Operations Coordinator

Location: Downtown Evanston, Illinois (Hybrid three-four days in office. Between the core hours of 9:30-4:00pm - specific hours to be decided between employee and employer)

Reports To: Manager of Strategy and Operations

Job Type: Hourly (20 - 25/hrs a week)

Pay scale and benefits: $20-$25/hr depending on experience. This part-time role is not benefits-eligible.

Job Summary

The Evanston RoundTable is seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Operations Coordinator. This pivotal role requires excellent communication, and exceptional multitasking abilities to help run our daily operations. This role will meet bi-weekly with the Manager of Strategy and Operations, and is expected to manage work-load and expectations independently with moderate oversight. Work includes daily operations, customer service and process improvement initiatives, including implementing strategies for enhancing business processes to support organizational growth and evolution. We're looking for someone genuinely excited about our mission to provide high-quality journalism to the Evanston community and committed to fostering an efficient and supportive work environment.

About the RoundTable

The RoundTable is a rapidly expanding nonprofit news organization dedicated to serving the Evanston community as the top local resource for high-quality journalism. We are committed to delivering in-depth, reliable news and fostering civic engagement. As we grow, we seek a dedicated professional to manage the operational backbone of our dynamic team.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

The Operations Coordinator plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth and efficient day-to-day operations of the office, acting as a central point for all administrative tasks and customer service functions. This role is responsible for:

Customer service assistance (25%) — maintain the “help” email account and office phone line; assist with payment reimbursement, subscription changes, and routing questions to the right staff.

Oversee office (20%) — pay bills and rent, conduct inventory and order supplies, maintain software subscriptions, pay invoices, coordinate staff requests, monitor office and department calendars, office maintenance including overseeing cleaning service.

HR duties include (15%) – onboarding/offboarding staff and temporary/freelance staff, maintaining benefits packages, running staff and contracted/temporary payroll at the end of each month in Gusto.

Staff and volunteer assistance and technical support (15%) — provide basic technical support; assist with job-posting admin; coordinate the community events calendar and volunteer supplies.

Support with data entry and website maintenance (15%) — basic CRM support (check entry, donor contact updates); basic website maintenance, including the online merch store

Track expenses and revenue (10%) — assist with basic budget maintenance and reporting to leadership and the CPA; monitor expenses, revenue, advertising and grant tracking, and accounts receivable.

Qualifications and Skills

Required Qualifications and Skills: The ideal candidate will possess:

• Excellent organizational skills and keen attention to detail.
• Proven ability as a self-starter, capable of supporting complex projects to successful execution.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and the capacity to make sound, business-oriented decisions.
• Experience and proficiency in working with various business systems; a strong aptitude for learning new technologies is essential.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

• Proficiency with QuickBooks, Google Workspace, Zoom, or equivalent software.
• One year of administrative, operations or business support experience, preferably within a nonprofit or similar organizational setting.

Fluid in English