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:

Deployment velocity — time from strike assignment to shipped v1 solution

System durability — % of built systems still running without intervention after 90 days

Leverage multiplier — hours of manual work eliminated per system deployed

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 building in ClickUp (automations, Super Agents, or API integrations)

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: 3 days/week onsite at Bolt Farm Treehouse in Whitwell, TN