Director of Operations & Shared Services

Position Summary

The Director of Operations & Shared Services is the architect and quarterback of our shared services department, overseeing:

• IT/Tech
• Finance & Compliance (in partnership with Finance leadership/consultants)
• Marketing Operations
• Facilities & Space Management
• HR & Administrative Support

In this part-time (30 hours/week) role, the Director will focus on building and stabilizing the Operations Hub, prioritizing the highest-impact systems, tools, and workflows. As the organization’s capacity and resources grow, this role will expand into a full-time position with broadened scope and leadership responsibilities.

The ideal candidate is:

• A team player who believes in collaboration over silos
• A mission-oriented leader with a strong equity and community lens
• An agile, design-thinking practitioner who reimagines how work gets done
• An operational innovator who can think beyond “how it’s always been done”
• A mentor of leaders, not just a manager of tasks

This person must bring proven experience in nonprofit and educational settings and have the ability to translate that experience into paradigm-shifting operational practices that directly benefit our staff, students, and communities.

Key Responsibilities

Note: Responsibilities will grow in depth and breadth as the role transitions from part-time to full-time and toward CFAO. Initially, the Director will prioritize the most impactful systems and projects within the 30-hour workweek.

1. Strategic Operations Leadership

• Serve as the CEO’s thought partner on operations, infrastructure, and organizational effectiveness.
• Translate the organization’s mission and strategic plan into practical operational roadmaps, systems, and workflows.
• Design, launch, and refine the Operations Hub model as an internal shared-services “center of excellence.”
• Develop and track KPIs for operations (e.g., service levels, response times, system adoption, compliance, and user satisfaction).
• Provide operational insight to inform budgeting, strategic planning, and future CFAO-level decisions.

2. Shared Services Management (Operations Hub Leadership)

• Lead and coordinate the work across:
• • IT/Tech: systems support, user access, security best practices, troubleshooting processes.
  • Finance & Compliance: coordinate with Finance leadership/consultants on coding, approvals, audit readiness, grant compliance workflows, and documentation.
  • Marketing Operations: ensure tools, processes, and data are in place to support campaigns, events, student recruitment, and stakeholder communications.
  • Facilities: oversee or design processes for space usage, scheduling, safety practices, vendor coordination, and maintenance workflows.
  • HR/Admin Support: support staff onboarding/offboarding processes, tech access, documentation, and internal communication structures.
• Establish clear service-level expectations with internal “customers” (programs, workforce development, education, partnerships, etc.).
• In the part-time phase, prioritize building foundational systems and processes; in the full-time phase, deepen management and oversight of staff and vendors.

3. Systems, Tools & Process Innovation

• Lead the design and optimization of operations using a design-thinking approach: discovery, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration.
• Own the organizational roadmap for key operational platforms, including but not limited to:
• • Salesforce (or similar CRM/data system)
  • Asana (or other project management platform)
  • Microsoft Teams (or similar internal communication platform)
  • Airtable
  • HubSpot (or similar marketing/engagement platform)
  • QuickBooks (QB) and related financial tools
• Evaluate where tools are underutilized and design strategies to evolve and strengthen their use (workflows, dashboards, automations, integrations).
• Partner with staff to map processes (e.g., student intake, grant reporting, stipend payments, facility rentals, vendor management) and redesign them for clarity, efficiency, and equity.
• Identify opportunities for automation, data integration, and “single source of truth” systems to reduce manual work and errors.

4. Culture, Collaboration & Communication

• Model and nurture a culture of collaboration, transparency, and shared problem-solving across departments.
• Facilitate cross-functional working sessions and operational “labs” where staff co-create solutions.
• Create simple, accessible documentation (playbooks, SOPs, FAQs) that help staff use tools and follow processes with confidence.
• Serve as a bridge, translator, and advocate between operations and program teams—ensuring tools and processes work for the people who actually use them.
• Communicate clearly and frequently about changes, timelines, and expectations to avoid surprises and build trust.

5. People Leadership & Talent Development

• Supervise Operations Hub staff and/or cross-functional leads as capacity allows, providing coaching, feedback, and development.
• Identify, nurture, and mentor emerging leaders within the operations and program teams.
• Create professional development pathways for staff to build operational, technical, and leadership skills.
• Empower team members to propose new ideas and lead pilot projects that improve the organization.

6. Compliance, Risk & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Finance, HR, and Compliance leads to ensure that operational practices meet regulatory, grant, and audit requirements.
• Monitor risk areas (e.g., data security, financial controls, facility safety, documentation gaps) and propose practical mitigation strategies.
• Use data (qualitative and quantitative) to continuously refine systems and processes—always asking, “Is this still serving our mission and people well?”
• Establish feedback loops with staff and stakeholders to understand pain points and opportunities for improvement.

Qualifications

Required

• 5–7+ years of progressive operations experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership/management role.
• Direct experience working in a nonprofit and educational setting (e.g., K–12, higher ed, youth development, workforce development, arts education).
• Demonstrated ability to design and/or significantly improve operations in a growing organization (not just maintain existing systems).
• Proven track record of leading and mentoring teams; ability to create leaders, not just manage staff.
• Comfort acting as a strategic thought partner to executives, especially the CEO, while also rolling up your sleeves to get work done within a lean, part-time structure.
• Hands-on experience with several of the following tools (or similar systems), and the ability to learn new ones quickly:
• • Salesforce (or similar CRM)
  • Asana (or similar project management platform)
  • Microsoft Teams / Office 365
  • Airtable
  • HubSpot or other marketing automation/CRM tools
  • QuickBooks and/or related financial systems
• Strong project management skills: planning, prioritization, timeline management, and follow-through—especially in a 30-hour workweek, with clear focus on high-impact priorities.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to explain complex systems in clear, accessible language.
• Demonstrated practice or familiarity with design thinking, human-centered design, or continuous improvement methodologies.
• Commitment to equity, community empowerment, and the mission of serving individuals with barriers.

Preferred

• Experience building or leading a shared services or operations hub model across multiple departments.
• Experience designing data dashboards or reporting systems to support leadership decision-making.
• Exposure to change management frameworks and leading organization-wide rollouts of new systems or tools.
• Experience in a small-to-mid-sized nonprofit where creativity and resourcefulness were required due to lean budgets.

Core Competencies & Mindset

• Mission-Driven: Sees operations as an engine for equity, access, and impact—not just paperwork and process.
• Collaborative Team Player: Actively seeks input from staff across levels and roles; builds bridges, not silos.
• Innovative & Experimental: Comfortable testing, learning, and iterating; not content with “this is how we’ve always done it.”
• Design Thinker: Centers the user experience (staff, students, partners) in every system or process redesign.
• Systems Thinker: Sees the big picture and understands how changes in one part of the system affect the whole.
• Leader of Leaders: Invests in others’ growth, shares decision-making, and creates space for new voices.
• Operationally Creative: Able to achieve big outcomes within constrained resources through smart design and prioritization.
• Results-Oriented & Data-Informed: Uses metrics and evidence to drive decisions, without losing sight of people and relationships.

What Success Looks Like in the First 12–18 Months

By the end of year one to 18 months, in this part-time Director role, the Director of Operations & Shared Serviceswill have:

• Designed and launched a clearly defined Operations Hub model with documented services, workflows, and points of contact.
• Implemented or improved core use of tools like Salesforce, Asana, Teams, Airtable, HubSpot, and QuickBooksso that staff are using them more consistently and confidently.
• Reduced operational friction for program and frontline teams (fewer bottlenecks, clearer processes, faster response times).
• Created and begun implementing a multi-year roadmap for strengthening organizational infrastructure and shared services.
• Built the foundation of an operations leadership bench—staff and emerging leaders who take ownership of systems and processes.
• Demonstrated at least a few “paradigm-shifting” changes in how we operate that are clearly felt by staff and the communities we serve.
• Positioned themselves, in partnership with the CEO and Board, on a clear trajectory toward full-time leadershipand, ultimately, the Chief Financial & Administrative Officer (CFAO) role.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salaried Part-Time (30 hrs/week): $55,000 annually
• [Outline benefits available to part-time salaried staff: health insurance eligibility, PTO, sick time, holidays, retirement contributions, professional development, hybrid work, etc.]
• As the role transitions to full-time, compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect the expanded hours and responsibilities.

***Please understand there is an expectation to present a brief case study during the interview process.***