DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Location:  New York City, New York
Application Deadline: March 30, 2019
(Early applications are highly encouraged, as we may hire sooner)

The OpEd Project is a social venture founded to change who writes history. We are a community of journalists, thought leaders and change agents who actively share knowledge, resources and connections across color, creed, class, sexuality, gender, age, ability and beyond. Through our nationally recognized curriculum, our team of journalist mentors, and through a portfolio of programs in partnership with leading institutions across the nation and the globe, we accelerate the ideas and impact of underrepresented voices, including women of all backgrounds. We have been covered by most major media. We have stunning results.

We believe:

  • The story we tell becomes the world we live in.
  • The world becomes more intelligent when it is more inclusive.
  • The best ideas, regardless of where they come from, should have a chance to be heard and to change the world.

Over the past few years, we have experienced significant growth. As we grow, we are seeking to build our core leadership team, in anticipation of a bold new chapter. We will continue to expand our core Write to Change the World workshops in cities across the nation (and the globe), and we are also seeking to organize and coordinate our flagship Public Voices Fellowship initiative into a powerful new force to change cultural narrative on a large scale, with permanent and undeniable impact.

Overview

The Director of Operations will create strong organizational infrastructure, systems and operational support necessary to scale the mission and programming of the OpEd Project. Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director of Operations will play a senior leadership role in defining, designing, and implementing new systems and processes in the everyday operations of the organization (legal, finance, logistics, space and facilities) and people operations (recruiting, hiring, and annual reviews) and fostering an overall culture of performance and excellence. The Director of Operations will be instrumental in transforming our bold, new strategic vision into a 5-year plan that they will make into a reality. This role will have oversight and make contributions to managing an operating budget of $2.4M and growing.

We are looking for a person who is passionate about the essential day-to-day management of the organization, a driven self-starter with proven experience in building from the ground up, a natural leader that doesn’t shy away from ownership and responsible risk-taking, and a resourceful problem-solver who can be flexible in a fast-paced environment. There is no instructional manual for this role. At this moment of our organization’s lifecycle, we are focused on growing our human capital strategy – that is, supporting and developing our team - both present and future in a way that reflects the full, enormous, wide-ranging brilliance of our community. 
 
Ideal Candidate Qualifications
 
Deep alignment with The OpEd Project’s mission and vision
  • 8-10 years of relevant work experience in an operations role at a mission-driven organization or start-up, with a minimum of 3 years leading a team
  • Demonstrated success in developing, designing, and implementing new systems and processes in human resources, accounting, finance, and program strategy – experience and an informed preference for specific human resources planning and administration software, project management software and CRMs in general is a plus
  • Experience in developing new strategies for scaling processes, protocols, and operations to new locations, sites, or in a rapidly growing organization
  • Experience in leading essential HR processes, including recruiting and hiring - any specific examples of leading the implementation of a robust performance review and management system is a plus
  • Experience in contracts negotiation and capacity to manage 15-20 Facilitators and Fellowship Leaders (part-time contractors)
  • Experience in leading annual budgeting activities and management and regular reporting and analysis for the CEO and CFO
  • Superb communications skills for a wide range of stakeholders, including internally facing peers and colleagues and externally facing funders and partners
  • An existing network of trusted, high-rated professionals and resources in legal, HR, accounting, and IT
  • A creative, can-do, solutions-driven mindset, an instinct for collaboration and problem-solving, and thrives when working in a remote, cross-functional capacity at the intersection between programs, strategy, and operations
  • A keen eye for detail, continuous improvement and polish
  • Full ownership of projects and initiatives (regardless of task), with the aim of completion and follow-through at a high level - not afraid of “managing up and down”
  • Experience with designing, managing relevant vendors, and executing events for public seminars and workshops, our annual retreat, and our holiday party

This position has been filled. Would you like to see our other open positions?