Operations Manager

Operations Manager

Food & Environment Program

Union of Concerned Scientists

Remote

Bargaining Unit Position: No

The Position

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is an independent national nonprofit that uses science to protect our health, safety, and environment. We are scientists, engineers, economists, activists, and everyday people who develop and advocate for innovative, practical solutions to some of our planet’s most pressing problems—from combating global warming and developing sustainable ways to feed, power, and transport ourselves, to fighting misinformation, advancing racial equity, and reducing the threat of nuclear war.

UCS is seeking an operations manager for the Food & Environment Program to support a talented, dynamic team that uses cutting edge research, strategic policy advocacy, strong partnerships, and the ability to organize scientists and experts to transform the US food and farming system. The Food & Environment Program works to create a sustainable and equitable food system that makes farmland resilient to climate change and other challenges, produces healthy food for all, protects frontline food workers, and contributes to thriving rural and urban communities. Our team of 16 scientists, advocates, communicators, and campaigners collaborates to build impactful campaigns to advance our food system goals.

The operations manager will leverage their skills and expertise to help support and optimize the effectiveness of our team. In this exciting, newly created role, the successful candidate will collaborate with the program’s deputy director and other UCS leaders to ensure the Food and Environment Program oversee program administration, manage team budgets and processes for maximum effectiveness, provide project management oversight and impact tracking, help the team center anti-racism in its work, and support a positive team culture. The right candidate will bring expert project management skills and an interest in working with our team to enact our vision for a sustainable, healthy, and equitable food and farming system.

Responsibilities

• Managing day-to-day program operations, including supervising a program coordinator and other administrative staff and consultants as needed, developing, and managing annual budgets, coordinating hiring processes, and supporting staff development and effective internal communication.
• Providing project management oversight and skills building for maximum effectiveness, tracking, and communicating project and campaign outcomes, and leading staff in lessons-learned processes.
• Leading processes for centering anti-racism, facilitating special projects and implementing new systems to apply UCS equity commitments across the program’s operation.
• Supporting program fundraising efforts, particularly tracking commitments, and reporting back to foundations.
• Collaborating across UCS programs and departments to source and share operational best practices and help the organization develop and optimize effective systems.

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree and five to seven years of relevant nonprofit management and supervisory experience. Master’s degree in Management or equivalent preferred.

Familiarity with food and farm policy issues a plus.

The candidate should have experience developing and managing budgets, strong project management and planning skills, self-motivation and attention to detail, and excellent communication skills. Understanding of, and commitment to, the importance of racial equity to effectively achieve program goals is required, as is the ability to work both independently and in teams and to interact effectively with a range of people, including professionals who may be expert and/or prominent in their fields. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects for extended periods of time, and to be flexible in responding to fast-changing organizational needs.

May spend extended periods at computer. Occasional overnight travel is required.

UCS is an equal opportunity employer actively seeking to diversify its staff. In particular, we are dedicated to broadening opportunities for individuals from demographic groups that are historically underrepresented in the sciences and in environmental advocacy. We are also committed to building an inclusive workplace culture where talented people of widely diverse backgrounds can thrive. We believe the inclusion of culturally diverse perspectives will improve our work and produce better societal and environmental outcomes for all, including historically disenfranchised communities.

Details:

This is a full-time remote position, with an option for in-office or hybrid work arrangement for candidates residing near one of our offices in Washington, DC; Cambridge, MA; Chicago, IL; or Oakland, CA. For those who meet all position requirements, the salary range is $101,931-$114,670. UCS offers excellent benefits and a rewarding work environment. *CA Resident Only, we offer a 12% salary differential*

Information about the organization is available at http://www.ucsusa.org.

Comparable training and/or experience can be substituted for degrees when appropriate.

More about the team:

Our team is made up of a dedicated group of researchers, scientists, communicators, campaigners, and advocates from wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and a collaborative and supportive work environment where all staff can thrive. We continually strive to create an environment which is a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, parents, empty-nesters, and people with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds.

To Apply: We know there are great candidates who will not check all of these boxes, and we also know you might bring important skills that we haven’t considered. If that is you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. Please upload a cover letter and resume. In the cover letter, please confirm that the listed salary meets your expectations. Upload materials in Word or PDF format only. No phone calls, please.

Covid Mandate for New Hires:

For in office roles, UCS employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees are considered fully vaccinated as defined by the CDC. All new hires who will be reporting to an office location must provide notice of their vaccination status and vaccination documentation, on or before their first day of work. For all others, UCS strongly encourages full vaccinations among its employees, up to and including booster shots, even if working remotely.

All new employees must comply with the mandatory vaccination requirements outlined in UCS policies as soon as practicable. Union of Concerned Scientists will notify candidates for employment of the requirements of this policy before the start of employment.

Deadline: until filled