AI & Automation Manager

Team: Business Operations
Reports to: Business Operations Lead
Location: New York City
In-office: 3 days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

About Axial

Axial's mission is to unleash the power of private capital markets for entrepreneurs - and we’re doing so by pioneering an online platform that is transforming American small business M&A.

Founded in 2009, Axial is an NYC-based financial technology platform that serves over 10,000 private market M&A  participants, including private equity firms, corporate acquirers, boutique investment banks, and business owners looking to sell their companies.

In 2025, Axial powered the exit efforts of about half of the U.S. small and mid-sized business (SMB) M&A market - companies doing between $5M and $100M revenue - by facilitating 3,000,000+ buyer <> seller platform connections across 12,500+ deals.

We're a lean, high-conviction team building category-defining products for a market that moves quickly and trusts carefully. That context shapes everything about how we work.

Overview

We are seeking an experienced AI & Automation Manager to design, build, and continuously improve AI-powered workflows, automations, and internal tools that transform how Axial operates.

This is a highly technical, hands-on role for someone who enjoys building but is equally energized by determining what should be built, why it matters, and how it should evolve over time. Working closely with the VP of Operations and Business Operations Lead, you will help shape Axial's internal AI & Automation strategy by identifying high-impact opportunities, evaluating emerging capabilities, and translating ambiguous business challenges into scalable technical solutions.

You will serve as a key technical stakeholder for AI and automation within Business Operations. Your work will span AI agents, workflow orchestration, internal applications, data infrastructure, and lightweight product development. You will build durable solutions that improve operational efficiency and create better experiences for employees and members. As AI capabilities continue to evolve, you will help Axial identify, evaluate, and apply emerging technologies that create meaningful business value.

You will spend much of your time building LLM-powered solutions and working in tools such as n8n, Claude Code, Zapier, Clay, and Google Apps Script, while integrating with platforms including Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Gong, and other internal applications. Your work will range from intelligent member verification and AI-powered support to internal copilots, operational automations, and business applications that increase productivity, improve decision-making, and reduce manual work across the company.

Responsibilities

• AI Systems Development: Build, deploy, and improve AI-powered workflows, agents, and business applications using LLMs, structured outputs, evaluations, and tools such as Claude Code and Cursor. Deliver reliable solutions for critical workflows across go-to-market, operations, and member experiences.
• Automation & GTM Engineering: Develop and maintain sophisticated workflows using platforms such as n8n, Zapier, Clay, and Google Apps Script. Build integrations and data processes across Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Gong, and related systems to eliminate manual work and enable GTM execution.
• Internal Applications & Operational Products: Create lightweight internal applications, operational tools, dashboards, copilots, and AI-powered interfaces using low-code platforms, AI-assisted development, and custom code. Deliver intuitive products that help teams work more efficiently and make better decisions.
• AI Architecture & Data Infrastructure: Help establish the technical and data foundations required for reliable AI & automation solutions. Connect AI models to business data and external applications using APIs, tool calling, context management, retrieval-augmented generation, MCPs, vector databases, and comparable approaches. 
• AI & Automation Strategy and Roadmap: Partner with Business Operations leadership to develop our AI & automation strategy and project roadmap. Evaluate emerging tools and recommend what we should prioritize to help shape Axial’s long-term operations objectives.

Qualifications

• Experience: 5-8 years of experience designing and building technical solutions within Business Operations, GTM Engineering, RevOps, Automation, Software Engineering, or similar technical operating roles at a high-growth technology company.
• Operating Experience: Experience partnering with business leaders to identify operational bottlenecks, redesign workflows, and translate business objectives into durable technical solutions. Comfortable navigating ambiguity and balancing competing priorities across multiple stakeholders.
• Tool Experience: Strong hands-on experience across several of the following areas: LLMs and AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code or Cursor; workflow automation platforms such as n8n, Zapier, Clay, Make, or Google Apps Script; and GTM systems such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, and Gong. 
• Technical Proficiency: Comfortable writing and maintaining code in JavaScript, Python, SQL, Apps Script, or similar languages to extend automations, integrations, and internal applications. Experience working with APIs, authentication, webhooks, and structured data.
• Systems Thinking: Demonstrated ability to decompose complex operational problems and balance speed, maintainability, reliability, security, and user experience when developing solutions.
• Product & Business Judgment: Able to determine not only how to build a solution, but whether it should be built, how success should be measured, and how it fits within broader business priorities and technical architecture.
• Ownership: History of independently leading complex initiatives from problem definition through implementation, adoption, monitoring, iteration, and long-term durability.
• Communication & Collaboration: Excellent communicator who can explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences, influence cross-functional stakeholders, and build strong partnerships across both technical and business teams.

Working in Business Operations

Business Operations Team
Work alongside the VP of Operations, Business Operations Lead, and Business Operations teammates to translate operational challenges into practical technical solutions. The team has a highly collaborative, hands-on ethos. We consistently carve out time to invest in technical upskilling, and regularly conduct AI and automation hackathons where we scope problems, prototype solutions, and learn from one another. You will contribute your technical expertise while helping raise the team's broader AI and automation capabilities.

Cross-Functional Stakeholders
Partner with leaders and teams across the business to understand workflows, identify opportunities, and deliver AI-powered solutions that improve business outcomes, including:

• VP of Product
• VP of GTM
• Data Engineering
• GTM Managers
• GTM Individual Contributors

Working at Axial

We are a small and tight-knit team (currently 60 employees), and you’ll have the opportunity to have a direct impact on company growth. We have a modern, well-equipped office in Manhattan on 30th and Park. The atmosphere is collegial, the office is open and inviting, and full of accommodations (kitchen, snacks, coffee, relaxing spaces, games, and an upright piano). We work hard together, but also like to have fun together, and often enjoy company events like trivia, game nights, and our annual Axialite Day.

At Axial, you will also enjoy:

• Working with a great team of smart, motivated people
• Robust medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid for by Axial at nearly 100%
• 401k program
• Flexible vacation policy
• Paid Parental Leave Policy
• Monthly Health & Wellness stipend
• Pre-tax commuter program

Below are the values we subscribe to as a company

• Obsess Over Member Trust: Your daily choices reflect your awareness that we facilitate vital life-altering transactions. You take this responsibility seriously and it’s top of mind.
• Expect and Deliver Excellence: You demonstrate consistency so that your colleagues feel confident partnering and relying on you. You demonstrate a personal commitment to continuous improvement.
• Communication Matters: You are concise and articulate in your communication, external or internal. You listen well and genuinely.
• Invent and Simplify: You are open-minded, looking for great new ideas that can elevate and even transform the member experience. You find novel ways to simplify complex status quos.
• Be an Owner: You think about the long-term effects of your decisions. You invest real time in building relationships with your colleagues.

Below are the traits we look for and actively cultivate in every Axialite

• Humility: We seek truth, not credit, and learn from anyone.
• Positivity: We bring energy, optimism, and belief, even when it is hard.
• Grit: We show up, follow through, and push beyond the first draft.
• Discernment: We choose wisely, prioritize sharply, and ask better questions.
• Accountability: We take full responsibility for our work and results.