Program Operations Manager

Position:
Program Operations Manager
Department:
Administration
Pay Rate: $68,294-$74,880 Status:
Exempt
Last Revised: 2.2025

The Program Operations Manager plays a critical role in strengthening the operational effectiveness, consistency, and accountability of The Children's Cabinet's programs. Reporting to the Chief Programs Officer, this position works closely with the Executive Leadership, Program Directors, Program Managers, and administrative departments to ensure programs have the systems, processes, financial information, documentation, and tools necessary to effectively manage program operations and meet funder expectations.
The Program Operations Manager provides hands‑on operational support to program leadership and conducts structured program reviews to assess alignment among grant and contract requirements, Scopes of Work (SOWs), budgets, program activities, staff practices, data collection, and outcomes. The position identifies operational and compliance gaps, supports implementation of improvements, and serves as a connector between programs and administrative functions.

Duties

• Serve as an operational resource and thought partner to Program Directors and Managers in managing the administrative and operational components of programs.
• Support program budget reviews and financial planning, including budget-to-actual monitoring, spending trends, projections, amendments, significant variances, and areas requiring follow-up.
• Assist with staffing plans, caseload information, service capacity, program utilization, and other operational planning needs.
• Develop and maintain operational tools that help program leadership manage deadlines, deliverables, reporting requirements, funding commitments, and assigned responsibilities.
• Assist programs with administrative processes, workflows, forms, tracking systems, and internal procedures.
• Support implementation of new grants, program expansions, funding transitions, staffing changes, and other significant operational changes.
• Conduct structured reviews of programs against applicable grants, contracts, SOWs, amendments, and funder requirements.
• Identify required program activities, eligibility requirements, deliverables, assessments, outputs, outcomes, reporting requirements, and performance measures.
• Ensure deadlines, responsibilities, internal review processes, and submission expectations are clearly established.
• Review program handbooks, manuals, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), forms, and related guidance for alignment with current requirements and program practices.
• Review program logic models and assess alignment among activities, outputs, outcomes, assessments, and funder expectations.
• Partner with program leadership and data & evaluation team to develop comprehensive program evaluation plan including short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.
• Partner with program leadership and Data & Evaluation to ensure program data systems support contractual, operational, and outcome requirements.
• Ensure client satisfaction surveys are completed post-service delivery and annually across programs and data are used to capture client stories, the impact of programming as well as identify areas for improvement.
• Develop program improvement or corrective action plans and monitor completion of identified actions.
• Develop and maintain SOW-to-outcomes crosswalks to ensure required activities and outcomes are appropriately documented, measured, and reported.
• Review contractor, subcontractor, and subrecipient relationships for appropriate documentation and operational processes.
• Review program workflows from client intake through service delivery, assessments, outcome measurement, and program completion.
• Meet with program staff to identify operational grey areas, inconsistent practices, recurring questions, administrative barriers, and opportunities for improvement.
• Review program orientation and onboarding checklists to ensure alignment with SOW requirements, program procedures, assessments, documentation, and data systems.
• Observe or shadow staff performing key program functions to compare actual practice with established program expectations.
• Work with program leadership to update program handbooks, SOPs, forms, checklists, and operational resources.
• Identify areas requiring additional training, clarification, or supervisory follow-up.
• Coordinate with Finance, Grants, Data & Evaluation, Human Resources, IT, Facilities, and other administrative functions to address program operational needs.
• Help…