Operations / Administration Director of Operations
Job Description
Chalkbeat, the growing nonprofit news organization covering public education in America, is seeking a Director of Operations. Reporting directly to Chalkbeat’s COO, the Director of Operations will add senior capacity to Chalkbeat’s operations team and help position the organization for rapid growth. The right candidate will be a strategic thinker with expert project management, systems design, and communications skills. S/he will ensure that our operations team is viewed as a positive support to achieving Chalkbeat’s mission and goals.
The key responsibilities for this role include:
Talent
- Lead systems improvements that streamline the various parts of our recruitment, hiring, and onboarding process
- Continuously improve our performance management system, with a focus on tools for managers
- Lead searches for business roles and identify (and liaise with) specialized search firms that can expand our talent capacity
- Manage our policy development process, including the documentation and communication of key policies
- Supervise operations team members and build an increasingly specialized team that can support Chalkbeat’s growth
Organizational development
- Lead a strategic planning process to build a more robust operations team that can better serve Chalkbeat’s growing network, including finance, administration, HR, technology and other supports
- Lead content planning for our all-team retreat, offsites, and all-team meetings
- Design knowledge management systems, such as training tools and document management, in collaboration with our Operations Associate
- Improve Chalkbeat’s playbook for expansion to new markets
- Own “progress to goals” reporting on organization-wide KPIs
- Identify opportunities for centralization, and design systems where they don’t yet exist
What background and skills do you have? (Not all are required, but we hope you’ll have several of these):
- Experience with nonprofits, media operations, or tech firms
- 10+ years of professional work experience with a focus on talent, organizational development, systems design, or operations
- Master’s degree (MPA, MBA) a plus
- Proven project management ability in a deadline-driven and goal-oriented environment
- Good supervisory instincts
- Flexibility and comfort working in an environment where multitasking is the norm, the pace is fast, and priorities will evolve
- Ability to communicate clearly across teams
- Proficient with office software, primarily the Google Suite, document management solutions (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive), and project management tools (e.g. Asana)
- Interest in education and/or journalism and passion for Chalkbeat’s equity mission
This position is based in New York City. Our office is conveniently located near Penn Station and many subway lines.
This is a full-time position with benefits. Chalkbeat offers a competitive salary, commensurate with experience, and a generous benefits package, including a paid winter recess from December 26-31.
About Chalkbeat:
Chalkbeat is the nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. We are mission-driven journalists who believe that an independent local press is vital to ensuring that education improves. Currently in seven locations and growing, we seek to provide deep local coverage of education policy and practice that informs decisions and actions, leading to better schools. Read more about our mission and values.
