Events and Operations Manager

About the Role

Leverage Research is seeking an Events and Operations Manager to help us grow our team and our events program following the success of our 2021 Bottlenecks workshop. Reporting to the COO, the successful candidate will be responsible for managing and helping design internal and external events and managing the institute's day-to-day operations. The ideal candidate is extremely organized, able to find creative solutions to problems, and a fast learner.

This role has the potential to grow into Head of Operations, Events Manager, or Communications Specialist, depending on the candidate’s interests and skills. Leverage Research is also looking for a History of Science Researcher. We are open to different breakdowns of roles and responsibilities across positions for exceptional candidates. Find out more about our roles on our jobs page: www.leverageresearch.org/jobs.  If you have any questions or require additional accommodations for your application, please contact us at jobs@leverageresearch.org.

Responsibilities

Event Management:

• Scope and Design Events: Work with our Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, and external collaborators to help define goals and audiences for internal and external events. Contribute to designing the social, aesthetic, communications, content, and logistics to meet those goals.

• Successfully Execute High-Quality Events: Manage all aspects of the event from start to finish, including sourcing venues, managing suppliers, writing communications, supporting attendees and VIPs, scheduling content and speakers, on-site event management, and attendee feedback. 
• Connect with Stakeholders and Grow Our Network: Our events bring together researchers, funders, program designers, and project leads, often including big names in science, philanthropy, and technology. The successful candidate will need to professionally and positively represent the institute to many important stakeholders, liaising with attendees and building and maintaining relationships to develop the Bottlenecks network.

Operations Management:

• Manage Institute Resources: Manage accounts; create budget projections; pay invoices; organize records, research, and data; and develop systems to improve the effectiveness of the team.

• Ensure Legal Compliance: Ensure Leverage Research is up to date on all relevant laws and regulations governing our day-to-day work in the United States and work with lawyers and other legal experts on one-off projects related to new initiatives.

• Support a Growing Team: Work with our Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer to set and administer policies, provide HR support and guidance, hire and onboard new staff, and ensure our team has everything they need to thrive at work.
• Run the Office (online and in-person): Identify and execute creative solutions to build a productive and welcoming environment for the team, both online and in-person. 

Skills and Experience

Required:

• • Great at Prioritizing: In a small team that seeks to make the most of every opportunity, there will always be more things to do. We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate excellent prioritization; understanding which tasks to do—and not do—to best achieve our goals. 
  • Highly Organized: Whether it’s software, spreadsheets, or a system of your own design, successful candidates will know how to stay on top of everything that comes their way, juggling a variety of responsibilities and making sure nothing gets unintentionally dropped.
  • Extremely Responsible and Reliable: The successful candidate will be someone to whom we can entrust the institute's day-to-day operations and the success of some of our most public-facing activities. As such, they will need to demonstrate a high degree of responsibility and reliability to show these areas are in safe hands.

• Great With People: To run great events, sustain our network, and aid our team, you will need to pay close attention to people, understand what they need, how they will gel with others, and ensure they are well supported and having a great time.

• A Fast Learner: As our programs develop and our team grows, there will always be new opportunities and new challenges. Our new event and operations manager will need to be a fast learner who can keep pace with whatever lies ahead.

• Bachelors Degree: A bachelor's degree in a field relevant to the work of the institute (such as in the social sciences, humanities, or communications) or the specific role (such as business, accounting, event management, or marketing).

• 2 Years Experience in Similar Role (Broadly Construed): Our ideal candidate has at least two years of experience in either operations (particularly accounting and finance, HR, or office management)  or event management (leading the creation and execution of small to medium-sized events). We are especially excited about candidates who have both. However, if your experience does not match this requirement but you are a highly-skilled generalist with other relevant experience that feels they could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply.

Preferred:

• Taking Initiative and Problem Solving: While many day-to-day tasks will involve more basic administration, in a small but growing team like ours, there are always opportunities to take on new responsibilities and solve problems. We are especially excited by candidates who can demonstrate the ability to take initiative even outside of their role to further the institute’s mission.

• Openness to Feedback and Discussion: We believe that discussion and feedback are essential for producing high-quality work. Our new colleagues must be prepared to give and receive feedback on their work and discuss institute communications, strategy, and policy. Candidates should be able to articulate their feelings, impressions, and viewpoints while understanding the perspectives of different audiences and teammates. 

Passion for Understanding and Improving the World: Our team is curious, thoughtful, and motivated to help others. We’re especially excited about candidates who are excited to support our mission and share our passion for figuring things out and efforts to improve the world.

Basic Information

• Salary: $45,000 - $65,000 per year, depending on experience and location.

• Position Type: Full-time, salaried.

• Hours: Monday to Friday, 40 hours a week, with work hours flexible around core hours. Occasional weekend work required.

• Location: Leverage Research is based in Oakland, California, but we are currently considering moving our office, likely to a different US city, at some point within the next year. 

• Remote Work: We prefer candidates to work with us in person, but we want to work with great people wherever they are. We support remote work and have an online virtual office.
• Travel: Team members may be asked to travel for external events and team retreats for one or two weeks per quarter.
• Work Authorization: Work authorization for the US is preferred but not required.

Benefits

• Vacation Days: 20 days of paid time off for new employees and 12 paid company holidays each year.

• “Google 20% Time”: Staff are given the flexibility to use 20% of their time (up to 1 day a week) to work on projects not part of their day-to-day responsibilities that are valuable for individual learning and development or the wider institute.

• Training Budget: Funding for training courses and other resources which support individuals’ personal or professional development.

Flexible Hours: Staff can choose hours that match their individual schedules as long as they are available during core hours and make reasonable efforts to coordinate with colleagues.