Research & Operations Assistant — Fashion E-commerce Startup at Assist World

, , South Africa -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

20 Jan, 26

Salary

700.0

Posted On

22 Oct, 25

Experience

2 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Research, Operations, AI Literacy, Excel, Google Sheets, Written English, Calendar Management, Proactive Ownership, Fashion E-commerce, Grant Applications, Vendor Sourcing, Documentation, Project Tracking, Communication, Time Management, Data Analysis

Industry

Staffing and Recruiting

Description

About the role We’re an early-stage fashion e-commerce company (apparel, footwear, accessories) looking for a high-initiative Research & Operations Assistant who can take projects from brief to completion with minimal hand-holding. You’ll own grant/trust research and applications, vendor and professional sourcing (e.g., fashion counsel, 3PL/warehousing), light ops setup, and occasional personal admin. You should be tech-savvy, AI-literate, and fast, using AI tools to accelerate research and drafting. What you’ll do Grants, trusts & proposals (core | ~40%) ● Identify aligned grants/trusts for a fashion/e-commerce startup; build a tracker with criteria, deadlines, and status. ● Draft application materials using founder-provided inputs; manage end-to-end submissions and follow-ups. ● Maintain a repository of reusable answers, documents, and templates. Legal & professional sourcing (core | ~20%) ● Research fashion/brand attorneys for contracts, IP, and vendor agreements; compile ranked shortlists with fees, scope, and reviews. ● Book consultations, manage calendars, and prep decision matrices/notes. Ops & vendor research (core | ~25%) ● Compare US warehousing/3PL options: rates (storage, pick/pack, inbound/outbound), SLAs, integrations, and startup friendliness. ● Build clean comparison sheets (Excel/Sheets) with assumptions, total landed cost, and recommendations. ● Document processes and keep folders tidy in Google Drive. Personal admin (occasional | ~15%) ● Research tax strategists/CPAs; compile vetted lists and schedule consults. ● Light scheduling and follow-ups as needed. \n What success looks like (90-day outcomes) A live, prioritized grant/trust pipeline with 6–10 active submissions and a repeatable application pack. Shortlists for fashion counsel and 3PL with clear pros/cons and a recommended next step. Founder has a reliable weekly cadence (agenda, decisions needed, deadlines) with nothing slipping through the cracks. SOPs and trackers organized in shared folders; updates visible at a glance Must-have qualifications 2–4+ years in research/operations, VA, chief-of-staff lite, or similar role for a startup or SMB. AI-first research & drafting (e.g., prompting strategies to rapidly surface options, synthesize, and produce first drafts). Strong Excel/Google Sheets: lookups, filters, pivot-level comfort, cost comparison models. Excellent written English; concise, structured notes and summaries. Calendar management and meeting scheduling across time zones. Proactive ownership: can interpret criteria, ask clarifying questions early, and deliver v1 without hand-holding. Comfortable working under an NDA and handling sensitive documents. Nice-to-have Exposure to fashion/e-commerce ecosystems (3PLs, marketplaces, brand/legal basics). Experience drafting grant or RFP applications. Familiarity with Google Workspace, Notion, and Calendly (or equivalents). Tools you’ll use Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive), Calendly (or similar) AI research/drafting tools (your choice) Basic project tracking (Notion/Sheets) \n $500 - $700 a month Part-time (20 hrs/week) with a consistent weekly rhythm. Daily async updates; 1 quick sync on most days at ~8–9 PM CT if offshore (or daytime CT if US-based). Responsive during agreed-upon overlap hours \n Why Join Assist World? 100% REMOTE $50 birthday bonus $200 testimonial bonus $300 tenure bonus every 6 months $500 entry monthly raffle NO TRACKER. NO PROBLEM!

Responsibilities

The Research & Operations Assistant will manage grant and trust research, vendor sourcing, and light operations setup. The role requires taking projects from brief to completion with minimal supervision.