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Operations Director

Company: ProsperUs Detroit

Location: Detroit, MI

Job Function: Administrative/Operations/IT

Background

ProsperUs Detroit is a community economic development initiative that supports entrepreneurs and small business development in neighborhoods throughout Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster. We are on a mission to advance economic equity in under-resourced communities by supporting entrepreneurs with opportunities and capital needed to build businesses, generational wealth, and vibrant neighborhoods. We do this by delivering radically supportive and culturally competent entrepreneurship training, financial coaching, technical assistance, and microlending. ProsperUs approaches this work with the belief that residents, small businesses, and community organizations in all neighborhoods can engage and revitalize their own communities.

Summary

As an operations director at ProsperUs Detroit, you will approach the work with an eagerness to support small businesses and entrepreneurs of color at a community development financial institution (CDFI) working in low- to moderate-income communities. Each day, you will collaborate with the team to ensure that ProsperUs is a great place to work, continuously supporting the development of an inclusive and diverse organizational culture based on our mission and shared values. Working closely with your team, you will identify solutions to bolster human resources, systems and information technology, and facilities needs consistent with the organization’s mission. You are great at building relationships one-on-one, advocating for others, and communicating effectively with individuals from various backgrounds. We are excited to welcome team members who are focused on intersectional equity in the context of entrepreneurship in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster.

Responsibilities

Core Job Responsibilities 

  1. Leadership
    • You will partner with the leadership team to ensure ProsperUs is intentional about human resources practices and policies, pragmatic about systems and information technology infrastructure, and responsive to the facilities’ needs of the team;
    • You will focus on organizational process improvement, efficiency, standardization, and automation with the goal of increasing access to resources and capital for historically excluded entrepreneurs; and
    • You will steward relationships with contracted service providers for the organization in the areas of human resources, systems / information technology (IT), facilities, digital communications, and other operational projects as needed.
  2. Management
    • Human Resources
      • You will lead the organization’s practices for recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and support of new and existing team members with a focus on a culture rooted in our organizational values and fostering belonging;
      • You be a partner to the leadership team to address day-to-day HR operational issues such as team member relations, compensation reviews, escalated benefits issues, performance management, and training;
      • In partnership with the organization’s PEO partner, you will implement and manage compliance with all employment laws and regulations that govern all aspects of the employee life cycle, including internal/external investigations, and consult with outside counsel as needed; and
      • You will ensure that team member policies and programs are inclusive; you will recommend changes and implement additional inclusive policies and programs.
    • Systems & Information Technology (IT)
      • You will ensure the team has the equipment, systems, and infrastructure necessary to collaborate and work independently whether it is in-office, at home, or in the field;
      • You will codify existing IT and data systems processes and policies including creating and/or enhancing IT and data systems processes to support emerging use cases;
      • You will manage the relationships with third-party providers of IT services including managed IT services, Salesforce maintenance, and a variety of other tools in the organization’s tech stack;
      • You will ensure the ongoing maintenance and improvement of IT and data systems with a focus on data security; and
      • You will coordinate internal IT and data systems functions for the organization, including the implementation and integration of new software and IT policies and procedures.
    • Facilities
      • You are responsible for our relationship with our office space provider, and you will also be responsible for any emerging facilities relationships as the organization grows;
      • You will lead facilities management for events, workshops, and other off-site opportunities to ensure the team has the facilities necessary to do their best work; and
      • You will ensure the team has the space and equipment necessary to work productively together.
    • Operations Team
      • You will provide oversight and management of the operations team, including the operations manager, by leading recruitment, training, coaching, and accountability;
      • You will provide support to the operations manager in working with third-party communications providers to ensure continuity with organizational priorities;
      • You will administer project management workflows across all teams within the organization, utilizing Trello software to create processes that are both specific and have cross-functional utility;
      • You will organize team meetings and facilitate the management of detailed notes for organizational archives; and
      • You will lead the operations strategic goals process and budget in collaboration with organizational leadership and your team.
  3. Some other activities you will do to support ProsperUs:
    • Identify opportunities to improve programming, make strategic recommendations to leadership, and collaborate on program enhancements;
    • Represent ProsperUs within the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem and in various networks locally and nationally, as required;
    • Continue enhancing knowledge and expertise in equitable entrepreneurship, community economic development, and race equity;
    • Assist with special projects as assigned and other tasks deemed necessary to achieve overall goals and to operate a successful program; and
    • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

While demonstrating high energy and passion for ProsperUs’ work, including our clients, partners, mission, and values, you are also able to do or know the following:

  1. You have knowledge, experience, and credibility within neighborhoods and communities like those that ProsperUs serves. You are familiar with community-based organizations (CBOs), community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and nonprofits in Detroit and the region.
  2. You understand operational best practices and you are skilled in change management with growing teams.
  3. You excel at working with technology systems and you can learn and use new software and tools as required. Experience with DownHome Solutions and Salesforce is a plus, and training will be provided.
  4. You have a personal and professional commitment to intersectional equity, including the dismantling of racism and other forms of oppression that exist in the communities ProsperUs serves, specifically Black, Latinx, Arab, immigrant, and low- to moderate-income communities.
  5. You have a proven history of transparent and high-integrity servant leadership.
  6. You can manage timelines and understand how to communicate your needs to others including team members, partners, and other stakeholders.
  7. You want to find a solution. You can demonstrate proactive, entrepreneurial approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
  8. You are self-motivated and able to work independently, but you also have practice working with internal or external teams and appreciate collaboration.
  9. You must be excited about finding solutions to challenges or barriers faced by those we serve.

Minimum Qualifications

ProsperUs is looking for candidates who have the following qualities and experiences:

  • Prior work-related experience and knowledge of human resources, information technology, and facilities, especially how these elements of organizational infrastructure work together.
  • At least five years of proven leadership experience with skills in nonprofit organizational operations. Ideally, an emphasis on understanding businesses and entrepreneurs who encounter challenges related to systemic and institutional inequity. Bachelor’s degree in a related field required, Master’s degree preferred.
  • Strong technical skills with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat (or comparable tools), operating systems, and networks.
  • Flexibility in days and hours available for scheduled work, including regular evening engagements and occasional weekend commitments.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English. The ability to communicate in Spanish, Arabic, French, or Bangla is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits

Pay and Benefits 

The salary range for this position is $70,000 to $85,000; in addition, we offer these supports to help you manage your mental, emotional, and physical health:

  • Holidays: You will have 11 nationally recognized holidays, an additional floating holiday to be used when you choose, and more time to rest around the winter holidays.
  • Paid Time Off: When you join, you will have 15 days of paid time off (PTO) that you can use 90 days after joining the team.
  • Benefits Plans: You can choose to join the organization’s benefits plan with health insurance (most paid by the organization), org-paid vision, and org-paid dental.
  • Retirement Savings: You can invest in the org-sponsored 401(k) and ProsperUs will match a portion of your contributions.
  • Parental Leave: You will have access to parental leave for giving birth, adoption, fostering, and supporting a partner who is giving birth.
  • Family-Friendly: ProsperUs is a family-friendly work environment with accommodations for nursing parents, respect for childcare needs and practices, parental leave, and other supports.
  • Continuous Learning: We care about your success. You will create professional development goals to collaborate on with your supervisor, and we regularly check in about how it’s going with Quarterly Conversations focused on goals and values.
  • Flexible Schedule: Team members must be available 9 AM – 3 PM Eastern Time. We participate in a variety of events and collaborations, so we encourage team members to work additional hours with a schedule that works for them.
  • Flexible Work Environment: We encourage hybrid home / office work. Team members primarily work in-person, with two remote workdays allowed per week. In-person events and engagements are a regular responsibility of all roles at ProsperUs.

How to Apply

https://prosperus.applytojob.com/apply/5UhMADGq1w/Operations-Director