Principal of Strategic Operations, Certn
CA$121.6-152k
+ Equity
More information about location
AI-powered background checks for enterprises
Open for applications
AI-powered background checks for enterprises
201-500 employees
Open for applications
CA$121.6-152k
+ Equity
More information about location
201-500 employees
Company mission
To help companies of all sizes build trust in people.
Role
Who you are
- Experience building reliable processes and managing workflows - preferably in regulated industries, call centers, or customer service operations
- Strong project management skills with a record of driving transformation without direct people management
- Data-driven mindset and analytical skills (Excel/Sheets, Looker, BI tools, etc.)
- Confidence in partnering with product, engineering, and automation teams; able to bridge technical and business needs
- Experience acting as a trusted advisor or “right hand” to senior leadership, with the ability to step up and own outcomes
- Effective communicator and influencer, comfortable working across departments and presenting to leadership
- Familiarity with internal systems, automation, and identifying process improvement opportunities
- Open to diverse backgrounds - operational rigor and execution are more important than titles
- Experience in utilizing automation tools like Robotic Process Automation, AI-powered Optical Character Recognition and process automation
What the job involves
- We’re looking for a Principal, Strategic Operations to drive operational excellence, automation, and process optimization across Certn’s global business
- In this high-impact, hands-on role, you’ll bridge operations and product teams, champion data-driven decision-making, and help shape scalable systems that fuel our next phase of growth
- You’ll work closely with Operations Leadership, product, data, and automation teams to execute critical projects, enable operational clarity, and reduce manual work
- This is an individual contributor role with significant influence - ideal for someone who can own outcomes, manage cross-functional relationships, and drive results at scale
- This role will lead and execute high-impact projects to improve operational scalability, reduce friction, and enable sustainable growth
- You’ll scope, plan, and deliver initiatives that directly support Certn’s business objectives
- Own RAID logs to track risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies, ensuring blockers are escalated and resolved
- Leverage data from multiple sources (including Looker and BI tools) to uncover trends, inform workforce optimization, and guide resource planning. Build dashboards and reporting tools to surface key metrics
- Collaborate with stakeholders and technical teams to identify opportunities for process improvement, gather requirements, and design and implement solutions that minimize manual tasks and enable automation
- Influence and align teams across global operations, product, data, and compliance. Partner with our in-house AI specialist and automation leaders to deliver impactful solutions
- Develop and roll out workflows, KPIs, and scalable operating models. Ensure consistency and reliability as we expand, and document improvements for ongoing knowledge sharing
- Contribute to the design and implementation of global operating models that enable business growth across regions
- Prepare executive-level materials, reports, and presentations to communicate priorities, project outcomes, and operational insights
- Serve as an extension of operations leadership, empowered to escalate blockers and drive cross-functional accountability
Our take
Certn’s platform allows people to gain fast access to background checks, from criminal records through to motor vehicle records and even credit checks. Its software allows recruiters to save time and money in the hiring process, as the standard 3-4 days for completing background checks is reduced to hours.
Currently, the solution is used by over 2,800 enterprises, including leading employers, staffing firms and property management companies. However, it is not the only player using AI to conduct background checks; Checkr, GoodHire, and HireRight are some of the leading companies that are solving this years-old problem in different parts of the world, and Certn will have to work hard to stand out in this crowded space.
The company looks poised for a period of rapid international expansion over the next few years, thanks to considerable funding amounting to $115 million in 2023 and the acquisition of UK-based background check provider Credence and Australian Intercheck. It also astutely hired CTO Susan Davis (ex-VP of Engineering at Dessa and Xtiva Financial Systems) in 2021.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-8% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
Apr 2023
$30m
SERIES B
May 2022
$50m
SERIES B
Total funding: $112.7m
Company benefits
- 4 weeks paid vacation
- 12 wellness days
- Extensive health benefits
- Family support program (including support for new parents and caregivers)
- Remote-first and support for flexible remote arrangements
- Green transportation allowance
- Fitness & wellness allowance
- Work from home allowance
- Professional development Budget
- And a few more goodies!
Company HQ
Harris Green, Victoria, BC
Leadership
Evan Dalton
(Co-Founder & Co-CEO)Former VP of Business Development at home rental fintech company RentMoola. Former Office Leasing Advisor at Cushman & Wakefield.
Owen Madrick
(Co-Founder, Co-CEO & CFO)Chartered Accountant & former VP of Finance at RentMoola. Former Grant Thornton LLP Manager, and Director of Finance at DFH Real Estate.
Andrew McLeod
(Co-Founder & Co-CEO)Forbes 30 Under 30 Nominee and Remote Tech CEO of the Year 2021. Co-founder of sports equipment company Emei Products (acquired 2021). Former CSO at RentMoola.
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