About Opportunity@Work
Opportunity@Work is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to unlocking career opportunities for the more than 70 million workers in the United States who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) rather than a bachelor’s degree.
Through research, employer engagement, technology innovation, and narrative change, we work to eliminate the “paper ceiling” — the invisible barrier limiting economic mobility for talented workers without four-year degrees. Through the Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign and our work with federal, state and local governments across the country, we are driving a national shift toward skills-based hiring and advancement. We move institutions from awareness to action, from public commitments to real behavior change, and from short-term wins to sustainable outcomes for all workers, especially STARs.
With an annual operating budget of approximately $20 million and a distributed, remote workforce headquartered in Washington, DC, Opportunity@Work partners with leading employers, policymakers, and ecosystem leaders to create a labor market where skills — not pedigree — determine opportunity.
About the Role:
The Manager, Executive Operations serves as the operational partner to the Chief Impact Officer and the Impact team. This role combines executive support, operational leadership, project coordination, and stakeholder engagement to ensure the team operates efficiently and effectively. The Manager anticipates needs, improves processes, and creates seamless experiences for both internal and external partners.
This role blends executive operations, strategic calendar management, office management, stakeholder engagement, and project coordination. The Manager serves as the operational hub for many of Opportunity@Work's highest-priority activities, ensuring seamless coordination of executive schedules, partner meetings, in-person convenings, and cross-functional initiatives.
The Manager is often the first point of contact for funders, employers, policymakers, board members, and strategic partners, creating exceptional experiences through thoughtful planning, proactive communication, and meticulous attention to detail. They anticipate needs before they arise, solve problems with professionalism and discretion, and build trust through outstanding execution and customer service.
This role is ideal for someone who thrives behind the scenes while making everything around them run smoothly. The successful candidate is highly organized, service-oriented, adaptable, and energized by helping leaders and teams do their best work.
Opportunity@Work believes exceptional talent is built through skills and experience—not just degrees. We strongly encourage STARs (workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes) to apply.
What you'll do
- 1. Executive Operations & Calendar Management
- Provide dedicated executive operations support to the Chief Impact Officer.
- Optimize the priorities of the Leaders you support through strategic calendar management, ensuring time is aligned with organizational priorities and key initiatives.
- Coordinate complex scheduling across executives, funders, employers, board members, policymakers, and other external stakeholders.
- Prepare agendas, briefing materials, meeting logistics, and follow-up to maximize executive effectiveness.
- Coordinate executive travel, itineraries, and logistics while anticipating changes and resolving conflicts proactively.
- Exercise sound judgment in protecting executive time while maintaining exceptional responsiveness to internal and external partners.
2. Stakeholder Engagement & Customer Experience
- Serve as a professional ambassador for Opportunity@Work by creating exceptional experiences for funders, partners, employers, board members, policymakers, and visitors to the O@W office.
- Coordinate communications, scheduling, logistics, and follow-up for high-profile virtual and in-person meetings and engagements.
- Draft and manage correspondence related to executive priorities and stakeholder engagement.
- Build trusted relationships through professionalism, responsiveness, attention to detail, and excellent customer service.
- Ensure every interaction reflects Opportunity@Work's mission, values, and commitment to operational excellence.
3. Workplace Experience & Events
- Serve as the primary coordinator for in-person office operations supporting the Impact team.
- Coordinate logistics for visiting partners, funders, board members, and guests.
- Manage conference rooms, meeting logistics, catering, supplies, vendors, and workplace operations as needed.
- Plan and execute retreats, team meetings, partner convenings, and special events.
- Create welcoming, well-organized experiences that foster collaboration and strengthen relationships.
4. Impact Team Operations & Project Management
- Strengthen and continuously improve the Impact team's operating systems, documentation, templates, shared drives, and workflows.
- Coordinate team meetings, planning sessions, retreats, and internal cross-functional projects.
- Establish and reinforce effective ways of working, including documentation, communication, and project management practices.
- Track priorities, manage timelines, and ensure accountability across multiple initiatives.
- Serve as a flexible "pinch hitter," stepping in wherever additional coordination, problem-solving, or operational support is needed.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and recommend practical solutions that enhance team effectiveness.
- Proactively identify risks, remove operational roadblocks, and keep leaders informed of progress across key initiatives.
5. Budget & Administrative Operations
- Support budget planning, forecasting, and financial tracking for the Impact team in partnership with Finance.
- Coordinate administrative operations including travel, vendors, contracts, purchasing, and expense management.
- Help develop scalable operational systems that support a growing organization.
- Qualifications
You may be a great fit if you:
- Have experience coordinating schedules, meetings, projects, events, or day-to-day operations in a fast-paced environment.
- Are exceptionally organized and enjoy keeping people, information, and priorities on track.
- Communicate clearly and professionally, both in writing and in person.
- Love creating positive experiences for colleagues, customers, partners, or guests.
- Can manage multiple priorities while staying calm, flexible, and detail-oriented.
- Take initiative, solve problems independently, and anticipate what needs to happen next.
- Build trust with others by being dependable, responsive, and handling sensitive information with care.
- Are comfortable learning new technology (including AI) and using tools like Google Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, or similar workplace software.
- Enjoy working behind the scenes to help teams and leaders do their best work.
It would be a bonus if you have experience:
- Supporting senior leaders or coordinating work across multiple teams.
- Planning meetings, events, or travel.
- Managing office operations or welcoming visitors and guests.
- Working in a nonprofit, government, education, or other mission-driven organization.
What Success Looks Like
Within the first year, the Manager, Executive Operations will have:
- Built trusted relationships across the Impact team and with key internal and external stakeholders.
- Established highly effective executive calendar and priority management systems.
- Created seamless experiences for executive meetings, partner engagements, and organizational convenings.
- Strengthened the operational infrastructure that enables the Impact team to work efficiently and collaboratively.
- Become a trusted operator who anticipates needs, solves problems proactively, and consistently delivers exceptional service.
