Workplace Design & Office Manager

Job Title: Workplace Design & Office Manager

Location: San Francisco, CA

Employment Type: Part-Time

Hours: 20-30 hours per week. 5 days per week, in-person at our San Francisco office (Mission neighborhood). May require occasional flexibility for evening or weekend work (e.g., a contractor installing a door on a Saturday)

At Ello, our mission is to maximize the potential of all children. Our first product, Read with Ello, is an AI reading teacher that listens to children read out loud. Ello uses speech recognition to help them when they get stuck, creates stories using generative AI, and inspires a love for reading.

We’re now building on the success of Read with Ello and putting together the pieces of the world’s first complete AI teacher for all children. Together, we believe we can close the primary school education gap worldwide.

Ello has been recognized on Fortune’s “Change the World” and Time’s 2024 Best Inventions lists. We are well-funded, backed by world-class investors, and ready to recruit new talent to help us achieve our vision.

About the Role

We’re looking for a highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive Workplace Design & Office Manager to take charge of our office environment and operations. This role combines day-to-day office management responsibilities with the opportunity to design and maintain a workspace that fosters collaboration, creativity, and productivity.

You would act as the owner and expert of the office. Instead of waiting for us to give you tasks, you would tell us what the office needs to function better and be a more beautiful space. You thrive on taking initiative and you take pride in creating beautiful, inspiring spaces. High sensitivity to visual detail and a passion for organization are key.

Ello’s San Francisco office is in the heart of the Mission district. There are 10-20 people in the office on any given day or week. We are a friendly group, and enjoy eating lunch together and hanging out on evenings and weekends.

Responsibilities

Workspace Design

• Lead the setup of our expanded office space, including ordering and assembling furniture, sourcing and setting up tech equipment (e.g., monitors, extension cords), and decorating.

• Ensure all aspects of the workspace are thoughtfully arranged to promote collaboration, productivity, and a welcoming atmosphere.

• Identify opportunities to improve office layout and functionality and proactively suggest enhancements.

• Maintain a high standard for visual detail—from ensuring furniture placement is level to arranging decor thoughtfully.

Office Administration

• Keep the office well-stocked and organized, managing supplies and vendor relationships.

• Handle basic bookkeeping tasks such as tracking expenses and processing invoices.

• Own maintenance of all office tech including testing devices, A/V, and WiFi

• Hands-on for basic tasks such as furniture assembly, and working with contractors for bigger projects

Team Support

• Serve as a central point of contact for office-related inquiries, resolving issues quickly and efficiently.

• Plan and coordinate team activities, events, and celebrations.

Required Experience

• High attention to visual and spatial detail. A picture frame that isn’t centered and level is something you would notice and that would bother you. 

• Proven experience as an Office Manager, Administrative Assistant, or in a similar role.

• Strong organizational and multitasking skills.

• Proficiency with Google Workspace tools.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

• Prior experience with project management and vendor coordination.

Nice-to-Have Experience

• Experience working in a start-up or small office environment.

• Previous experience with interior design 

We Look for Candidates Who

• Are self-motivated and take initiative to solve problems.

• Thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

• Value collaboration and enjoy creating a positive office culture.

• Are resourceful and can adapt to changing needs or priorities.

• Have a high attention to detail and excellent time management skills.

Compensation

• Competitive hourly wage ($35-$45/hr depending on experience)

• 50% subsidy of a very generous health care plan

About Ello

Ello is a public benefit corporation on a mission to maximize the potential of all children. We’re currently around 45 people, headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in São Paulo, Brazil; Nairobi, Kenya; and New York.

Our team has deep expertise in artificial intelligence, K-12 education, and child development across institutions such as Stanford, Berkeley, Google, Apple, and more. We were part of Y Combinator’s W20 batch and are funded by world-class investors including Goodwater Capital, Homebrew, Reed Hastings, Common Sense Growth, Ravensburger, Project A Ventures, Reach Capital, Khosla Ventures, WndrCo, Visible Ventures, and K9 Ventures.

We’re a small, collaborative team that takes each other’s voices very seriously. Because our mission is to support all children, it is critical that our team is representative of the communities we work in; we place significant emphasis on ensuring diversity in our team and inclusion in our culture.

We feel enormously privileged to be one of the few companies that has the opportunity to take a shot at truly revolutionizing education with AI at this inflection point in technology. We don’t take it for granted, so we work quite hard to turn that vision into reality with urgency. We want to create an environment in which we can all be our best selves, use our strengths to take Ello forward, and develop our own skills. We want to have fun while working hard to do impactful things that we’re proud of – and we believe it’s possible to do both.

At Ello, we view diversity as a moral imperative and a competitive advantage. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, skin color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We plan and structure our interviews to directly assess skills and experience. If you need any accommodations throughout the interview process, please reach out to jackie@ello.com.