Office Manager

The way companies innovate is broken. The systems built to create and protect ideas can’t keep up with the pace of change. Today, 90% of S&P 500 company value is intangible (e.g., in intellectual property) - yet R&D and IP teams spend half their time buried in manual work, sifting through patents and paperwork instead of pushing the frontier forward. The tools of creating and protecting are stuck in the past. We’re here to fix that.

Ankar is building the AI operating system for innovation, reinventing how companies generate and protect their inventions. Our platform orchestrates how ideas become defensible IP with a suite of AI modules such as patent drafting, office action response, and infringement detection.

We’re at an inflection point:

• We’ve raised >$24M to date from Tier-1 VCs like Atomico, Index Ventures, Norrsken, Daphni, and angels like the Founder of Hugging Face, CEO from Datadog, and Leaders from DeepMind and OpenAI.

• We’re already working with the world’s most innovative companies including Fortune 500 company L’Oréal and global law firm Vorys

• Expanding our world-class team with alumni from Palantir, Amazon, and BCG to tackle the $1T+ innovation market. We’re just getting started.

We are growing our team and looking for people who take ownership of ambitious projects, solve complex & high-impact problems, and do the best work of their career.

What you’ll be doing

As our Office Manager & Administrative Assistant, you’ll be the person who makes sure Ankar operates day-to-day at peak performance - and makes our workplace feel like a place people genuinely want to be.

You’ll own the office experience end-to-end, from our upcoming office move, to building a well-run and well-stocked HQ, and making sure the team has what they need before they even realize they need it. This is a high-ownership role at the center of the company: part logistics, part people, part operations, and always proactive.

You will:

• Own our upcoming office move from planning through execution - coordinating timelines, budgets, furniture, setup, and making sure the new space is functional and welcoming from day one.

• Run day-to-day office operations, ensuring everything is organized, stocked, and running smoothly.

• Manage office supplies, equipment, and vendor relationships, making sure the team always has what they need.

• Keep the office kitchen and common areas stocked with snacks, drinks, and essentials.

• Organize and coordinate team lunches, team events, offsites, and internal celebrations, helping strengthen culture as we grow.

• Support the leadership team with general admin tasks such as travel booking, finance/admin workflows like invoices, expense tracking, etc.

• Help create an office environment that feels high-energy, thoughtful, and efficient - from small details to big improvements.

• Spot problems before they happen, and solve them fast - whether it’s a missing adapter, a vendor issue, or a last-minute team need.

• Over time, shape the role based explaining on your strengths - whether that means growing into finance/admin operations or leaning into events, community, and brand-building alongside our growth team.

This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a fast-moving environment, enjoys building structure where it’s needed most, and wants to grow with a company that’s scaling quickly.

What we are looking for
We’re looking for someone who is high urgency, highly reliable, and deeply proactive - the kind of person who notices what’s missing, fixes it, and makes the team’s day easier without being asked.

You might be a great fit if you:

• Have experience in an Office Manager or EA-style role (startup experience is a plus but not required).

• Are extremely organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities without dropping the ball.

• Have a strong sense of ownership.

• Move with urgency and take pride in being the person who “makes things happen.”

• Helped run internal events, team culture, or community programming. You enjoy supporting a team and creating an environment where others can do their best work.

• Are resourceful and scrappy - you figure things out quickly, even when there isn’t a clear process.

• Are a strong communicator and comfortable coordinating across teams and leadership.

• Have great judgment and can anticipate needs before they become problems.

• Are excited by the idea that this role can grow into something bigger - whether that’s finance/admin ops or events/community leadership.

• [Bonus points] Have experience working in early-stage startups.

• [Bonus points] Led or supported an office move before.

Hiring process:

1. 30min introductory chat

2. 60min onsite

3. 30min co-founder meeting

The process can be as fast you want it to be.

What else you might want to know…

• Location: Hoxton Square, London (on-site role)

• Contract: Full-time

• Compensation: We pay competitive salaries and will reward you with a substantial equity package under the tax-efficient EMI scheme.

• Visa sponsorship: No

Learn more about our team and our ambitions here.