Senior Director of Operations

Organization Description 

Beyond Impact (formerly Tides Advocacy) supports fearless leaders and organizations to build power and advance progressive policies that center equity and justice in our democracy and daily lives. Founded in 1992 as a California-based 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, we leverage transformational fiscal sponsorship, impactful grantmaking, and strategic convening to strengthen organizations advancing racial and social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and systemic transformation. 

Our fiscally sponsored partners include projects, funds, and collaboratives led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), other historically marginalized people, and allies, with a deliberate focus on social welfare and advocacy in Black communities as a strategy to strengthen multiracial democracy and challenge systemic inequities. Our partners work across program focus areas including voting rights and democracy, climate and environmental justice, economic justice, health equity, civic engagement, and community-led policy innovation, leveraging Beyond Impact's support to organize communities, build political power, and advance meaningful policy change. 

Guided by our core values—Joy, Equity, Integrity, Sustainability, and Solidarity—we give our partners the space to pursue bold, transformative work. 

Beyond Impact has grown substantially in recent years, managing a dynamic network of approximately 85 fiscally sponsored partners. Our collective workforce includes approximately 150 employees, supported by a home office team of more than 30 staff, alongside consultants, outside counsel, and temporary personnel. In FY 2024, Beyond Impact's consolidated revenues were approximately $93 million, with home office operating expenses of approximately $8.5 million. 

For more information, please visit beyondimpact.org.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Operations is a member of Beyond Impact's Leadership Team and reports to the Chief Executive Officer. This position is responsible for leading the internal operations that enable Beyond Impact to fulfill its mission, including people operations, technology, organizational operations, executive operations, and implementation of the organization's internal and external communications.

As the organization's operational integrator, the Senior Director translates priorities established by the CEO and Leadership Team into coordinated implementation across departments. The Senior Director oversees key operational functions, strengthens organizational systems and processes, manages strategic vendors and consultants, and ensures the organization operates with discipline, collaboration, and accountability.

This position plays a central role in building Beyond Impact's institutional capacity by aligning people, technology, communications, and operational practices to support staff, fiscally sponsored partners, and the organization's long-term strategic goals

Essential Responsibilities 

Organizational Leadership 

• Serve as a member of the Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategy, annual planning, budgeting, and organizational decision-making. 
• Coordinate annual planning and quarterly priorities, monitor implementation of the Strategic Plan, and develop organizational dashboards and performance metrics that support accountability and informed decision-making. 
• Lead Beyond Impact's annual Care for Our Business Month initiative, coordinating with department leaders to review, update, and implement organizational policies while ensuring fiscally sponsored partners complete required policy acknowledgements and recertifications. 
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive organizational training plan in partnership with department leaders for Beyond Impact home office staff and fiscally sponsored partners. 
• Ensure trainings including Care for Our Business Month, NetSuite and Salesforce, compliance, financial management, and other organizational priorities are coordinated, delivered on a consistent schedule, and designed using Beyond Impact's approach to effective adult learning. The Senior Director is responsible for ensuring the overall training program is implemented effectively, while subject-matter experts and other staff lead individual trainings. 
• Support the Special Projects Manager's coordination of the organization's annual end-of-year operational planning process by coordinating across departments to collect information and documentation required from fiscally sponsored partners to support financial reporting, compliance, grant administration, payroll, and other year-end activities. 
• Maintain and continuously improve Beyond Impact's Operations Manual and related organizational procedures to promote consistency, efficiency, and continuous improvement. 

People Operations 

• Supervise the People + Culture Operations Manager. 
• Provide strategic oversight of employee lifecycle processes, performance management, professional development, and implementation of HR policies and procedures for both Beyond Impact home office staff and employees working within fiscally sponsored projects.
• Maintain and regularly update the Home Office Employee Handbook and the Partner Employee Handbook and partner with organizational leadership and legal counsel to support consistent implementation of employment policies and labor-management practices. 
• Foster a collaborative, equitable, and high-performing workplace culture. 

Technology & Administration 

• Provide strategic oversight of Beyond Impact's technology operations, including internal IT staff, temporary IT personnel, IT consultants, managed service providers, technology vendors, and enterprise software. 
• Establish organizational technology priorities in partnership with the CEO and oversee implementation through internal staff, the Special Projects Manager, and external technology partners. 
• Manage organizational insurance programs, administrative vendors, and key operational contracts in close collaboration with the General Counsel, who leads the organization's enterprise risk management function. 
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational effectiveness through technology, automation, artificial intelligence, and business process improvements. 

Executive & Organizational Operations 

• Supervise the Special Projects Manager and provide strategic direction for Executive Office operations and cross-functional initiatives. 
• Support Leadership Team and Board operations, including Board meetings, annual planning, retreats, and organizational coordination. 
• Partner with departments across the organization to strengthen coordination, improve operational effectiveness, and remove barriers to successful implementation of strategic priorities. 

Communications 

• Lead implementation of Beyond Impact's internal and external communications strategy as established by the Chief Executive Officer, coordinating the work of communications consultants and staff across departments to ensure timely, consistent, and high-quality execution. 
• Manage relationships with external communications consultants and oversee the production of organizational communications, including newsletters, reports, presentations, website content, marketing materials, and other communications. 
• Partner with department leaders to ensure organizational communications accurately reflect Beyond Impact's priorities, voice, and brand standards. 

Qualifications 

Required 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible operational leadership experience. 
• Demonstrated success supervising staff and leading cross-functional initiatives. 
• Experience managing consultants, vendors, and organizational operations. 
• Strong project management, organizational, and communication skills. 
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and progressive social change. 
• Familiarity with enterprise platforms such as Google Workspace, Salesforce, NetSuite, HRIS, and project management systems. 

Preferred 

• Experience in nonprofit, advocacy, philanthropic, or fiscal sponsorship organizations. 
• Experience working in a unionized environment. 
• Experience overseeing human resources, technology, communications, and organizational operations. 
• Experience supporting executive leadership teams and governing boards. 
• Experience managing complex organizational change and cross-functional initiatives. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities 

• Strong systems thinking and organizational leadership. 
• Excellent judgment and the ability to manage competing priorities. 
• Ability to build collaboration across departments and lead through influence. 
• Exceptional project management and problem-solving skills. 
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. 
• High emotional intelligence, discretion, and professionalism. 
• Commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence. 

Physical & Schedule Requirements 

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. 
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 15 pounds. 
• Willingness and ability to attend meetings and events outside regular business hours, as needed. 
• Periodic travel required. 
• Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends. 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Beyond Impact is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions. 

Application Instructions 

Internal applicants may apply through the ADP Career Portal. External applicants may apply through the Beyond Impact Careers page at beyondimpact.org. 

Applicants with Disabilities 

Reasonable accommodation will be provided to enable qualified applicants with disabilities to participate in the application process. Applicants requiring an accommodation should notify Beyond Impact in writing at [email protected] at the time of application.