travel may be required. Compensation, reporting structure, and onboarding will be discussed with qualified candidates.

To apply, email your resume to admin@madsystems.com. If your experience is a fit, we'll set up a conversation with the executive team to discuss fit, structure, and what success in the role looks like.