Operations Associate

Seeking San Francisco Bay Area candidates, prioritizing those from Oakland CA

Are you someone who wants more than a task list? Are you looking to invest in people-driven solutions? We're looking for our Operations Associate, who is a builder, a self-starter who sees a gap and just closes it. Someone entrepreneurial enough to spot the next obstacle before it becomes a fire drill, and steady enough to keep the trains running while we're heads-down closing funding and building partnerships.

This role starts part-time (20-30 hours/week), with the real possibility of growing into full-time with benefits as we scale. And when we say “grow,” we are looking for someone who wants to become deputy-level partner over time: someone who has our back, thinks like an owner, and helps us build some generational wealth in Oakland and beyond.

Watch this short video from our co-founder to hear more about the role in her own words → https://youtu.be/7U6LOrCMQQ4

If this moves you APPLY USING THIS FORM: https://forms.gle/ptNETXMNxdheaTyk8 (only applications using this form will be reviewed)

Job Details

• Position Type: Starting as Contract/Hourly, transitioning to Full-Time Salaried with Benefits
• Hours: Estimated 20-30 hours total
• Location: Hybrid Remote in Oakland, CA
• Timeline: We are looking for our best fit immediately!
• Compensation: $38.00 - $50.00 per hour

About OakTREE Initiative & This Role

OakTREE Initiative is a technology and community development company. We're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds physical and social infrastructure connecting households together. Through shared energy, food, and skills, we build self-reliant neighborhoods, localized economies, and resilient community systems.

We've moved past the prototype and have proved that our technology works. What stands between us and our demonstration project is capital, and getting there means staying relentlessly in fundraising mode. That's where you come in.

Why we're hiring: Every hour our Co-Founders spend buried in operational details is an hour they're not closing funding or building the partnerships that move this mission forward. We need someone who can own operations end-to-end: building systems, tracking records, anticipating obstacles, coordinating contracts and partnerships, managing our vendors, and executing with meticulous attention to detail. We need someone who can learn from our past work and create efficient processes rather than reinventing the wheel or needing constant direction. We need someone who can forecast well (anticipating timeline delays, budget issues, and stakeholder needs before they become problems) so we can stay proactive rather than reactive. Most importantly, we need someone who is in a habit of clear record keeping.

Your role as Operations Associate:

This is not just administrative support. You'll own operational excellence across the organization:

• Systems building: Create and document processes based on what we've already learned, so we can scale efficiently
• Contract and partnership coordination: Manage agreements, documentation, and communication with partners and stakeholders
• Financial and administrative operations: Coordinate with our bookkeeper and maintain organized records that keep the whole team moving in sync
• Forecasting and problem-solving: Anticipate timeline delays, budget issues, and stakeholder needs; build contingency plans before problems arise
• Fundraising operations: Maintain our CRM/fundraising spreadsheet, track relationships and next steps, prep meeting materials, take notes, send follow-ups
• Whatever keeps us in fundraising mode: If something needs to happen for us to close funding or build partnerships, you make it happen

Growth potential: This is a foundational hire for our next chapter. As we scale, operational leadership roles will open up. We'd love to grow those roles from within for someone who demonstrates excellence. If you're someone who wants to build systems, own operational excellence, and eventually step into a partner level leadership role with us, this is your launchpad.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of project management experience, particularly managing projects with multiple stakeholders
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail
• Experience managing legal or financial transactions (contracts, agreements, documentation)
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently and keep projects moving forward despite unexpected changes (ability to forecast well)
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and solving problems creatively
• Proficiency with project management and productivity tools (Asana, Google Suite, CRM systems, etc.)
• Demonstrated habit of clear record keeping

What Makes You a Great Fit

• You keep a system for things nobody asked you to organize (e.g. a personal budget spreadsheet you've maintained for years, a color-coded shared calendar, a running doc of every book you've read). If organizing things is something you do for fun, we want to talk to you.
• You see gaps and close them without being asked
• You can read what's already been documented and build on it, rather than starting from scratch
• You can juggle multiple moving pieces without dropping the ball
• You take initiative and move things forward on your own read of the situation, not just in response to instructions
• You listen carefully for the needs of diverse stakeholders (funders, partners, leadership) and can communicate clearly to them
• You'd rather solve a problem quietly than hand it back to us
• You take initiative and can move things forward while responding appropriately to unexpected changes promptly
• You care about community ownership and cooperative values
• You've built something from scratch — a project, a side hustle, a system, a community — where no one handed you a playbook and you made one up
• You are looking for an opportunity to grow into our organization. If we love working with each other, we would like to consider taking you in as a full-time staff with benefits.

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from individuals who share our commitment to cooperative economics and community empowerment. People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply.

How This Works

1. Apply by TODAY using this form: https://forms.gle/ptNETXMNxdheaTyk8! We're hiring as soon as we find the right fit, so we encourage you to apply early.
2. Start part-time (20-30 hrs/week)
3. As trust and capacity grow, transition to full-time salaried Operations Associate with benefits
4. Grow with us as we scale our demonstration projects and programs

Job Types: Part-time, with growth to Full-time

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Oakland, CA 94612

Only applications submitted using our form will be reviewed. Apply here: https://forms.gle/ptNETXMNxdheaTyk8

This position is a W-2 role within OakTREE Initiative (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), including Workers' Comp and Disability policies. We have a culture that supports self-care and time off, with a "free time off" vacation policy. Once you transition to full-time salaried employment, you'll receive full benefits. Employee health plans will be offered upon transition to full-time.