Strategic Operations Specialist

Title: Strategic Operations Specialist

Immediate Supervisor: Director of Strategic Engagement

Staff Supervised
: N/A

Job Classification:Non-Exempt, Full Time

United Way of Acadiana is committed to serving Acadia, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberia, and Vermilion parishes. United Way fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in our community. Our mission: to unite people and organizations with passion, expertise, and resources to create more opportunities for a better life. Our vision: an educated, prosperous, and safe Acadiana where all individuals and families are empowered to achieve their full potential.

The Strategic Operations Specialist serves as a key strategic and operational partner to the Director of Strategic Engagement, helping translate departmental and organizational priorities into clear, measurable action. This position strengthens the effectiveness of the Strategic Engagement portfolio through project management, data analysis, performance measurement, process improvement, systems development, and coordination of key initiatives, including United Way of Acadiana’s ReEntry initiatives.

Working across multiple functions and priorities, the Strategic Operations Specialist provides the structure, analysis, and follow-through necessary to move initiatives from concept to implementation. The position develops systems that improve accountability, monitors performance against established goals, identifies opportunities for greater efficiency, and ensures the Director has timely and accurate information to support decision-making.

As part of the Strategic Engagement portfolio, the position provides operational coordination for ReEntry initiatives, including partner and resource coordination, participant and service tracking, outcome measurement, reporting, process development, and continuous improvement.

• Partner with the Director of Strategic Engagement to translate strategic priorities into actionable work plans, timelines, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
• Maintain visibility of key departmental and organizational priorities and provide regular updates regarding progress, challenges, deadlines, and outstanding decisions.
• Coordinate implementation of strategic plans and other leadership-level initiatives.
• Identify potential barriers to implementation and proactively recommend solutions.
• Ensure decisions and commitments made during meetings are documented, assigned, tracked, and completed.
• Assist the Director in prioritizing competing projects and organizational needs.
• Conduct research and analysis to support planning and decision-making.

• Develop and maintain dashboards, scorecards, and other tools for monitoring organizational and departmental performance.
• Work with staff to identify meaningful key performance indicators and measures of success.
• Collect, organize, analyze, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data.
• Monitor trends and identify areas where performance is improving, declining, or requires additional attention.
• Translate data into clear reports and actionable insights for leadership, staff, boards, committees, funders, and other stakeholders.
• Assist with establishing baseline measures and tracking progress toward annual and long-term goals.
• Support systems that improve the consistency, accessibility, and accuracy of organizational data.

• Evaluate existing workflows and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, accountability, and communication.
• Develop and document standard operating procedures, workflows, templates, checklists, and internal systems.
• Work collaboratively with staff to implement improved processes and monitor their effectiveness.
• Identify repetitive or inefficient administrative processes that can be streamlined, automated, consolidated, or eliminated.
• Maintain centralized systems for tracking projects, commitments, deadlines, and recurring responsibilities.
• Help ensure organizational processes are sustainable and not dependent on the knowledge of a single staff member.

• Lead or coordinate special projects and cross-functional initiatives from planning through implementation and evaluation.
• Develop project scopes, timelines, responsibilities, deliverables, and success measures.
• Facilitate coordination among staff, departments, partners,…