Operating Associate — Continuous Improvement Department – Continuous Improvement

Job Description

Operating Associate | Astra Service Partners

The Tone:
This is a two-year operator development program with Astra Service Partners, part of the Orion Group, based in Boulder, CO with extensive travel across the U.S., territories, and Canada. Orion Group is a network of operating companies dedicated to redefining careers in the service trades by becoming the gold standard through people leadership, technical superiority, and business excellence. This role matters because it develops high-potential early-career talent into future operating leaders, teaching them to solve real-world operational problems using world-class Continuous Improvement methodologies.

The TL;DR
• Role: Two-year operator development program
• Location: In-person Boulder, CO with 50–70% travel
• Pay: $60000–$80000 yearly
• Team: Continuous Improvement Department at Orion Group
• Mission: This person learns and applies operational problem-solving methodologies to improve business outcomes and prepares for leadership roles within Orion Operating Companies.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Travel: Spend 50–70% of your time on-site at Orion Operating Companies, observing operations and contributing to Continuous Improvement work.
• Learn Businesses: Deliberately spend time in different parts of each operating company, including dispatch, operations, sales, finance, and ride-alongs with technicians.
• Apprentice: Learn the A3 problem-solving method from senior senseis, contribute to real Continuous Improvement engagements, and progressively take on coaching work.
• Build Literacy: Learn to read a P&L, understand operational KPIs, see how leadership decisions impact results, and develop the judgment of an operator through coursework and training.
• Develop: Pass through six structured capability assessments across two years, evaluating your readiness for the next stage of development.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree by your start date, for an early-career talent development program.
• Experience: Willingness to be based in Boulder, CO, with 50–70% travel in Year 1, and willingness to relocate within 2–3 years for placement at an Orion Operating Company. U.S. work authorization is also required.
• Skills: Hungry and driven, with clear ambition to run a business and a bias to action; coachable and humble, able to receive feedback as a gift and ask questions; comfortable with ambiguity, able to hold uncertainty without rushing to false clarity.
• Bonus: Exposure to operations, manufacturing, service trades, or other hands-on business environments; leadership experience in any setting; demonstrated track record of personal initiative.