Senior Operations Manager, Optimization

DC
1200 G STREET NW
SUITE 900
WASHINGTON, DC 20005, USA

DC
1200 G STREET NW
SUITE 900
WASHINGTON, DC 20005, USA

DENVER
303 EAST 17TH AVE
SUITE 15
DENVER, CO 80302, USA

DENVER
303 EAST 17TH AVE
SUITE 15
DENVER, CO 80302, USA

Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has grown into America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state and territorial affiliates and more than seven million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and stripes. The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world.

We advance this mission through programming focused on conserving wildlife, restoring habitats and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, advancing environmental justice, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

The Senior Operations Manager position is part of NWF’s Program Operations team and focuses on business optimization. The Senior Operations Manager will work with stakeholders across the organization to help NWF achieve operational excellence. On any given day, that might consist of writing a guidance document, mapping a process, analyzing data to understand impact or pain points, and strategizing to help leadership make decisions.

The ideal candidate will be curious about how things work, passionate about making things better, and practiced at bringing people together and moving them to action. This position calls for someone who is fearless in carving their own path when the project is ambiguous and who will know how to create clarity for others.

The position is matrixed, reporting directly to the Senior Director of Program Operations and working collaboratively to support program leaders. This position will also work closely with other support departments of the organization including (but not limited to) Finance, Philanthropy, Legal, Human Resources, and Accounts Payable. The Senior Operations Manager exercises a high level of discretion, leading cross-functional teams with minimal support and presenting recommendations to leadership that will shape NWF’s future.

• Work with teams across NWF to develop operational performance metrics
• Help teams visualize data to identify where they have risks or opportunities with their resources
• Analyze data and provide insights to help leaders make strategic operational decisions
• Report on program operational health and performance to leadership

• Collaborate with various teams to map processes and pinch points
• Identify process improvements and help program operations teams implement improvements
• Train program operations leaders on new processes and systems and develop resources to institutionalize best practices

• Lead teams to solve complex and/or urgent operational issues
• Provide surge support when program operations teams need assistance with budget and grant management

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent years of experience in a relevant field (e.g., business administration, finance, etc.)
• 7+ years relevant experience in financial management, operations, or administration capacity, preferably in a nonprofit setting. Federal grant management is a plus
• 2+ years of experience managing others (either with direct or indirect authority) to achieve a shared goal
• Adaptability to changing priorities and new processes and software programs
• Demonstrated strong project management skills while collaborating across multidisciplinary teams, preferably in operations
• Ability to analyze datasets, synthesize data, and present findings to leaders
• Clear communication with an emphasis on distilling complex technical concepts into layperson language
• Experience with collecting and synthesizing information from teams while minimizing burden on them
• Reputation as a change maker with a positive, solutions-oriented attitude
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office products including MS Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Advanced skills in writing formulas and manipulating data in Excel. Experience working with Smartsheet, Airtable, or other project management tools is a plus.

Your actions are expected to reflect the staff values of the National Wildlife Federation: collaboration, mindfulness, empowerment, inclusivity, and mission focus. Your competencies should include:

• Being motivated by values of equity and responsibility to those most marginalized
• Consistently bringing a high level of empathy and social skills to work and interpersonal interactions
• Being committed to deepening an environmental justice approach in policy priorities, program development and partner engagement
• Actively seeks feedback, direction, and guidance from all team members and keeps staff informed of decisions that impact them
• Being dedicated to advancing NWF’s internal equity…