Operations Specialist Work Challenge

Operations helps bring structure to messy situations.

The work challenge gives you an example of some of the challenges you might face in this role and gives Tofugu an idea of how you might tackle them.

This work challenge consists of 3 essay questions (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). Please write you answers in a separate document and submit it in PDF format along with your résumé and cover letter. 

Part 1

Choose one of the following two questions to answer.

Write your answers as if you were communicating with a teammate. Concise explanations are better than long ones.

If your explanation answers the question without creating new ambiguity, that’s a good sign.

If you need to make assumptions, please state them.

Option A

Tofugu is planning to hire a contractor who lives in a country where we don’t currently operate.

Which option would you lean toward?

• Hire them directly as a contractor
• Use an EOR or third-party service

Why?

What risks or tradeoffs are you thinking about?

What would you want to confirm before moving forward?

If you were responsible for handling this going forward, what would you set up to make sure it runs smoothly?

 

Option B

You receive this message from the accountant:

“We may have created tax nexus in Colorado last year. Can Ops take a look?”

Later that day, the president asks:

“Is this something we need to worry about right now?”

You don’t have full context yet.

Question

What would you do next?

Be specific about:

• what you would check first
• what you would not do yet
• whether you would communicate anything right away, and what you would say

If you were responsible for handling this going forward, what would you set up to make sure it runs smoothly?

Part 2

You start your day and see the following issues:

1. The payroll provider says a payment failed for two employees.
2. A state tax agency sent a notice requesting documentation within 7 days.
3. A teammate says their company credit card was declined while trying to book travel.
4. A teammate says they never received their benefits enrollment information.
5. A vendor subscription renewed overnight for $1,800 and looks higher than expected. Last month it was $1200.

Questions

• How would you prioritize these?
• Briefly explain your reasoning.
• What do you do next?
• What happens to the rest of your priorities?

If you make any assumptions while making your decisions. state them.

Part 3

You notice a payroll discrepancy that may affect one employee. You’re still confirming details. Payroll is scheduled to run later today.

Write a message to the president explaining:

• what you know
• what you’re doing
• whether any action is needed right now