Operations Associate

FOR DISTRIBUTION

Position Operations Associate

Status Full-time

Department Finance and Operations

Location Norwalk, CT

About SeriousFun

Founded by Paul Newman, SeriousFun Children’s Network is a global community of 30 independently run camps and programs across five continents. Together, these camps provide transformative experiences — always free of charge — for children with serious illnesses and their families, reaching more than 150,000 individuals annually.

Each camp and program is locally led and tailored to its community, while connected through the global Network for shared learning, support, and standards of excellence.

The SeriousFun Support Center, based in East Norwalk, CT, is a team of 33 staff who provide services that ensure program and operational excellence, create awareness, and support the continued growth of the Network worldwide.

We are committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion by valuing the experiences and voices of all who carry out our mission.

To continue this mission, we are seeking a talented finance professional to join our Support Center team.

About the Role:

The Operations Associate plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth day-to-day functioning of our office and organizational operations. This position is responsible for managing office administration and equipment, coordinating vendor relationships, supporting facilities needs, and handling a variety of administrative and operational tasks.

This role requires strong attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and a proactive approach to identifying and addressing operational needs across the organization.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Associate Director of Operations, the Operations Associate provides cross-functional operational and administrative support across Operations, Finance, Development, and Marketing & Communications, helping teams execute efficiently and freeing functional team leads to focus on strategic priorities.

This role works in close partnership with a peer Program Associate, with the two positions providing cross-coverage and shared coordination to support continuity across departments.

Areas of Ownership

Please keep in mind that percentages reflect relative priority, not exact time allocation.

• Operations & Administrative Coordination (45%)
• Logistics Support (25%)
• Information & Data Coordination (10%)
• Function-Specific:
  • Finance, Human Resources Support (10%)
  • Development & Marketing Support (10%)

Key Responsibilities

This role is responsible for the following core areas of ownership and impact; additional duties may evolve based on organizational needs.

Operations & Administrative Coordination

• Coordinate materials, timelines, and workflows across functional teams.
• Track deliverables, follow up on outstanding inputs, and support planning and reporting cycles.
• Maintain accuracy in shared systems, contact lists, and operational trackers.
• Compile and organize information to support planning calendars, team coordination, and cross-functional visibility.
• Identify opportunities to improve administrative workflows and coordination across teams.
• Design, implement, and manage IT hardware onboarding and offboarding processes for staff; coordinate with IT support on user setups and basic helpdesk requests.
• Monitor general organizational inboxes and route inquiries to the appropriate department contact to ensure timely response across teams.
• Support cross-functional initiatives by maintaining tracking sheets, coordinating follow-up, managing logistics, and preparing summaries and status updates for team leads.
• Produce ad hoc reports and data summaries to support operational and financial decision-making across teams.

Logistics Support

• Manage vendor coordination and supply requests across teams.
• Provide administrative support across Finance, Operations, and HR, including document preparation, scanning, and basic technology coordination.
• Manage physical mailings and distributions of materials across teams.

Information & Data Coordination

• Maintain data integrity across shared systems, including physical and digital filing, to support planning, reporting, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate and support all employee lifecycle IT needs.

Function-Specific (Finance, Development & Marketing and Communications) Support

• Given the unique needs of these functions, this support is often more direct, responsive, and closely aligned with team leadership.

Development/ Marketing & Communications Team Support:

• Provide administrative coordination to support the Development team’s fundraising activities, including preparing donor packets, briefing materials, and meeting support documents.
• Provide logistical support for fundraising events, donor gatherings, and Development campaigns, including preparation of materials and coordination of internal resources.
• Support day-to-day Development office operations including managing shared inboxes, answering phones, and greeting visitors when needed.
• Provide flexible, on-demand Marketing & Communications volume support during peak periods supporting major events and campaigns. This may include assistance with asset processing, including uploading, tagging, and organizing photos and digital assets.
• When required, support organization and maintenance of shared content libraries, ensuring materials are accessible and consistently labeled.

Finance and Human Resources Team Support:

• Process invoices and maintain accurate financial documentation in support of reporting and audit readiness.
• Coordinate annual insurance renewals and charity registration updates, managing timelines and follow-up on behalf of Finance and Operations leadership.
• Manage vendor reporting requirements..

What Success Looks Like

Work is coordinated, timely, and accurate. Cross-functional collaboration is effective and systems and materials are well organized. This role and the peer Program Associate role are designed as a coordinated pair. While each has a primary focus, they share knowledge, align processes, and provide back-up coverage to ensure continuity across departments.

Key Competencies

• Job-Specific Skills: Demonstrates strong technical accounting knowledge and nonprofit finance expertise.
• Authority & Accountability: Provides direction for processes, projects, and staff; accountable for results.
• Critical Thinking & Decision-Making: Solves problems with sound judgment in complex situations.
• Planning & Organizing: Defines tasks and milestones; manages resources effectively.
• Interpersonal Skills: Builds productive relationships, collaborates respectfully, and communicates inclusively.
• Adaptability: Adjusts to changing circumstances and new information with resilience.
• Leadership: Models integrity, humility, and teamwork while supporting others’ success.

Qualifications:

Minimum:

• Education: High School Diploma or GED
• Years of Relevant Work Experience: 3-5 years
• Proven skills in:
• Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
• Administrative coordination and operational support across multiple stakeholders
• Managing calendars, travel logistics, and detailed coordination tasks with accuracy and follow-through

Preferred:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree (e.g., BA, BS) or equivalent
• Experience in working in NGO’s or other non-profit organizations, particularly those with federated/networked structures.
• Proven skills in:
• Developing presentation materials and basic reports
• Customer service / stakeholder support, including working with external partners
• Coordinating complex logistics, including domestic and international travel or events
• Maintaining data and information in shared systems or databases

Culture, Benefits and Pay

• At SeriousFun, we pride ourselves on being a fun, respectful, and collaborative workplace where staff are supported both professionally and personally.
• Work–life balance: Respect for your non-working time (EST), with limited evening/weekend contact.
• Time off: 30+ days annually, including vacation, holidays, and volunteer opportunities at SeriousFun camps.
• Professional development: Ongoing opportunities for growth and learning.
• Leave benefits: Paid time off for family, medical, and civic service needs.
• Retirement: Company-sponsored 403(b) plan after one year of service.
• Workspace: New office in East Norwalk with free onsite amenities; steps from the train station.

Salary Range: $53,000–$60,000, based on qualifications, experience and schedule.

As part of our commitment to equity and fair pay practices, offers are not negotiated. Our transparent pay bands ensure consistency and fairness for employees of all identities and backgrounds.

Please read more Support Center here to get a sense of what’s important to us.

To apply for this position, please submit your resume, and cover letter and complete an application here:

Operations Associate Application

• At SeriousFun, we pride ourselves on being a fun, respectful, and collaborative workplace where staff are supported both professionally and personally.
• Work–life balance: Respect for your non-working time (EST), with limited evening/weekend contact.
• Time off: 30+ days annually, including vacation, holidays, and volunteer opportunities at SeriousFun camps.
• Professional development: Ongoing opportunities for growth and learning.
• Leave benefits: Paid time off for family, medical, and civic service needs.
• Retirement: Company-sponsored 403(b) plan after one year of service.
• Workspace: New office in East Norwalk with free onsite amenities; steps from the train station.