About People’s Action/Institute
People’s Action Institute (501c3) and its sister organization People’s Action (501c4) are national progressive organizations supporting the mobilization and leadership of the grassroots in support of a long term agenda that reflects people over profits. People’s Action/Institute is a national organization focused on building the power of poor and working people in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change.
With offices in Washington, DC, and Chicago, IL, and remote staff across the country, we support and advance state-based and national fights for progressive policies on the environment, health care, economic security, housing, education, and more. Our member organizations, nearly 40 organizations across 29 states, improve lives by running local- and state-level issues and electoral campaigns, leading statewide tables, and collectively coming together to change national policy and politics.
People’s Action/ Institute has a track record of leadership in coordinating field mobilization and advocacy in advancing an array of issues at the local, state, and federal levels. Our member organizations have won important victories at the national, state, and local levels, including health insurance for millions and the reversal of health care laws that discriminate based on citizenship, stopping Wall Street banks from selling predatory payday loans to their customers, and historic legislation like the Community Reinvestment Act to victory and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
For more information on PAI, please visit https://peoplesactioninstitute.org/.
The Opportunity
Do you enjoy collaborating on work and projects across teams and departments? Does improving communication flow across different departments and facilitating effective meetings excite you? Do you think about creating or implementing workflows and developing long-term strategies that contribute to a more powerful and efficient organization? If you said yes to any of these questions, we have the job for you.
Overview of the Position
People’s Action Institute is looking for a purposeful leader to fill our Operations Director role. The Operations Director is a thoughtful and collaborative driver of work focused on projects that span across teams and departments. The Operations Director must be an experienced and adaptable operations manager who has a proven track record in people and project management. They must strive to improve efficiency and effectiveness while also ensuring that the work aligns with the overall mission, culture, and goals of the organization, and is compliant with federal and state laws and regulations.
As an Operations Director, your responsibilities can include (but aren’t limited to):
Cross Team Management & Coordination:
Boards of Directors Development & Meeting Support
Operationalize board development strategy including board committee work and expectations for national leadership staff.
Support the board development of each board (C3, C4, and People’s Action Power) and manage and develop each board meeting materials
Compliance, Agreement & Contract Administration
Manage the lifecycle of independent contracts, MOUs, and other collaborative agreements for the organization
Develop essential staff training programs to cultivate a shared understanding of IRS compliance matters. Work with the finance team to refine processes between entities to ensure IRS compliance.
Cross-Departmental Procedures and Workflows
Develop, find, employ, and adjust systems to manage workflows across departments
Create strong working relationships and alignment with finance teams and operational leads
Project & Team Management
Effectively manage individual team members and projects that span across teams and departments
Effectively manage the Operations Manager, Project Coordinator, Events Director, and possibly the Data & Tech Director
Other Duties as Assigned
The ideal Operations Director should have the following experience and qualifications:
Strong commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice and their intersections, both inside and outside the organization.
Ability to work with diverse people and organizations
10 years of operations experience in a nonprofit or movement organization. Movement experience is preferred.
3+ years of management experience
Experience working in a multi-entity environment and compliance matters
Demonstrated and successful project management experience
Effective and strategic communications and analytical skills
Experience working with boards of directors
Strong attention to detail with an ability to synthesize and understand the big picture
Compensation and Benefits:
Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt, benefits-eligible
Union Position (Yes/No): No
Salary Range: Level G - $129,935 - $150,975, salary commensurate with experience
**Location: **Can be based in our Chicago, IL or Washington, D.C. office. Strong preference for Chicago based applicants- we do not pay for relocation expenses. Remote locations may be considered anywhere within the continental United States.
**Reports to: **Chief Operating Officer
**Supervises: **Operations Manager, Project Coordinator, Events Director, Data & Tech Director
Travel Requirements (Yes/No): Yes, 2 - 4 times a year for staff retreat and any other required meetings/events; remote location may increase travel expectations.
**Benefits include: **Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Medical, on the first day of employment, and Dependent Care Flex Spending Account after 90 days, 401(k) plan after 30 days, Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, 4 floating holidays (Presidents Day, May Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, a week off during the summer, 9 paid holidays plus the last two weeks of the year that include Christmas Eve/Christmas Day as well as, New Year’s Eve, and you accrue two weeks of vacation your first year of employment.
Our Commitment to Equitable Compensation:
We believe in fair compensation for your work - no matter where you live. Our salary scale is comparable to salaries you would find in Chicago, IL, where our headquarters is based. It is based on your months/years of work experience. While we do not determine education as a factor in whether we hire someone to work for People’s Action Institute, we do factor in any relevant higher education experience that you have. To further counter pay inequities and inequality on the team, we have a non-negotiable compensation practice - this also includes vacation and benefits - and provide opportunities for advancement for full-time employees based on performance evaluation. Your starting pay reflects where you sit within our salary scale and is based on the information that you provide us on your resume. PAI continues to monitor wages through triennial compensation analysis to ensure that we continue to offer our prospective and current employees fair wages.
Hiring Process
Here at People’s Action Institute, we are committed to providing an equitable and intentional hiring process for all of our candidates. Our process consists of three rounds. The first round will be conducted by our HR staff, the second round will be conducted by a hiring committee that includes staff from different parts of the organization or volunteers that have a stake in the position and the hiring manager for the position. Before anyone moves to the final round, you will complete a project meant to evaluate your skills for the position. Anything that you submit or complete for the project will be used to evaluate you for the position you are applying to. After you complete the project, if you advance to final interviews, we will also request references from our finalists. Our final round will be conducted by the hiring manager and their supervisor.
Commitment to Disability, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
People’s Action/Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer; womxn, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI people are strongly encouraged to apply.
Union
People’s Action Institute recognizes our staff bargaining unit affiliated with Chicago Midwest Regional Join Board, Workers United (CMRJB). Any position that is indicated as included in People’s Action Institute’s bargaining unit will be covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
Close date: July 28, 2024
No phone calls, please