We are seeking an Executive Assistant / Operations Coordinator to help turn RISE's plans and ideas into finished results: tracking every commitment made in every meeting, driving follow through until it's done, and learning enough about every part of the business to step in wherever it's needed. This is a growth role with a clear, honest path to Operations Manager.
Location: Des Moines metro office
Reports to: Ownership
1. ABOUT US
RISE is a general contractor built on a simple but rare belief: the best projects happen when your contractor thinks like a partner, not a vendor.
We specialize in complex projects that demand more than a standard playbook. We've converted failing restaurants into housing, brought buildings back to life that communities had written off, and saved clients serious money before a single nail was driven, because we know how to look at a property the way an owner does. That's not a metaphor. Our team has deep roots in real estate ownership, and that perspective changes everything about how we approach a project.
We're not a company that just executes. We think strategically, we get creative, and we're honest with our clients about where the real leverage is.
We're looking for people who take the work personally. If you own your scope, solve problems nobody handed you a playbook for, and hold a standard higher than what you can get away with, you'll fit right in here.
2. WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
RISE is growing past the point where any one person can carry every idea, deal, and decision through to execution alone. New projects, new deals, and a constant stream of decisions all need someone thinking ahead, not just reacting to whatever's on fire that day.
This role exists to make sure good ideas don't get lost in the shuffle. It's the person who takes a plan from a meeting and turns it into something tracked, owned, and dated: someone who thinks through how a project actually gets built, financed, or filed, and drives it until it's real. It also exists because a growing company can't depend on any single person for any single job. This person needs the range to step into almost any role if it's ever needed.
As RISE takes on more development work, this role also exists to grow into real ownership of that side of the business: proformas, financing, tax credit applications, and the business plans behind each deal.
3. THE OPPORTUNITY
You'll become the operator who turns RISE's plans and ideas into finished results: someone who thinks through execution, drives it, and owns the outcome.
What that looks like in practice:
- You sit in on meetings across active projects and deals, and you leave with a plan, not just notes: tracked decisions, owners, and dates
- You drive follow through with everyone on that plan until it's done, and you flag risk before it becomes a problem
- You learn enough about every function in the business, including bookkeeping, scheduling, logistics, and client and sub communication, that you can step into any of it if someone's out or overloaded
- As you prove yourself, you take on real pieces of RISE's development work: building proformas, supporting legal structuring and financing, researching and applying for tax credits, and helping write and communicate the business plan behind a project
- A clear, honest path to Operations Manager as you take on more of the business
4. WHAT YOU'LL DO
Driving Execution:
- Sit in on meetings and calls across active projects and deals, tracking what was decided, what needs to happen, who owns it, and by when
- Drive follow through relentlessly. When someone says something will be done by a date, you know whether it happened, and you don't wait to be asked
- Turn plans and priorities into an actual roadmap: next steps, timelines, and who's doing what
- Manage the owner's calendar, inbox, and daily priorities so nothing gets dropped
Office & Financial Operations:
- Enter invoices and bills into QuickBooks Online, track payments, and keep the books current
- Keep contracts, permits, COIs, change orders, and other paperwork organized and easy to find
- Coordinate logistics, including material orders, deliveries, and sub schedules, when it's needed, and be ready to run them yourself if someone's out
Development Support (growing into this over time):
- Build and maintain proformas for active development deals
- Support legal structuring, loan applications, and financing packages
- Research and apply for tax credit and incentive programs
- Help write and communicate the business plan behind RISE's development projects
The Utility Role:
- Learn enough about every job in the company that you could step into it, including bookkeeping, scheduling, client relations, and site logistics, if it were ever needed
- Be someone the business can count on to figure almost anything out
5. THE REALITY OF THE JOB
We'd rather tell you this up front than have you find out in month three.
This job doesn't have a fixed lane. Some days look like calendar management and inbox triage. Other days you're chasing down a sub who didn't show, digging into numbers for a new deal, or picking up a task that technically isn't yours because someone needed the help. The business moves fast and generates a lot: a real part of this job is catching that momentum and turning it into a list of things that actually happen, not just tracking it.
You'll be in a lot of meetings, and the follow through work often starts the moment the meeting ends. Some weeks you're deep in bookkeeping; other weeks you're learning what goes into a proforma or a tax credit application. The role is built to expand, which means the day to day will keep changing as you take on more.
The hardest part of this job isn't any single task: it's holding a lot of open loops at once and not letting any of them drop.
In exchange: real trust, real variety, and a real path. As you prove you can carry more, you'll be handed more, including ownership of actual projects.
6. THE MINDSET REQUIRED
- Turns Ideas Into Action: You don't just take notes in a meeting. You leave with a plan, dates, and owners, and you track it until it's done
- Closes the Loop: If someone said they'd have something done by Friday, you know by Friday whether it happened
- A True Utility Player: You'd rather learn five parts of the business than protect one job title
- Comfortable Not Knowing Everything Yet: You're building toward real development work, including proformas, financing, and tax credits. You don't need to arrive an expert, but you need to want to learn it fast
- Trusted With the Details: You're trusted with confidential numbers and plans early, and you take that seriously
- Calm Under a Lot of Moving Parts: The business generates a lot, fast, and you're the one who makes sense of it without getting overwhelmed
7. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Must-Haves:
- Exceptionally organized, with a real system for tracking a lot of open items at once
- Strong follow-through. You do what you say, and you make sure others do too
- Clear, professional communicator, in writing and in person
- Comfortable with numbers and basic bookkeeping (QuickBooks or similar)
- Trustworthy with confidential business and financial information
- Genuinely curious about how a business runs, from the job site to the financing
Nice-to-Haves:
- Experience as an executive assistant, project coordinator, or similar support role
- Exposure to real estate, construction, or small business finance
- Familiarity with proformas, loan applications, or business plans, or a strong desire to learn them fast
- A background that shows you've juggled a lot at once, in any industry
We care more about what you've actually done than how many years you've been doing it. If you have the skills and the drive, we want to talk.
8. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
- Base Pay: $50,000 to $65,000, dependent on experience
- Growth: As you take on more, including real ownership of development projects, compensation and title grow with it
- Flexible Time Off: At RISE, we operate on a flexible time-off model built on mutual trust. As long as your priorities are on track and the business is supported, you have the flexibility to take time off as needed
- Paid Holidays: RISE observes seven paid holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (and the Friday after), and Christmas Day
Health, dental, and vision insurance are included. See the benefits list below.
9. HOW TO APPLY & WHAT TO EXPECT
We keep our process straightforward and respectful of your time.
To apply:
- Submit your resume, along with a short note on why this kind of role interests you
Our process:
- Step 1: Resume review. We aim to respond within 3 business days
- Step 2: In-person interview at our office
We're excited to meet people who want to build something bigger than their job description. We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Des Moines metro, In person
Pay: $50,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
