Harper

AI-native commercial insurance brokerage

Senior Operations Lead

$180K - $220KSan Francisco
Job type
Full-time
Role
Operations
Experience
6+ years
Visa
US citizen/visa only
Apply to Harper and hundreds of other fast-growing YC startups with a single profile.
Apply to role ›

About the role

The Problem

36 million businesses in America need insurance—it’s not optional. 77% are underinsured. 40% have no coverage at all. The distribution system failed them: too slow, too opaque, too confusing.

Over 90% of commercial insurance is still human-led. We’re building the inverse: 90%+ AI-led, pushing toward the higher 90s. Not by patching legacy workflows—by building AI that makes humans more effective, improves the customer experience, and eliminates friction at every step.

We’re adding ~1,000 customers per month. We’ve grown 100x since last year. We’re looking to do even more this year—and that’s why we’re hiring.

You’ll build and run the operational backbone that lets Harper scale from thousands to tens of thousands of customers monthly.

The Thesis

This is hands-on leadership in the truest sense: building infrastructure while running it, making real-time decisions while documenting them, hiring a team while doing the work yourself. Your operational calls directly impact revenue, compliance, and customer experience—often the same day.

The Role

Not “manage a department”—own the entire operational engine of a company transforming how insurance gets distributed. Long hours, rapid change, incomplete information, high stakes.

You work directly with founders. No buffer. You build it, you run it, you own the outcome.

What You’ll Do

  • Own end-to-end brokerage operations — Policy administration, renewals, endorsements, certificates, billing, compliance

  • Build operational infrastructure from scratch — SOPs that scale to 10,000+ customers monthly

  • Lead technology and systems integration — Agency management systems, CRMs, carrier portals

  • Own compliance and risk management — Full regulatory compliance across every jurisdiction

  • Build a team that performs under pressure — Hire, train, manage ops staff; lead from the front

You Might Be a Fit If…

  • You’ve run brokerage operations at scale (10+ years commercial insurance operations)

  • You know commercial lines products, brokerage workflows, and agency management systems (Epic, Applied TAM, AMS360)

  • You’ve built, not just managed—thrived in chaos, not just tolerated it

  • You solve problems, not defer them (ownership mentality, bias toward action)

  • You want intensity: long hours, high urgency, rapid change

  • You have regulatory and compliance knowledge (CPCU, CIC, CRM, ARM preferred)

Requirements

  • 10+ years in commercial insurance operations

  • Full operational ownership experience (not just a piece)

  • Experience in startup, scale-up, or high-growth environment

  • Deep knowledge of brokerage workflows and agency management systems

  • Strong regulatory and compliance knowledge

  • Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate

Nice to Have

  • Insurance designations (CPCU, CIC, CRM, ARM)

  • Experience building ops infrastructure from scratch

  • Prior startup experience

Compensation

  • Salary: $180,000–$220,000 + performance bonuses & equity

  • Location: San Francisco, in-office

Benefits

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance

  • Commuter benefits

  • Team meals and snacks

The Process

  1. Initial screen — Skills and culture fit

  2. 30-min founder call — Alignment on mission and pace

  3. On-site Super Day — Meet the team, work through real scenarios

  4. Paid work trial — Real work, real stakes, mutual evaluation

To Apply

If you want to build the operational engine of a company that’s never existed and own outcomes that matter—send your resume and tell us about the hardest operational challenge you’ve solved.

About Harper

Harper
Founded:2024
Batch:W25
Team Size:25
Status:
Active
Location:San Francisco
Founders
Tushar Nair
Tushar Nair
Founder
Dakotah Rice
Dakotah Rice
Founder