Community-Centered Operations Manager

ABOUT JUST CITIES

Just Cities advances racial justice in public policy and urban planning through transformative models of participatory and community-based design. We organize collective action with directly impacted residents, government leaders, and other stakeholders to tackle the big racial justice issues facing Bay Area and California cities including homelessness, displacement, and re-entry justice. We solve social and economic injustice by addressing the root causes of systemic injustice and designing appropriate policy change solutions. Our work is rooted in love-based justice and racial reconciliation principles. Our work has led to local, statewide, and national best practice policies and plans that have restored human rights and dignity for thousands of residents impacted by structural racism and other forms of discrimination.

POSITION SUMMARY

Just Cities seeks an extremely committed, hard working, and highly organized individual who thrives on designing and managing organizational systems, is excited to dive into the details of internal operations and financial management, and enjoys working with grassroots residents and government staff alike. The Community-Centered Operations Manager will report directly to Just Cities’ Director of Finance & Operations. The Community-Centered Operations Manager will 1) provide internal operations and fiscal management; and 2) support external community planning projects. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who is detail-oriented, capable of multiple complex projects at a time, adaptable, and great at problem-solving.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Administrative and Operations Duties (50%)

• Work with the Director of Finance & Operations to manage grant and contract entire lifecycles, including grant and contract development, budget management, invoicing, and reporting requirements.
• Manage collaborative contracts, including supporting collaborative partners reporting, invoicing, and payment requirements.
• Manage organization-wide calendar, coordinating with project teams.
• Support the Director of Finance & Operations in refining and implementing HR policies and with the organization's local and state compliance needs.
• Oversee physical office management and organize other administrative and operations functions.
• Work with the Director of Finance & Operations to organize improved operations and fiscal management systems and process flows.
• Work with project teams to create content for newsletters, the website, social media, and other communications to support external policy work and community participation.
• Assist with special projects and campaigns as needed.

Community Engagement Operations (50%)

• Manage administrative activities for community steering committees, as needed, including invoicing for committee members, logistical support for meetings, and coordination of any trainings.
• Coordinate meetings with consultants, partners and community groups (i.e., zoom logistics, note taking, and other logistics).
• Engage in digitizing and analyzing data collected from community interviews/surveys from community engagement events and write summary reports.

QUALIFICATIONS

Professional Experience

• A minimum of 7 years of administrative, operations, and project management professional experience.
• Strong financial management competencies and experience, including a minimum of 5 years of public agency invoicing and budget tracking experience.
• Demonstrated adeptness with technology, including managing team calendars, Google Workspace and people-related tech software. RAMP experience is a plus.
• Demonstrated excellent time management skills, including accurately planning tasks, assessing the time they will take, and ensuring timely completion to meet deadlines.
• Resourcefulness, including problem-solving and the ability to pivot and switch gears when circumstances change.
• Demonstrated work experience addressing the needs and priorities of low-income communities of color.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with exceptional attention to details.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively coordinate with multiple organizations and individuals. This requires being highly organized and setting up effective organizational systems for the group to use, the ability to instill confidence and engage in proactive and effective communications with both public agency staff and community residents.
• Experience with or desire to learn graphic and website design, including Canva and Squarespace.

Interpersonal & Team Building Skills

• Ability to navigate group dynamics, provide thoughtful and clear-headed problem solving, and engage in healthy group conflict resolution.
• Works well with grassroots community members and leaders. Deeply appreciate their values, and respect their expertise, knowledge and leadership roles.
• Loves working with a team to accomplish common goals.
• Takes joy in and actively promotes colleagues and partners' success and visibility.

Personal Qualities

• Integrity, credibility, and a commitment to and passion for Just Cities' mission.
• Humble and also confident and secure.
• Takes initiative, is persistent, and delivers high-quality results.
• Embraces a growth mindset. Committed to continuous improvement.
• Able to ask for help and advice when needed.
• Extremely well organized and a great multi-tasker.
• High emotional intelligence.
• Patient, calm, and compassionate.

COMPENSATION

Just Cities benchmarks its salaries against comparable positions in the Bay Area to ensure that they are equitable. The salary for this position is $75,000 to $85,000, depending upon experience.

LOCATION

The Community Centered Operations Manager will work at Just Cities’ Berkeley office. Just Cities’ work-from-home policy enables staff to work remotely three days a week.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit a cover letter and resume to admin@justcities.work, with subject line “Community Centered Operations Manager” by May 30, 2025. We will review and respond to applications on a rolling basis.

Just Cities values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBT individuals, people who have been systems impacted, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. Just Cities is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, criminal history, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.