Office Manager

Please note this role is not for TKC Recruitment - This role is for Alchemy located in Waterloo, On, Canada

Office Manager

About Alchemy

Alchemy is a nanotechnology company building solutions for the automotive and defence industries. We are transforming legacy industries by vertically integrating our coatings innovations into category-leading ready-to-use solutions. Our two main solutions are:

• ExoShield windshield protection films for the automotive industry
• Crypsis infrared camouflage coatings for the defence industry

We are at the growth stage of our journey and are focused on sustainable top-line growth across both our automotive and defence business units. Alchemy is backed by leading investors and incubators in Canada, USA, and France such as Y-Combinator, Stanford-StartX, Pathfinder, Pembroke, NameSilo, and more.

Our team is a diverse, tight knit group of engineers, scientists, and business professionals that likes to spend time together in and out of the office, whether that is weekly badminton nights or team lunches. We are a team passionate about cars, cool technology, and working together to dominate the market segments we operate in.

You can learn more about Alchemy at: www.alchemynano.com.

Role Summary

Alchemy is looking for an Office Manager to own the day-to-day operations of our Kitchener headquarters and the systems that keep our team supported, secure, and productive. You will report to the Director of Operations for most of your role, and directly to the CEO and CFO for the security-related portions of the role.

Office administration, HR administration, supplier and vendor management, and company travel are company-wide responsibilities in this role. Security screening and compliance responsibilities apply specifically to our defence business unit.

You will be the person who makes sure new team members are onboarded smoothly, defence clearances and renewals are proactively tracked, benefits and policies are administered correctly, the office runs well, and our vendors and travel are managed without friction.

This is a hands-on, high-ownership role that touches nearly every part of the company and will grow as we grow. It is best suited for someone who is organized and discreet, comfortable handling sensitive information, and proactive enough to notice what needs fixing and fix it before being asked.

Compensation

Base Salary: $60,000–$80,000 per year

Bonus: Target bonus of 5%

Key Responsibilities

Office Administration

• Own the day-to-day running of our Kitchener headquarters, including facility upkeep, space planning, building access, and coordination with the landlord, cleaners, and service providers.
• Manage office supplies, equipment, and consumables, maintaining appropriate inventory levels while controlling costs.
• Plan and run team events, lunches, socials, and all-hands logistics that support our in-office culture.

Security & Compliance (Defence Business Unit)

• Serve as Alchemy’s Designated Official under the Controlled Goods Program (CGP), fulfilling the associated security and compliance responsibilities.
• Coordinate personnel security screening for new defence business unit employees under the Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and Contract Security Program (CSP), including document collection, submissions, and follow-up.
• Maintain the defence clearance calendar and proactively coordinate renewals, reassessments, and expiries to support continuity of required authorizations and clearances.
• Coordinate facility security requirements supporting our defence operations, including visitor controls, access management, secure storage, document control, and related internal procedures.
• Coordinate digital security requirements for the defence business unit with internal owners and external IT support, including account provisioning, access reviews, and secure off boarding.

Human Resources

• Own employee onboarding and offboarding end to end, including offer paperwork, first-day setup, equipment and accounts, orientation, and exit logistics.
• Coordinate performance reviews and other recurring people processes, including scheduling, templates, tracking, and follow-up with managers.
• Administer HR policies and support statutory and compliance-related programs, including WSIB, health & safety administration, employment records, and policy documentation.
• Coordinate employee training, including required compliance and safety training, scheduling, records, and completion tracking.
• Administer and coordinate employee benefits, including enrolment, changes, annual renewals, and acting as the first point of contact for employee questions.

Vendors, Suppliers & Travel

• Source, screen, and onboard new suppliers and vendors to meet the company's needs and reduce cost, such as establishing a corporate hotel account or consolidating recurring spend.
• Manage key supplier and vendor relationships, including contracts, renewals, service levels, invoicing, and periodically evaluate alternatives to ensure value and service quality.
• Administer business membership and corporate account programs (e.g. Enterprise), including enrolment, renewals, usage, and spend tracking.
• Serve as the primary internal point of contact for our external IT contractor, covering support requests, escalations, hardware procurement, software licenses, and asset inventory.
• Manage the relationship with our travel agency and act as the internal point of contact for all company travel, including team travel for conferences, trade shows, customer meetings, and demos.
• Support executive travel, including complex international itineraries, visas, accommodations, and last-minute changes.

Other

• Support other administrative and operational priorities as required to ensure the office, our people, and our day-to-day operations keep running smoothly and key deadlines, renewals, events, or initiatives do not miss the mark.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are looking for an organized, discreet, and proactive operator who can own a broad set of responsibilities across office, people, vendor, and security administration without needing to be heavily managed. The ideal candidate likely has 5–7 years of relevant experience in office management, HR coordination, executive support, or operations in a regulated or fast-growing environment.

• Exceptionally organized, with strong attention to detail and the ability to keep many small deadlines, renewals, and requests from slipping through the cracks.
• Comfortable handling confidential employee, compensation, and security information discreetly and with sound judgement.
• Experience in one or more relevant areas such as office management, HR administration, benefits coordination, security screening, WSIB or health & safety, or vendor sourcing and travel management.
• Commercially minded when managing suppliers, with the instinct to compare options, negotiate terms, and find savings without sacrificing service.
• Clear communicator who can write policies, onboarding materials, internal announcements, and vendor correspondence, and who is approachable enough that the team raises issues early.
• Tech-savvy and comfortable working across tools such as Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, HRIS, ticketing systems, and other business platforms.
• Able to execute with direction while operating proactively, building positive working relationships, flagging risks, and improving processes over time.
• Adaptable, resourceful, and interested in a high-ownership role with room to grow into broader operations or people responsibilities over time.

Security Requirements

You must meet CISD and DDTC requirements for secret level personal security clearances to be eligible for this role. You are not required to have a security clearance already, although having one is a bonus.

If you do not already have CISD and DDTC security clearances, Alchemy will request information during the final steps of the interview process to perform a preliminary assessment for eligibility and likelihood of success in gaining a security clearance. If successful, we will assist you through the administrative process of gaining any required security clearances following your start date.

Other Requirements

In addition, to be considered for this position you must:

• Be legally authorized to work in Canada.
• Pass federal and local criminal background checks
• Be able to work onsite at our Kitchener headquarters at least four days per week, with one fixed work-from-home day per week in accordance with company policy.

Hiring Process

This posting is for an existing vacancy. Artificial intelligence (AI) may be used as part of the application screening, assessment, or candidate selection process