Lead Forward Deployed Operator

Bolt Farm Treehouse is a luxury treehouse resort redefining hospitality through AI-first operations, radical ownership, and an obsession with guest experience. We don't just use technology — we build it into everything we do. Our strike team model means you won't sit in a fixed seat. You'll be deployed wherever your skills create the most leverage, then redeployed when the mission changes.

The Role

Lead Forward Deployed Operator is the senior-most execution role on our strike team. You're the person we point at our highest-stakes operational problems. You architect end-to-end solutions, deploy into unfamiliar territory without a playbook, and leave behind systems that prevent the next fire. You mentor junior FDOs, triage the strike queue, and own outcomes — not tasks.

This role reports directly to the Founder and operates with high autonomy.

What You'll Do

• Get deployed to the highest-priority operational problem in the business, regardless of department
• Architect multi-system workflows that eliminate manual work and reduce error rates
• Build, ship, and iterate on AI-augmented operational systems (automations, agent pipelines, internal tools)
• Triage incoming strike requests and sequence them by business impact
• Mentor Forward Deployed Associates and Operators on execution speed, build quality, and ownership mindset
• Context-switch between ops, tech, guest experience, and finance without ramp-up time
• Document every system you build so the next person can run it without you

What You'll Own (Outcomes & KPIs)

Founder-approved outcomes:

1. Deployment velocity — time from strike assignment to shipped v1 solution
2. System durability — % of built systems still running without intervention after 90 days
3. Leverage multiplier — hours of manual work eliminated per system deployed
4. Mentorship output — junior FDOs promoted or independently deploying within 6 months

Who You Are (Builder Traits)

• AI fluency — you use AI tools daily to build, not just to chat. You've shipped automations using Zapier, n8n, Make, Cursor, or equivalent.
• Ownership reflex — you see a problem and fix it before anyone assigns it to you.
• Speed of execution — you ship v1 in days, not weeks. You know when good enough beats perfect.
• Build portfolio — you can show us real systems you've built that real people use.
• Cross-functional fluency — you're as comfortable in a P&L review as you are in a workflow builder.
• Leadership under ambiguity — you don't need a playbook. You write the playbook.

Must-Haves

• 3+ years building operational systems, automations, or internal tools in a fast-moving environment
• Demonstrated build portfolio (show us what you've shipped, not what you've managed)
• Proficiency with at least 2 of: Zapier, n8n, Make, Cursor, Python, low-code/no-code platforms
• Track record of autonomous execution — you've been the person who gets pointed at problems, not the person who delegates them
• Comfortable with radical transparency, direct feedback, and a founder-led operating model

Nice-to-Haves

• Hospitality, resort, or guest-experience operations background
• Experience with AI agent frameworks (LangChain, CrewAI, AutoGen, etc.)
• Prior startup or founder's-office experience

Comp & Benefits

• Base: $95,000–$120,000
• OTE: $136,000–$171,000
• Performance variable: 30% of OTE, tied to Founder-approved KPIs
• Health stipend: $400/mo
• Profit-pool participation: Yes — tiered by build output, not tenure
• Location: Hybrid (on-site deployment periods as needed in Whitwell, TN)