Minds Matter Hiring Director of Operations

 

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: Director of Operations

LOCATION: New York, NY or Flexible

 

Organization Overview

Minds Matter National, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to transform the lives of accomplished high school students from low-income families by broadening their dreams and preparing them for college success.

Minds Matter has achieved 100% college acceptance for over one thousand program graduates, and more than 92% of eligible tracked alumni have graduated. A recently commissioned study concluded that Minds Matter delivers a return on investment exceeding 15x to its funders. In 2015, the organization celebrated its 25th anniversary, serving roughly 700 students in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Twin Cities, and Washington, D.C.

The intensive program ushers high school students through three years of growth by (a) assigning highly dedicated volunteer mentors to each mentee, (b) providing ACT/SAT test preparation and writing instruction, (c) exposing students to college life through attendance at highly competitive summer academic and leadership enrichment programs, and (d) supporting mentee applications to leading 4-year colleges, financial aid and scholarships.

Minds Matter achieves its results largely through the unusual dedication of over 2,000 volunteer mentors, instructors, program leaders and local chapter leaders who thrive on the opportunity to see the difference they make possible in their mentees’ lives. Minds Matter chapters have grown organically in the number of students served, and the organization has organically added new chapters – often, when volunteers move to a new city, they are driven by their dedication and by Minds Matter’s results to start a chapter in their new home.

The National office currently maintains a staff of three, with outsourced accounting and fundraising support, and most other chapters are volunteer led. Dedication of Minds Matter’s volunteer leadership at every chapter highlights the power of the Minds Matter network, the incredible innovations developing within chapters, and the desire for National to increasingly drive chapter collaboration towards best practice identification and adoption.

 

Position Overview

The Director of Operations supports the backbone of the national office and of the organization’s current and future chapters. This work is done through three overarching objectives: 1) To prepare the organization for strategic growth, 2) to drive the success of the national office in terms of efficiency, compliance, funding, and operations, and 3) to support chapter leadership in growth and delivery of programming. The Director of Operations works towards these objectives by managing the logistical, technical, and communications needs of the national office and the organization as a whole. This is a multi-faceted role with several moving parts, significant responsibility, and a great deal of autonomy. The Director of Operations oversees the Program & Development Associate and reports to the CEO.

 

Responsibilities

TECHNOLOGY & DATA

  • Act as Salesforce Administrator for the organization’s Salesforce account
  • Maintain current technologies that support the organization and identify improvements in usage or tools, depending on Organization needs
  • Synthesize and analyze data provided by chapters to determine areas of best practice as well as potential opportunities for growth and change
  • Research potential new chapter cities and make recommendations for Organization growth

CHAPTER SUPPORT

  • Ensure policy compliance by managing volunteer background check and training processes
  • Train chapters on technological tools as needed
  • Act as point person for requests or questions from chapter leadership
  • High-touch support for new chapters throughout the application and launch process

FINANCE

  • Oversee bookkeeper and all accounting activities
  • Prepare yearly national office budget and keep track of revenue and expenses
  • Coordinate the Organization’s yearly audit (performed by outsourced auditors)

COMMUNICATIONS

  • Manage all internal and external communications including social media and newsletters
  • Create promotional materials as needed for the national office and chapters
  • Create the Organization’s yearly Annual Report

OTHER

  • Act as Human Resources point-person for national office and for select chapters
  • Support CEO in multiple tasks, including: communication with Board, requests for data, fundraising material creation
  • Work directly with several vendors, including: insurance broker, technical support, bank contact
  • Create and update Organization policies as needed

 

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 3 years of work experience
  • Experience as a Salesforce Administrator
  • Strong understanding of technology
  • Customer-first mentality – at the Minds Matter national office, our customers are our chapter leadership and our goal is always to support their growth and success
  • Ability to handle several priorities simultaneously and to easily context shift between priorities
  • Self-Starter – you should be able to learn quickly and be resourceful in finding answers to questions or problems you are not familiar with
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills and strong organizational skills
  • Comfortability with Microsoft Excel
  • Experience in Adobe InDesign or Photoshop a plus

 

To Apply:

Minds Matter is engaged in a fast-moving process and requests that candidates submit materials as soon as possible and, while applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, preferably by April 15. Please submit a resume and cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position as well as your target salary objectives.  Please also indicate how you heard about this opportunity.  All materials should be submitted in Word format and sent to the search committee at admin@mindsmatter.org.

 

Minds Matter is an Equal Opportunity Employer.