# Founding Marketplace Operations Lead

> EQL Tech · San Francisco, United States · Full-time · Posted 2026-03-08

**Salary:** USD 130,000–200,000

**Workplace:** on_site

**Department:** Leadership

## Description

### Founding Marketplace Operations Lead

**Location:** San Francisco, CA or Phoenix, AZ (In-person) | **Seniority:** Founding Operator | **Comp:** Meaningful Founding Equity

**Overview** EQL Tech has been exclusively retained to recruit a **Founding Marketplace Operations Lead** for a high-growth, mission-driven fintech startup.

This company is building the commercial infrastructure for the **$900B US Public Education budget**. As states shift toward family-controlled Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), this platform acts as the financial rail allowing parents to direct an average of **$7.5k per child** toward the education services they choose.

With **$16M raised** from top-tier VCs, the team is composed of elite engineers and operators from **Goldman Sachs, Stripe, Microsoft, and SpaceX**.

**The Role** You will own the economics and vendor partnerships of a pre-category education marketplace. This is a "playbook from scratch" role combining commercial negotiation, deep data analysis, and community trust.

-   **Analyze Spend Data:** Dig into real transaction data to identify categories and purchase flows that matter most by frequency, volume, and margin opportunity.
-   **SQL Mastery:** You must be able to independently access and interpret underlying transaction data to defend your category thesis.
-   **Category Strategy:** Decide who to partner with and why - from local micro-schools to national enterprise vendors like Amazon and Target.
-   **Negotiate Agreements:** Structure commercial deals and commission logic that improve company margin and leverage over time.
-   **Steer Volume:** Influence spend through product and ops (preferred vendors, discovery, faster approvals) without degrading family trust.
-   **High-Stakes Compliance:** Account for evolving ESA eligibility rules across different states in your roadmap.

## Requirements

**Ideal Background**

-   **3–7 years** in marketplace operations, category management, or strategic partnerships.
-   **Technical bar:** SQL is essential for this role.
-   **Marketplace Experience:** Proven track record in two-sided supply/demand dynamics (e.g., experience at Amazon, Instacart, Faire, or similar).
-   **Negotiation:** Experience structuring end-to-end vendor deals at meaningful scale.
-   **Pedigree Signal:** Strong undergraduate degree or MBA from top-tier institutions (Stanford GSB, Harvard, Wharton, MIT Sloan).

**Culture & Commitment**

-   **In-Person Intensity:** This is an in-person team working together in the office full-time.
-   **Decisive & Fast:** You form views with incomplete information and update them quickly as data arrives.
-   **"Get on the Plane":** You are willing to do the ground-level work, including regular travel to visit vendors and families.
-   **Integrity:** You refuse to chase margin at the expense of long-term community credibility.

## Benefits

### **Commitment, Compensation & Benefits**

This will be a big commitment, and we're aiming high. It needs to be something you are energised about taking on, or this isn't the team for you.

-   **Competitive Salary:** $120,000 – $170,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
-   **Generous Founding Equity:** We compensate you well with equity.
-   **Top-Tier Backing:** We've raised $16M from top-tier VCs and angels.
-   **Relocation Support:** You are willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA, or Phoenix, AZ, and travel to visit customers. We're an in-person company and are in the office together.
-   **Comprehensive Visa Sponsorship:** If you do not have a visa, we can support you.
-   **Unmatched Impact:** The rare opportunity to directly shape how the $900B US Public Education budget is being opened up for parents to take control of their portion (avg. $7.5k/kid/year).

INDEQL

## Apply

[Apply at EQL Tech](https://apply.workable.com/eqltech/j/513DE355C2/apply)

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