Operations Manager

Apate.ai is building the future of autonomous fraud intelligence and disruption. Backed by Australian scientific research, we deploy advanced conversational AI agents across different channels that engage scammers in real time — wasting their time, extracting intelligence, and helping banks, telcos and governments disrupt fraud at the source.

Our platform is already deployed with Tier-1 enterprises globally and we’re rapidly scaling across banking and telecommunications.

As we grow, we’re hiring our first dedicated Operations Manager — the person who keeps the engine room running so our founders and team can stay focused on product, customers and impact. This is a rare opportunity to build the operational backbone of a venture-backed company tackling a global problem at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity and financial crime.

The Role

This role is perfect for a highly organised all-rounder who takes genuine ownership and loves being the person everyone can rely on to get things done.

This is a genuinely broad, wear-many-hats role — no two days look the same. One moment you’re running payroll and chasing an invoice, the next you’re onboarding a new starter, sorting the founders’ diaries, fixing something in the office, and pulling numbers together for the board. You will work directly with the founding team to run the day-to-day of the entire business — finance and bookkeeping, people and HR, office and operations, and diary and executive support — touching almost every part of how the company runs.

If you like variety, ownership and being at the centre of everything, you’ll love it. If you prefer a single narrow lane, this isn’t the role. You’ll be the one making sure people get paid on time, the office runs smoothly, new starters land well, and nothing falls through the cracks.

We have strong early traction but we’re still in build mode. The right person will thrive where there’s momentum and ambition, and will bring order and calm as we scale.

What You’ll Do

• Run finance and bookkeeping in-house — Xero, accounts payable and receivable, invoicing and debtor follow-up
• Be the person on top of payments: ensure staff and suppliers are always paid accurately and on time
• Run payroll and superannuation (STP) and prepare BAS/PAYG for our accountant; manage the month-end close
• Own HR administration — contracts, onboarding and offboarding, records, and Fair Work compliance
• Manage the founders’ diaries, schedule meetings, and keep the leadership team ahead of their commitments
• Run the Sydney office day-to-day — facilities, suppliers, SaaS subscriptions, travel and team logistics
• Keep the company compliant and organised — registers, insurance, key contracts and deadlines
• Support board, investor and data-room requests with clean numbers and documents

Who You Are

You are exceptionally organised, trustworthy and proactive. You take ownership of problems and see them through, you’re comfortable juggling finance, people and admin in the same day, and you bring discipline and discretion to everything you touch.

You’re comfortable operating without perfect structure, but you create order rather than wait for it.

You likely have:

• 3+ years in an office manager, bookkeeper or finance/operations admin role
• Strong, current Xero (or MYOB) skills
• Working knowledge of Australian obligations — GST/BAS, PAYG, superannuation, STP and Fair Work basics
• Excellent attention to detail and a calm, helpful, can-do manner
• A self-starting mindset and the judgement to prioritise in a fast-moving environment
• Trustworthiness and discretion with confidential and financial information

Bonus experience

• Diary/calendar management or executive assistant duties
• HR administration, recruitment coordination or HRIS tools
• Experience in an early-stage startup or scale-up
• Familiarity with R&D Tax Incentive or government grant administration
• Interest in technology, cybersecurity or anti-scam/fintech

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a mission-driven team tackling global scam and fraud challenges, with big growth aspirations
• A central, visible role working directly with the founders from day one
• Zero bureaucracy, real impact — you’ll own your patch end-to-end
• Sydney CBD office with flexible work arrangements
• A role where reliability and ownership are genuinely valued

Apate was crowned the Most Innovative Technology Company Australia by AFR and has won a host of other awards at the Australian AI Awards, Annual Fintech & Banking Awards and ARN Innovation Awards.

How to Apply & The Interview Process

• Step one: Upload your CV and a short cover letter
• Step two: A brief online questionnaire
• Step three: An in-depth interview with one or more of the co-founders — a chance to learn more about Apate.ai, and for us to get to know you
• Step four: A small, time-boxed practical task tailored to the role
• Step five: An informal fit interview where you’ll meet more of the team and grab a coffee with us

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