Operations Manager

ABOUT WAISN

The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) is a grassroots coalition of over 400 immigrant and refugee rights organizations, formed in the wake of the November 2016 elections.

WAISN’s mission is to protect and advance the power of immigrant and refugee communities through a multiracial, multigenerational, multiethnic, multigender, multilingual, and multi-faith coalition. Our organizing strategy educates and mobilizes statewide to uphold and defend the rights and dignity of all immigrants and refugees, centering the voices of vulnerable and impacted communities.

The state of Washington is home to over 943,000 immigrants and receives the 8th most refugees among states. Many groups of, by and for immigrants and refugees have been working around the state for decades. In the face of the proliferating threats unleashed on us by the Trump administration and a rise in the white supremacy movement in the U.S., we have coalesced to form the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network.

WAISN is the largest immigrant-led coalition in the state of Washington. We are a powerful, volunteer-driven network of immigrant and refugee-rights organizations and individuals distributed across the state in 27 counties. We work to provide support, capacity and resources to organizations’ efforts to build power and act as a united immigrant justice voice statewide.

The ideal candidate shares our commitment to building relationships and grassroots power in immigrant and refugee communities and also brings flexible, solutions-oriented, and systems-minded skills. The Operations Manager will need to have the ability to adapt to the evolving needs of our growing organization and to think several steps ahead to ensure things run smoothly, as well as excellent communication skills in order to make the case for changes and help staff manage change as WAISN grows.

Learn more at https://waisn.org/

POSITION SUMMARY

The Operations Manager engages with WAISN’s goal of protecting and advancing the power and rights of all immigrant and refugee communities by: being a servant leader emphasizing values- and mission-aligned activities, programs, and initiatives; overseeing the day-to-day operations of WAISN, including finance, information technology, and human resources; actively and collaboratively empowering the professional lives of the Finance & Operations (Fin Ops) team to be challenging and fulfilling; serving on the WAISN Managers Team; and putting into practice our core values of accountability, integrity, solidarity across differences, care, and joy.

This position is a key collaborator and thought partner for the Director of Finance & Operations (DFO), and contributes to building a healthy, engaged, productive, and influential team committed to collaboration and innovation across all our organization’s activities. The Operations Manager will lead with “yes” when problem-solving, improving processes, and exploring new, innovative ideas.

As a member of the Managers Team (MT), the Operations Manager will contribute to the overall health of the MT by working to build trust, engaging in constructive “clean” conflict, demonstrating commitment to team decisions, holding oneself and others accountable, and focusing on results.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership:

• With the DFO, provide the vision and goals for the Fin Ops team, and for how the team will work well across the organization
• Lead through influence within the Fin Ops team and across all other departments
• Practice adaptive leadership as well as exercising technical skills
• Serve on the Management Team

Finance Team Management & Collaboration

• Build healthy, dynamic teams that work well together, with members who understand their role and impact within and outside the organization
• Act as an adaptive, servant leader to supervise, support, professionally develop. And hold accountable the two Operations Coordinators
• Conduct weekly one-on-one check-ins with both direct reports
• Manage the workflows and work capacity of both direct reports, and delegate tasks appropriately
• Manage cross-functional collaboration meetings

Operational Systems & Maintenance

• Oversee the smooth functioning of all operations and administrative systems, including accounting, information technology (IT), and human resources
• Manage two contractors engaged for accounting services and for IT services
• Manage mail collection and check processing
• Develop and implement streamlined processes to meet operational needs
• Lead staff trainings as needed to communicate Operations policies and procedures
• Develop how-to desk manuals and tutorials for organizational policies and procedures
• Serve as point-of-contact between WAISN and the nonprofit from which we sublet office space in South Seattle
• Manage the storage space in South Seattle, and support the Operations Coordinator for Events in managing the storage space in Pasco WA
• Support the Operations Coordinator – Events with all organizational events, most notably: the annual Immigrant Rights Advocacy Day (IRAD) in Olympia, June Pride events, Steering Committee meetings, annual Deportation Defense Convening, and annual three-day All Staff Retreat

Finance & Accounting

• Manage the accounting team to ensure proper maintenance of all accounting systems and functions
• Support and maintain appropriate internal controls and financial procedures
• Manage our relationship with and the work of our external accounting firm, which handles AP, bank reconciliations, month-end close, financial reporting, and government filings
• Serve as point-of-contact for the accounting contractor on day-to-day requests, trouble-shooting, and process improvements
• Manage key vendor relationships related to operations, finance, and technology
• Manage the company credit card accounts, ensuring that all charges are documented and approved
• Manage professional services contracting, creating template contracts and working with the Executive Team to ensure that contracts are signed and W9’s are provided
• Manage Accounts Receivable (AR) invoicing for grants, contracts, sponsorships, and memberships
• Manage mail collection and check processing
• In collaboration with the Development team and the DFO, manage grant agreements, grant-related budgets, and financial reports
• Work with accounting contractor to prepare local, state, and federal tax compliance documents and filings
• Support annual financial statement audit, 990 filing, and 1099 filing

Information Technology

• Maintain effective filing systems (both digital and physical) for all financial, grant, contractor, and personnel information, while maintaining strict confidentiality
• Manage the relationship with and work of our external IT services firm, which provides helpdesk services, sets up new workstations, and recommends best practices
• Work with our IT firm to optimize Google G-Suite, Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft account management, ensuring seamless functionality and strategic utilization
• Lead and execute comprehensive equipment, materials, and inventory management strategies
• Working with the Operations Coordinator, proactively manage correspondence within the organization's info@ and admin@ email accounts
• Manage Google calendar, shared drives, etc, with support from the external contractor

Human Resources

• Cover all HR management until the Personnel Success Manager is hired (Oct 2025)
• Manage recruitment, onboarding, training, and offboarding for all staff
• Manage and maintain employee benefits programs
• Prepare payroll twice monthly, for approval by DFO

Legal Compliance

• Coordinate with the DFO and contract accountants to ensure timely filing of all Federal, State, and City reports and returns
• Ensure that all local government licensing and registration requirements are up to date and maintained including but not limited to; Department of Revenue, Employee Security Dept, Labor and Industries, Secretary of State registration, Secretary of State Charitable renewal, DUNS, and WA PDC Lobbyist Registration
• Ensure that WAISN is compliant with all commercial insurance including but not limited to: general liability, auto insurance, Directors & Officers Insurance, and Cyber Security. Maintain current certificates of insurance.

QUALIFICATIONS:

A combination of real-life experience, education, and training listed below which provides an equivalent background to perform the work of this position.

Successful completion of a background check is required.

Knowledge:

• Experience working in diverse communities and with grassroots organizations
• Deep understanding of and commitment to WAISN’s mission, vision, and values
• Strong management and organizational skills, managing conflicting priorities and deadlines, and an ability to work well within teams
• Financial management, budgeting, and forecasting, in a fast-paced, high-demand environment, operating with the highest ethical principles
• Experience and success in servant leadership: managing, inspiring, engaging, professionally-developing, and holding accountable an operations team within a collaborative work environment
• Broad experience of administrative and operations systems and functions
• Strong project management skills and experience

Ability To:

• Understand experiences of immigrants and refugees in Washington State
• Demonstrate interest and commitment to supporting equity and inclusion for members of historically, actively, and currently oppressed groups including racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ populations and people living with disabilities
• Leadership:
  • As an adaptive, servant leader, practice collaborative, persuasive, and transformative leadership styles, and lead through influence rather than relying solely on direct-line authority
  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff and leadership to ensure a high degree of mutual accountability
  • Navigate and lead through ambiguity while keeping team members engaged and encouraged
  • Ask questions to understand the merits of different approaches and shift strategies in response to the demands of a situation
  • Possess integrity, maturity, and ethical awareness
  • Handle sensitive information with strict confidentiality
  • Problem-solve in a collaborative, efficient, and effective manner
  • Analyze issues, synthesize information, make evidence-based decisions, and learn from mistakes
  • Cultivate and steward professional relationships with diverse constituencies
  • Able to translate compelling strategies into actionable plans and lead others to execute them with exceptional quality
• Financial Management:
  • Co-create and implement the vision and strategy of the Fin Ops Team
  • Manage day-to-day finance and accounting
  • Experience with nonprofit accounting and systems to support bill paying, tracking revenue, and tracking grants
• Information Technology:
  • Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Google G-Suite, Zoom, Slack, QuickBooks, Acrobat, and Microsoft Word and Excel
  • Comfort with learning unfamiliar software/online platforms used by WAISN: Gusto (payroll), Bill.com (AP), Little Green Light (CRM), as well as other common video conference platforms, such as Microsoft Teams
  • Enthusiasm for researching new platforms and tech tools, and learning how to better use the tech tools we already use
• Communication:
  • Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing
  • Listen and ask questions in order to understand
  • Communicate complex finance concepts and issues and applicable legal requirements, policies and procedures to staff and leaders
• Preferred Personal Traits:
  • Strategic and analytical thinker with the ability to pivot from big picture to detailed implementation as needed
  • Ability to operate in a dynamic environment: Nimble, fast-paced and detail-oriented, bringing a passion for making things work well and an ability to handle a large volume of work in a high performing environment
  • Capable of creating and maintaining a positive organizational culture and a culture of collaboration
  • A demonstrated commitment to social and racial justice issues and understanding of challenges facing immigrant communities, communities of color, queer and transgender communities, as well as low- and moderate-income families
  • A demonstrated commitment to cutting edge progressive values that champion an intersectional, decolonial, and transnational feminist agenda centered around the dismantling of all systems of oppression
  • Demonstrates self-awareness of their own multiple group identities and their unconscious biases, can adjust to different spaces accordingly
  • Ability to communicate and build strong relationships and trust across race, gender, class, and other group identities, both internally and externally
  • Knowledge and willingness to learn about the U.S. immigration system, preferably with lived experience as an immigrant, or as a member of an immigrant family
  • Excellent writing and communication skills
  • Bilingual/Multilingual skills are highly preferred and desired
  • Maintain a valid driver’s license
  • Must live in Washington State. Occasional travel within the state may be required

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Bachelor’s degree preferred. The equivalent combination of training and experience will be considered.

• Minimum of four (4) years of non-profit administration experience and hands-on experience with financial management
• Minimum of four (4) years of organizational and operations effectiveness and compliance
• Minimum of two (2) years of leadership experience supervising at least two employees

COMPENSATION This is a full-time, exempt position (40 hours a week). The salary range for this position is $80,000 - $85,000 annually for full-time work, contingent on experience and mastery of written and spoken languages beyond English.

Benefits package includes professional development training fees, generous paid time off, vacation and sick leave. Full Time Employees with WAISN are eligible for 100% employer-paid Kaiser Permanente Medical Insurance, Delta Dental Insurance, and VSP Vision Insurance.

REMOTE/ HYBRID WORK POLICY WAISN employees are currently located across the state of Washington and do not share a centralized office. Staff members are not required to work in person when handling day-to-day role responsibilities but will be expected to gather for events such as staff retreats and other all-staff reunions throughout the year.

VACCINE POLICY In an effort to maintain a safe and healthy workplace, WAISN requires all current staff members and contractors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. WAISN defines "fully vaccinated" as having received either 1 dose of the Johnson & Johnson or 2 doses of the Moderna or Pfizer administered vaccines. All new personnel must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination card to the Personnel Success Manager upon request. Exceptions to the vaccine mandate include religious reasoning and health concerns. If you are eligible for an exception, please reach out to the Personnel Success Manager to discuss in further detail.

TO APPLY Please send your resume and cover letter to jobs@waisn.org. Your resume must be sent via email as a single PDF with “Operations Manager” in the subject heading.

• WAISN is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees/applicants in all of our employment practices without regard to race, religion, color, sex or gender (including gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation), sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental ability, or any other basis protected by law. We encourage applications from historically and currently disenfranchised people of color, immigrants, women, people with disabilities, members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer communities and other historically and currently disenfranchised groups.**