Operations Director

Request for applicants | May 2023

About Global Detroit

Global Detroit is a regional economic and community development organization. We develop and implement immigrant-inclusive strategies to drive the growth, revitalization and broadly shared prosperity of Detroit and Southeast Michigan.

Global Detroit is a nationally recognized leader in building inclusive economic development strategies that begin with immigrant families and entrepreneurs, as well as international students and global talent, and lead to lasting change for our region. Cities and regions that are welcoming to immigrants are vibrant. They have strong neighborhoods, competitive companies, successful small businesses, and a rich and diverse cultural life. By intentionally including immigrants in our economic development strategies, we aim to spark growth, revitalization and sustained prosperity in Detroit and throughout Southeast Michigan.

Joining the Global Detroit Team

We are a group of thinkers and doers from Detroit and all over the world. We work strategically to build an equitable economy where immigrants are valued and meaningfully included. As a member of the Global Detroit team, you will have a chance to flex your creative muscles, step outside of what is expected and find new solutions to old problems. We welcome energetic and innovative thought leaders to apply!

Position Overview

The Operations Director is a key member of Global Detroit’s leadership team. This is a new position for Global Detroit, the need for which is a consequence and reflection of the rapid growth, and expanded scope of work and leadership Global Detroit is experiencing. Their main duties include overseeing the operational activities and processes required to manage Global Detroit’s essential functions and workflow, developing and implementing operational plans which support the organization’s strategy, and analyzing and mitigating operational efficiency. The Operations Director will work alongside the Managing Director and team to deploy Global Detroit’s vision, achieve our goals and expand our organizational footprint and impact in alignment with our mission and strategic plan. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Operations Director will work with the leadership team to prioritize and balance operational needs with near-, short-, and long-term organizational strategic priorities.

Responsibilities
  • Board of Directors
    • Provide administrative support, such as preparing and distributing Board of Directors (BOD) meeting documents, to the Executive Director and Managing Director, as needed or directed, in support of BOD activities
    • Staff and/or serve on Board committees, as directed by the Bylaws or the BOD
  • General Operations
    • Collaborate with executive team members to determine and prioritize organizational strategies, especially those which will impact or be impacted by operational policies
    • Regularly evaluate organizational efficiency
    • Assess risk of business decisions and offer suggestions on how to avoid, minimize, mitigate or resolve risk
    • Identify opportunities for operational improvements, make recommendations for improvements and lead their implementation across the organization, ensuring the team is positioned to carry out new instructions with a sense of agency
    • Define, implement, regularly review, and revise operational policies (e.g., standard operating procedures, job instructions, desk procedures, etc.) and guidelines for the organization’s business processes related areas such as finance, human resources, procurement, etc.
    • Ensure the operational processes are well communicated throughout the organization and expectations are clear by effectively explaining new directives, policies, procedures to managers; for major changes, meet with entire team to explain changes and answers questions, doing so in a way that is responsive to GD’s organizational culture and which maintains and uplifts morale
  • Financial Operations
    • Keep track of the organization’s revenues and associated costs, as well as help develop strategies on maximizing revenues
    • Oversee the generation and provision of internal financial statements for appropriate users, including monthly grant budget updates, P&L statements, balance sheets, budget-to-actual statements and additional reports for grant applications and reporting as needed
    • Review and analyze monthly budget-to-actuals, cashflow, and income projections, and work with the leadership team to identify and resolve issues
    • Approve check requests and ensure proper allocation between restricted funding sources (grants, contracts, etc.) and unrestricted sources
    • Approve credit card expenses and ensure proper allocation between restricted funding sources (grants, contracts, etc.) and unrestricted sources
    • Attend periodic grant managers meeting
    • Prepare audit schedules for the annual audit, and oversee the completion of the audit, providing the necessary support and direction of the Accountant as needed, including serving as a liaison with auditors and being present on audit field workdays, as necessary
    • Monitor cash flow, conduct cash flow analysis and projections, raising issues with the leadership team
  • Human Resources and Employee Relations
    • Participate in the hiring, training, and ongoing coaching of team members
    • Oversee all employee relation activities including professional development pathways, process improvement plans, coaching, steps of discipline, and termination
    • Work with the Human Resources & Employee Relations Manager to create job descriptions, hire competent personnel and oversee team training and development
    • Work with the Human Resources & Employee Relations Manager to develop and implement staff evaluation parameters
    • As part of the leadership team, support the development of succession planning to ensure that capable management is in place to efficiently handle the evolution of GD’s work
  • Supervision
    • Motivate team members to function at their best and highest selves in an environment that prioritizes and celebrates diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and which promotes the psychological, physical, and emotional safety and wellbeing of all team members
    • Identify and advance suggestions of how to leverage this role or its function to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within the organization and throughout its scope of work
    • In collaboration with the leadership team, provide general supervision of team to ensure timely completion of work and adherence to policies and procedures, identifying all necessary resources required and identifying potential barriers
    • Be available as resource and mentor to team members
    • Provide supervision of operational direct reports and contractors, including but not limited to:
      1. Accountant, Bookkeeper, or Contractor (part-time or contract position)
      2. Human Resources & Employee Relations Manager and/or Contractor (newly created part-time or contract position)
      3. Operations Manager (this is a full-time role that has shared supervision)
Required Skills and Experience

To fulfill this role successfully, we are looking for candidates with the following:

  • Excellent leadership and organizational abilities
  • Superior knowledge of non-profit operations (e.g., finance, human resources, IT, procurement, etc.)
  • Excellent written and oral communication
  • Analytical and problem-solving mindset
  • Process-oriented and solution-oriented
  • Proven knowledge of performance evaluation metrics in a business or non-profit setting
  • First-class people skills, high emotional intelligence, and familiarity and success in working in a diverse work environment
  • minimum bachelor’s degree
  • minimum of 7 years’ experience working in operations roles and a minimum of 3 years in an operational management or leadership capacity
Desired Skills and Experience
  • bachelor’s or master’s degree in finance, business management, business administration, economics, organizational change management, community development, economic development, urban planning, or related field is preferred, but not required
  • minimum of 7 years’ experience working in an operations role and a minimum of 3 years in an operational management or leadership capacity
Salary and Benefits

This position is a full-time (40 hours/week) salaried position. Salary will range between $78,750 and $90,000 per year, depending on experience, and will include benefits. The Global Detroit team is currently working remotely, but this position will ultimately be based in Detroit, with the option for hybrid hours (partial office time, partial remote).

To Apply

Click here to apply. Submit a resume and cover letter explaining your interest in the position and unique qualifications. In your cover letter please indicate your earliest potential start date.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

 

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