Operations Manager

The Operations Manager is the process owner for the People & Operations department. This is not an entry-level role: rather than executing tasks handed down by someone else, the Operations Manager owns processes end-to-end, knows where they break and why, and drives the improvements that fix them. Over time, this person becomes the go-to voice on the team for “how we do things here.”

The Operations Manager is the primary day-to-day liaison to NEO Philanthropy, Cypress and Grove's fiscal sponsor, on routine operational matters. They draft and maintain the SOPs, policies, and templates that keep the organization running, and they may supervise an Associate, intern, or contractor as the team grows. They lead specific operations projects, run recurring rhythms like access audits and vendor renewal cycles on their own, and coach other staff on Cypress and Grove's operational practices.

This role touches many parts of the organization, including fiscal sponsor relations, finance administration, hiring and onboarding, people systems, policy and SOP infrastructure, vendor and contract management, culture and retreat design, and operational support to governance committees.

Key Responsibilities

Process Ownership, Systems & SOPs (30%)

• Own end-to-end processes within scope, including contract workflow, grant tracking, onboarding, and reconciliation cycles.
• Run monthly credit card reconciliation, keeping it current rather than allowing backlog to build.
• Draft and maintain SOPs, policies, and templates for supervisor review and approval; own the Draft → Approved → Launched SOP lifecycle.
• Own the operations tool stack, including Asana templates, access controls and permissions, and data integrity across core systems.
• Run a quarterly process review and a quarterly access and permissions audit; flag stale SOPs and structural issues for attention.
• Identify friction in current processes and propose solutions, not just name the problem.

NEO Liaison & Fiscal Sponsor Relations (20%)

• Serve as the primary day-to-day liaison to NEO Philanthropy on routine matters, tracking responses and payment statuses proactively rather than waiting for issues to surface.
• Prepare invoices, reimbursements, contracts, and supporting documents for submission to NEO, and troubleshoot issues as they arise.
• Apply C3/C4 distinctions accurately in routine work and explain them clearly to other staff.
• Maintain a working risk register and run routine counsel touchpoints on compliance and operations matters.

People Systems, Supervision & Performance Infrastructure (30%)

• Run hiring processes end-to-end for non-Director roles, including job postings, candidate communication, interview scheduling, and hiring materials.
• Own the full onboarding and offboarding experience; gather feedback and revise the process based on what new hires actually experience.
• Supervise Associates, interns, or contractors when applicable — weekly 1:1s, real-time feedback, and drafting 30-60-90 plans.
• Own execution of the organization's competency framework rollout and the annual/mid-year performance review cycle, including training managers on tools and timelines.
• Own professional development budget administration and manage annual compensation cycle logistics, flagging inequities for supervisor attention.
• Ensure NEO routing on benefits, leave, and HR harm is warm, clear, and followed up on — and model that boundary discipline for anyone supervised.

Vendors, Logistics & Infrastructure (10%)

• Own vendor relationships and routine contract negotiation within budget; run the annual vendor and contract renewal cycle.
• Own travel operations and maintain the organization's travel policy.
• Partner with content leads on retreat and convening logistics, including accessibility and care planning; maintain reusable logistics toolkits.
• Own the reimbursement process and asset management systems, including periodic inventory audits.

Culture, Governance & Strategic Support (10%)

• Design the annual culture calendar in partnership with staff, reflecting the diversity and values of Cypress and Grove's staff and movement.
• Prep operational content and packets for MLAB committees (Recruitment & Culture; Finance & Donor Organizing); coordinate follow-through on related decisions.
• Coordinate operations work across departments, ensure clean handoffs, and flag emerging bottlenecks.
• Translate organizational values into operational choices, making corrections in real time when practice drifts from values.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who has moved beyond executing tasks to owning processes — someone who can be handed an outcome, not just a checklist, and figure out how to get there.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in nonprofit operations, administration, or a related field, with demonstrated ownership of a process or system end-to-end — not just task execution.
• Experience designing, documenting, or improving workflows, SOPs, or templates, or clear aptitude and readiness to do so.
• Comfort supervising others, or clear readiness to take on first-time supervision of an Associate, intern, or contractor.
• Experience running or supporting a performance review, competency, or professional development process, or strong aptitude to pick one up and drive it to completion.
• Strong written communication; able to draft policies, SOPs, and templates independently.
• Sound judgment handling confidential information related to staff, finances, and governance, including the discipline to route HR, benefits, and leave matters to the fiscal sponsor rather than handling them internally.
• Comfort administering (not just using) tools like Google Workspace, Slack, Asana, and shared drives.
• Able to work independently in a fully remote, distributed team across the Carolinas, with regular travel within the state for in-person meetings, retreats, and convenings.
• Interest in Cypress and Grove's mission to build power for BIPOC-led social justice movement work in the Carolinas.

Helpful, But Not Required

• Experience working with a fiscal sponsor, such as NEO Philanthropy, or fluency with grants, contracts, and compliance processes.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and negotiating contract terms.
• Experience supervising Associates, interns, or contractors.
• Experience with hiring logistics, onboarding design, or people systems.
• Familiarity with reconciliation, budget tracking, or basic finance administration.
• Experience supporting board- or committee-level operational work.
• Experience designing culture, retreat, or convening programming.

Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt, fully remote position based in North or South Carolina, generally working Monday through Friday with occasional evening and weekend hours (40 hours per week). Cypress is a distributed team; you will collaborate with colleagues across the Carolinas and should expect regular in-state travel for office visits, retreats, and convenings. The person in this position must be able to communicate with colleagues and partners via phone, including conference and video calls, and written communication, such as Slack and email.

Cypress Fund's fiscal sponsor, NEO Philanthropy, provides a generous full benefits package for this position, including 100% Medical coverage for the employee and 90% Medical coverage for dependents; 100% coverage for Vision, Dental, Life/AD&D, and Long-term Disability. NEO also administers a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Commuter Benefits, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), other supplemental benefits, generous Paid Time Off (PTO), and Paid Family Leave.

NEO does not discriminate on the basis of actual, perceived or assumed membership or association with any protected status or characteristic, including but not limited to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions and lactation), familial status, caregiver status, height, weight, status as a victim of domestic violence, unemployment status, natural hairstyles, criminal history, on the basis of sexual and reproductive health decision-making (including, but not limited to, a decision to use or access a particular drug, device or medical service), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sex stereotyping, sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, disability (meaning any physical, medical, mental, or psychological impairment, or a history or record of such impairment), genetic information, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.