Please see the following website for application link: https://rainiervalleycorps.org/job-announcement-operations-support-program-director/?blm_aid=5440512

Do you want to be at the forefront of rethinking how nonprofits are run? The Operations Support Program Director will take the lead in developing a new, fast-growing program that removes the burden of the back office from our partner organizations.

OPPORTUNITY

By centralizing the operations of many smaller organizations and taking advantage of economies of scale, we streamline their administration and provide the highest quality back office support, utilizing fiscal sponsorship as a vehicle. We are looking for an Operations Support Program Director to take this work to the next level, and innovate alongside our partner organizations, learning together about how to most effectively manage their finances and human resources while strengthening their ability to do the work they love in community. We welcome creative thinking and hope to experiment together in order to ensure that we are providing the most effective support to our partners.

This role will have supervisory responsibilities and would be perfect for someone who loves operations, is excited about building a different approach to capacity-building and is experienced in mentoring others.

REPORTS TO: Managing Director

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Management (45%)

  • Lead the growth and development of the Operations Support program, setting the direction of the program
  • Represent the program externally, meeting with current and potential new partners and exploring how RVC might partner with them most effectively
  • Supervise a team of Operations Support Program Managers, ensuring that they are working effectively with our partner organizations and growing professionally
  • Ensure that RVC’s finance, human resource, and legal systems are efficient and user-friendly, strategically assessing them regularly and making improvements
  • Track our partners’ growth and development as a result of our capacity building efforts and ensure the program is effective and impactful
  • Learn from other capacity-builders in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of RVC’s programs
  • Write about lessons learned and effective approaches, building the capacity-building knowledge of the sector

Operations Support (45%)

  • Onboard new partner organizations, conducting an organizational assessment to understand their strengths and capacity-building needs and ensuring they have a smooth experience joining the Operations Support Program
  • Manage financial systems, acting as primary point of contact with our external accounting team, ensuring that all paperwork and reports are high-quality and timely, and coaching partner organizations on their budgets and financial practices
  • Manage our human resources staff, providing coaching on human resources issues and ensuring we are following best practices
  • Review grants and contracts and coordinate with our legal team to address and legal/risk issues that may arise
  • Ensure all legal paperwork, licensing, insurance, and other aspects of organizational operations are properly maintained
  • Act as the primary point of contact with some of our partner organizations receiving operations support, maintaining a high level of responsiveness and building strong, trusting relationships

General Operations (10%)

  • Collaborate with staff in making key strategic decisions affecting RVC’s future
  • Coordinate with staff delivering related programs to our partners
  • Participate in staff meetings, attend community events, and otherwise contribute to strengthening the deep roots within our community, both internally and externally

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Required:

  • Experience in senior leadership/management roles in the nonprofit sector (or related area), with an understanding of the challenges faced by leaders of small grassroots nonprofits. Work, volunteer, academic, and other life experience are all acceptable
  • Demonstrated experience (via paid work, volunteer, and/or life experience) in managing various aspects of operations such as finances and human resources
  • Experience working with communities of color and grassroots organizations, with a nuanced understanding of systemic oppressions
  • Experience mentoring and supporting leaders in their growth and development
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Able to work some evenings and weekends

Desired:

  • High emotional intelligence, able to easily develop deep, trusting relationships with diverse individuals from many different backgrounds
  • Passion for operations, excited about the nuances of financial management and human resources
  • Flexibility and adaptability, able to shift communication and consulting styles to fit the needs of a wide range of cultures, people, and organizations
  • Love of continuous learning, with knowledge of diverse nonprofit capacity-building resources that are relevant to our partners
  • Highly organized and uses tools efficiently and with consistency
  • Commitment to our mission and our values of Equity, Integrity, Community, Action, and Transformation
  • Humble, knowing when to ask for help and advice from others
  • A great sense of humor!

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

  • This is a full-time, exempt position paying $60,000-75,000. Salary offer will be dependent on experience.
  • We believe in work-life balance, and are committed to keeping the workload in alignment with the true hours worked.
  • We provide 23 days of Paid Time Off, 11 paid holidays, and a flexible, family-friendly schedule.
  • We provide medical (zero-deductible HMO and PPO options), dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, life, and AD&D insurance, with RVC covering over 90% of the costs of the insurance package.

OUR HIRING PROCESS & TIMELINE:

  • We will continue to review applications on a rolling basis until the position has been filled.
  • We will begin in-person one-hour interviews in January.
  • Finalists will be invited to a second-round one-hour interview, at which point we will ask for two work samples relevant to this position, e.g. a process you created, a report you wrote, or other relevant materials.
  • We would like to have the selected candidate start in February.

ABOUT RAINIER VALLEY CORPS

In light of the current political climate, the need to invest in communities-of-color-led nonprofits is more urgent than ever. Due to a historic lack of investment in this sector, communities of color are unable to fully participate in civic engagement and advocacy around critical areas such as environmental justice and education equity. Without the involvement of the communities most affected by injustice, policies and practices are often ineffective.

Recognizing these challenges, Rainier Valley Corps was formed in 2014. We focused on the lack of staff capacity and launched a fellowship program where cohorts of talented leaders are recruited, trained by RVC, provided a living-wage salary and healthcare, and placed at grassroots organizations led by communities of color, with the goal of helping these organizations develop their capacity.

RVC then moved from a single leadership program toward a holistic capacity building model focused on organizations led by communities of color. This new model combines our existing fellowship with four new core capacity-building areas: operations support, capacity-building coaching, partnership fundraising, and collaboration. We believe that the combination of these strategies will unlock the potential of communities of color to mobilize, shape policies, and respond to the current political climate.

RVC works in partnership with a variety of communities-of-color-led organizations in Rainier Valley, including Got Green, Puget Sound Sage, Geeking Out Kids of Color, Somali Doulas, MarketShare, Ethiopian Community in Seattle, Powerful Voices, East African Community Services, Families of Color Seattle, Rainier Beach Action Coalition, Voices of Tomorrow, and AGE UP.

As RVC grows, we need a passionate Operations Support Program Director who can work with the rest of the team to shape the future of our organization. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants not just a job, but also an opportunity to empower communities of color and cultivate the next generation of leaders. Plus, we’re right in the middle of Columbia City, and it’s awesome here, with diverse restaurants, bars, and shops. And the team is ridiculously dedicated to the mission and fun to work with. It helps that we have the best snacks.

RVC is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, especially those from Southeast Seattle, are strongly encouraged to apply.