Director of Business Operations

Oversees the business affairs of the MGHPCC, a non-profit organization with an annual expense and revenue run rate of approximately $20M. Operations include a data center that is purpose-built for research and education, and a large-scale “AI Compute Resource” (AICR) dedicated to AI research and development. Principal members of the MGHPCC are Boston University, Harvard University, MIT, Northeastern, the University of Massachusetts, and Yale.

Responsibilities include engagement with the board of directors and its committees; management of finance staff; development and evolution of business processes; grant management; contract management; and financial forecasting, control, and reporting. Working with a dynamic and committed team, the Director of Business Operations provides timely, transparent, and predictable support for all stakeholders, including those who rely on the data center and AICR, as well as funding agencies, vendors, MGHPCC staff, and operations.

The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) Director of Business Operations oversees the business affairs of the MGHPCC data center and Consortium, a non-profit organization with an expense and revenue run rate of approximately $20M. Operations include a data center that is purpose-built for research and education, and a large-scale “AI Compute Resource” (AICR) dedicated to AI research and development.

Principal members of the MGHPCC are Boston University, Harvard University, MIT, Northeastern, the University of Massachusetts, and Yale. The Director of Business Operations supports the non-profit mission of the organization in three principal areas:

• Governance – Efficient and responsive engagement with the board of directors and its committees.
• Service – Business processes that are simple, transparent, and predictable for all stakeholders.
• Operations – Timely and efficient financial forecasting, control, and reporting.

Since the Director of Business Operations often represents the organization to stakeholders at a variety of levels, strong communication skills are a key requirement, including formal documents such as member agreements, widely distributed memos or emails, contributions and leadership in meetings and working groups, and oral communication via presentations and 1-1 interactions. The ability to both plan and react is important.

A day’s work may include ensuring planning and timely execution of routine functions such as monthly invoicing, while at the same time reacting to an unexpected and time-sensitive member need. Ability to improve efficiency by identifying and acting on opportunities to simplify complex tasks, automate simple tasks, and eliminate unnecessary tasks needed to run the organization. Examples include simplifying business processes, introducing software tools, improving documentation, and addressing problematic vendor relationships.

MGHPCC is a small organization, so willingness to take on multiple roles and to fill in on-line responsibilities when needed is important. While deep technical knowledge is not required, the Director of Business Operations must be comfortable working in an organization that deploys and operates complex computing, storage, networking, and facility operations technology.

Represent the MGHPCC on business and financial matters at meetings of the Board of Directors, committees appointed by the board, and related working groups. Work with the Executive Director and Corporate Counsel to ensure that governance follows best practices. Activities include maintaining the operating documents that define the relationship between MGHPCC and its members, and maintaining strong working relationships with the board of directors and committees appointed by the board.

To ensure effective separation of duties, the Director of Business Operations complements the Executive Director on financial oversight functions such as expense and invoicing review and approval.

Business functions such as reporting, invoicing, and contract negotiation are central to the relationships between the MGHPCC and its stakeholders. It is important that…