Senior Operations Manager, Optimization

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.

Key Responsibilities

Data and Evaluation

• 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

Process and System Improvement 

• 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

General Program Operational Support

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

Qualifications

• 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 changemaker 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.

NWF Values

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 transformation and compelling partners and allies to incorporate equity into their work
• Passion for and commitment to NWF's mission

Travel Requirements

Approximately 2-3 times per year; 2-4 nights per trip.

Location and Work Mode

The National Wildlife Federation is committed to a flexible and empowered work environment with an authentic community of care for all staff. This position is remote with a preference for candidates in Denver and DC.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $77,000 - $85,000, commensurate with experience.

We are proud of our designation by Mogul as a Top 100 Workplace with the Best Benefits, and by Forbes as one of America’s best small employers!  We value work-life balance and a family-friendly atmosphere with flexible scheduling.  We want you to be able to integrate work and personal life with attention to your self-care, so that your work schedule is not depleting.  We offer benefits so you feel restored and fueled through the day and week.

We offer these supports to help manage your mental, emotional, and physical health: 

• Paid time off: Vacation that starts off at three weeks accrual based on a full-time schedule, unlimited wellbeing (this time can be used for physical, spiritual, emotional, cultural, religious or financial wellbeing for yourself, a partner, or family member – including pets), and 11 holidays
• We close down for a paid winter break between December 25 to January 1 to recognize end of-year stress, and time for reflection, rejuvenation, and spending time with family.
• Up to 16 weeks of fully paid Family and Medical Leave
• Low-cost health, dental, and vision insurance options – all outpatient mental health is covered at in-network rates
• Therapist available at no cost
• Pet insurance and discount perk program
• Annual wellbeing allowance
• In addition to your salary, we offer the following supports to your personal finances:
• Retirement plan with immediate match and vesting
• Annual year end retirement contribution
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Adoption and Surrogacy assistance
• Pet adoption stipend
• Student Loan management

Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s benefits package at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.

APPLICATION:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Candidates should submit a cover letter and resume. NWF is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment with regard to any classes or characteristics protected by law.

For more information on our recruiting process, please review our Careers page: https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job, therefore our job descriptions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules.  Your experience, which may include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, helps build the competencies and knowledge that translates to our openings.  Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of excellence.  Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions.

Please let us know if you require accommodations during the application or interview process by reaching us at careers@nwf.org or 703-438-6244.

To be eligible for this role you must be a U.S. citizen or have valid work authorization to work in the U.S

If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.