The Director of Operations will play a vital role in establishing and maintaining the financial, business and operations systems that allow for the efficient functioning of the Foundation. The Director of Operations has responsibility for the Foundation’s grants management function, oversight of the physical office spaces, and maintains the Foundation’s budget and contract management processes, in addition to other internal organizational processes. This role relies on the ability to build strong relationships with key partners within the Foundation and across ECMC Group’s Shared Services functions (e.g., Finance, Legal, IT, etc.), as well as outside the organization. The Director of Operations will be key to supporting the Foundation’s growth plans as the organization continues to evolve and deliver on its mission to serve postsecondary learners.

• Develop, implement, and monitor day-to-day operational systems and processes at the Foundation
• Devise operational strategies to ensure the growth of programs enterprise-wide, and implement process improvements to drive operational efficiency
• Provide the Foundation President and leadership team visibility into the goals, progress, and obstacles of key initiatives; lead efforts to make progress where needed
• Draw on relationships with internal partners (e.g., Finance, Legal, IT, etc.), external partners, and vendors to support operational activity and strategic goals
• Provide leadership and strategic direction to the Grants Management function and team (e.g., issuing grant contracts; maintaining the database; ensuring payments are made to grantees/PRIs; etc.)
• Partner closely with Foundation leadership to design and implement the support structure needed by office administrator(s); responsible for the coordination/management of physical office spaces
• Drive strong results from direct reports by providing appropriate work direction, strategic guidance, and performance management
• Lead financial efforts related to setting and monitoring budgets, tracking expenses, and completing an annual audit; responsible for sharing a variety of financial reporting with the organization’s leadership, board and stakeholders
• Manage all contracts associated with Foundation operations; acts as the primary point person for internal procurement and legal partners and third-party vendors and contractors
• Develop and maintain an onboarding process for all new Foundation employees
• Develop and maintain an Operations Handbook to ensure proper documentation and consistency of operational functions across the Foundation
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned

• Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of experience working in an operations, finance or other shared services function OR Associate’s degree and 12+ years of experience working in an operations, finance or other shared services function
• 5+ years leadership experience
• Demonstrated experience managing departmental finances (e.g., financial reporting, expense management, budget creation/monitoring, etc.)
• Demonstrated expertise in quantitative and analytical skills; experience summarizing complex data in a way varying audiences can understand
• Experience building long-term goals/strategies and supporting project plans and tactical steps to ensure goals are met
• Practical experience managing projects multiple projects at the same time, specifically through organization, prioritization, meeting deadlines, and problem solving
• Demonstrated experience working autonomously, leveraging data and information to make valuable decisions for the team
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Experience working with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system (e.g. Fluxx) or other large information management systems
• Demonstrated ability to effectively work with cross-functional teams and/or Shared Services partners to drive results, especially across remote teams
• Ability to travel domestically up to 25% of the time
• Commits to ECMC Foundation’s hybrid work model

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading or working within procurement/contracting processes
• Experience working with or within a Foundation
• Experience leading individuals in multiple onsite locations/offices
• Experience working with partners/sites across states/time zones