Director of Business Operations
hace 19 días
Chicago
Job DescriptionAbout Chicago Beyond Chicago Beyond is a national philanthropic organization that addresses systemic inequity by backing solutions led by those closest to the issues. Since our inception in 2016, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $65 million in catalytic funding in over 250 individuals and community organizations while leading national systems change initiatives. Because there is no single barrier to equity, Chicago Beyond engages in opportunities across philanthropy, justice, health, and beyond. We address systemic inequity in three ways: • Investments: We make catalytic investments to increase the impact of solutions led by those closest to the issues., • National Initiatives: We lead national initiatives in partnership with change makers to challenge and reshape the status quo., • Multiyear Investment Partners: Through multimillion-dollar, flexible grants and partnership support, we work to increase the impact of solutions led by those closest to the issues., • Rapid Response Fund: This fund quickly delivers unrestricted grants to organizations and individuals with solutions for their own communities across the country. Our investments strengthen partners’ wide-ranging work. This role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and expertise in operations and management to support Chicago Beyond’s mission and growth. It is ideal for a strategic generalist and operational builder who can diagnose inefficiencies, translate strategy into systems, and lead change in an organization. In addition to what is outlined below, you will be responsible for other duties as assigned to support the goals and objectives of the organization. Key Responsibilities: • Strategic & Operational Leadership: Develop, evolve, and implement the adaptive operational infrastructure required to execute and sustain Chicago Beyond’s strategic priorities. Identify organizational inefficiencies, design scalable solutions, and lead implementation across departments. Collaborate with the Chief Strategy Officer to develop and implement strategic plans and objectives for Chicago Beyond, with a focus on meeting Chicago Beyond’s annual goals and operational excellence. Partner with senior leadership to develop KPIs and organizational dashboards to track progress against strategic goals, budgets, and capacity. Ensure clear operational alignment between people, processes, systems, and strategy. Drive organizational learning by identifying insights from operations, programs, and partnerships to inform strategy, decision-making, and continuous improvement., • Financial Management: Lead and manage all financial operations for Chicago Beyond (including budgeting, forecasting, expense tracking, grant disbursement coordination, and financial reporting), ensuring sound fiscal management and integrity across the organization. Manage vendor relationships, invoicing, payment processing, and reimbursements. Serve as the organizational lead for QuickBooks, ensuring accurate financial records and adherence to internal controls and regulatory requirements. Develop departmental and organizational budgets, financial dashboards, and tools that provide real-time visibility into budget performance and operational health. Identify opportunities for automation, cost efficiency, and improved visibility across financial operations. Partner with leadership to model financial scenarios that support strategic foresight and risk planning., • Continuous Improvement of Systems, Tools, and Processes: Embed values and culture into systems design and ensure they are reflected in tools, processes, and decision-making. Redesign and implement core systems to create cross-functional visibility and efficiency. Evaluate and optimize tools such as Asana, QuickBooks, Airtable, and Microsoft Office to maximize integrations and streamline workflows. Lead change management to ensure adoption and sustainability of new systems. Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance scalability, automation, and alignment with strategic goals. Identify opportunities for automation and technology adoption to drive innovation and productivity. Drive organizational learning by translating data and insights into narratives that inform leadership decisions and drive organizational alignment. ensuring that systems, policies, and processes embody Chicago Beyond’s mission, values, and ways of working., • Project Management & Collaboration: Partner with the Chief Strategy Officer to establish the operational cadence for running the organization, including All Hands, cross-departmental planning, prioritization, and progress tracking. Collaborate with other departments and teams within Chicago Beyond to align operational activities with programmatic goals and objectives, including supervising and managing the Administrative Support Associate. Overhaul project management practices to streamline workflows, simplify processes, and promote accountability. Foster a culture of collaboration, communication, and teamwork across the organization through working closely with the executive team. Lead the operational cadence that connects strategy to execution, ensuring progress tracking, shared learning, and adaptive planning. Serve as sense maker for the organization by continuously connecting the dots across teams to identify themes, risks, and opportunities., • Talent, Hiring, and Professional Development: Oversee the full lifecycle of the hiring process, including defining role requirements, crafting job descriptions, sourcing and screening candidates, coordinating interviews, making hiring recommendations, onboarding and offboarding. Ensure the process reflects the organization’s value, attracting top talent that aligns with the mission and culture of the organization. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to create a seamless and professional candidate experience. Lead the professional development cycle, ensuring systems support both individual growth and organizational performance. Manage benefits through 3rd party vendors. Maintain the employee handbook and partner with leadership to design key organizational policies. Design and oversee a performance management framework that connects individual goals to organizational KPIs and strategic priorities. Champion a culture of growth, reflection, and feedback that aligns with Chicago Beyond’s values and commitments., • Space Strategy, Utilization, and Management: Design and lead Chicago Beyond’s space strategy to align physical space with our mission, values, and evolving strategic priorities. Shape how our space furthers our work with partners and community to advance our goals. Translate strategic intent into operational execution, designing systems and processes to ensure the space functions efficiently. Continuously assess how the space is used, incorporating data and feedback to drive decisions., • Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of experience in business operations, strategy, management consulting, or operations management., • Demonstrated experience in financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis. Familiarity with QuickBooks preferred., • Strong strategic planning and project management skills, with the ability to set clear goals, develop actionable plans, and drive results. PMP certification or equivalent experience preferred., • Demonstrated ability to develop KPIs, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms that drive insight, decision making, and accountability., • Experience implementing, automating, and optimizing operational systems and processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Experience with Airtable, Asana, CRMs, and grant management systems preferred., • Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve their full potential in a dynamic environment., • Strong collaborator with the ability to translate strategy into actionable plans and deliver measurable results., • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to identify issues, evaluate options, and implement solutions. Our values guide our work. • Always Equitable – People in our communities face unimaginable obstacles to achieving their fullest human potential. So, we must fight for equity, not equality., • Incessantly Urgent – The simple fact is that lives are literally at stake right now. The unacceptability of the situation requires our relentless bias to action in order to accelerate our impact., • Endlessly Creative – To dramatically impact the lives of our youth and communities, we must employ imagination to augment or replace the usual, typical, and predictable., • Stubbornly Audacious – Entrenched challenges require disruptive ideas boldly applied. We must be unafraid to embrace risks. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Chicago Beyond at . Chicago Beyond is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented applicants.