Associate Director of Operations

Position Overview

The Associate Director of Operations is the administrative leader of the organization who handles a broad range of day-to-day administrative and operational duties. This is a key position that ensures the smooth and compliant functioning of the organization. This role oversees several functions, including IT, facilities, HR, immigration, and overall administration. This position requires regular on-site attendance in our beautiful Berkeley hills office with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay Area.

This position is ideal for an experienced professional seeking a new opportunity to leverage their strengths in areas such as organization, project management, communication, and business management and administration. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, proactive, and strategic. This role partners closely with the Directorate and senior staff while also leading a team of dedicated staff.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Administrative Management

• Business Administration and Management: Maintain all required business licenses, insurance, and tax documents, including business license, tax exemption status, System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and status with other regulatory bodies. Research, manage, and ensure appropriate commercial business insurance coverage and limits for all lines of insurance; work with brokers to maintain, revise, and/or add appropriate insurance, including D&O, general liability, umbrella policies, difference in conditions (earth movement), fire, crime, fidelity, fine arts, workers comp, and the like.
• Risk Management: Identify organizational risk, maintain the SLMath Risk Matrix, and advise the Directorate on risk mitigation.
• Compliance: Responsible for researching, interpreting, and ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including those related to employment practices, nonprofit law, health and safety codes, and the like.
• Legal: Manage relationships with the SLMath legal team of attorneys (Employment Law, Nonprofit Law, Trademark, Real Estate, ERISA, and Title IX), and consult with them on behalf of the Institute as needed.
• Procurement: Manage the entire procurement process: authorize purchases, create purchase orders; author and post RFPs, review proposals, lead and participate in the selection process and negotiate terms.
• Contracts: Review, negotiate, and revise all contracts to ensure they are beneficial to the organization; serve as the signatory of 98% of all contracts (within the position’s spending authority); write new contracts and memorandum of understandings (MOUs) as needed.
• Finance: support with bi-monthly payroll process; assist the Controller in budget preparations and preparation of financial reports; work with the Controller to review and sign-off on bank reconciliations and journal entries, as well as approve governmental grant payments.

Human Resources

• Maintain employment law compliance (postings, mandatory trainings, employee classifications, etc.)
• Lead Benefits Administration for health, dental, vision, and similar plans
• Serve as the Retirement Plan Administrator
• Serve as the Disability Officer responsible for ADA Compliance, reasonable accommodation requests, infectious disease prevention and safety, etc.
• Audit and maintain compliant and orderly personnel files, including preparing and/or revising job descriptions to ensure they are accurate and up-to-date
• Support hiring process, as needed
• Manage annual performance review process; assist with goal setting
• Update and maintain the employee handbook; create, revise, and approve all policies
• Lead the Institute’s Collegiality, Discrimination, and Harassment efforts; perform thorough and confidential investigations, as needed; resolve complaints and issues, as appropriate
• Manage employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding, including any employee relations matters that may arise
• With support from the International Scholar Advisor, manage immigration needs, advise on immigration matters, and manage SEVIS

IT and Facilities

• Oversee and manage the IT department and infrastructure in partnership with the IT Manager
• In collaboration with the Facilities Coordinator, manage the physical building and ensure it is properly maintained

Leadership and Management

• Serve as an integral member of the senior management team
• Provide thought partnership to the Directorate on a variety of cross-functional matters, offering data-driven and practical recommendations or solutions to complex matters
• Supervise and inspire a team of at least three staff members
• Cross-train staff on essential elements of this role to ensure continuity
• Provide coaching, feedback, and general management support to staff

Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

This role requires a strong emphasis on teamwork, leadership, interpersonal skills, and excellent communication. Demonstrate strong management and financial knowledge. Strong organization skills and the ability to multitask are also key competencies. In addition, they must possess a positive and productive disposition when interacting with all members of the SLMath community (staff, members, and participants) and demonstrate a proactive and thoughtful approach in responding to members’ needs as they arise. This position requires availability to work on some evenings and weekends during special events and Board meetings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; MBA or advanced business degree or certificate preferred, but not required
• Minimum of 7 years of nonprofit management experience; experience with academic environments strongly desirable
• Prior experience serving as the operational leader of a CA nonprofit organization is required; previous leadership of HR, benefits, and payroll is a must, and ideally, you will also have experience managing IT and facilities functions.
• Professional risk management experience
• People management and immigration management experience is ideal
• Proficient at multitasking, organizing, attending to detail, meeting deadlines, and delegating appropriately
• Advanced computer and typing skills, including proficiency in using software like Zoom, Microsoft Office 365 suite, G Suite, and other desktop publishing applications
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Foreign language(s) capabilities are desirable, but not required

About SLMath

The Simons Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath) is an internationally renowned mathematics institute that was founded in 1982 as an independent non-profit corporation located on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. Its fundamental purpose is to further research in the mathematical sciences through major programs of a semester or a year, through workshops and through post-doctoral training. The Institute hosts an average of 80 researchers in residence at any given time and holds approximately 25 workshops per year with 60-140 participants per workshop. SLMath also engages in outreach to other sciences, to the public, and to various efforts in education, and it is active in encouraging diversity in the research population.

This position is partially funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)

Position Details

• Pay range: $120,000 to $145,000
• Status: Exempt, 40 hours per week
• Benefits: SLMath offers a competitive and robust benefits package, including full health benefits (group health, dental, and vision plans), a retirement plan, and generous time-off.
  • Vacation: accrue up to 80 hours in the first year, and up to a maximum of 240 hours after the first year
  • Sick: accrue up to 96 hours per year
  • Holidays: SLMath observes 14 holidays, and is closed for a winter break between Christmas and New Year's.
  • Medical coverage: SLMath currently offers 95% employer-paid medical insurance benefits to eligible employees and their spouse, registered domestic partner, and/or dependents.
  • Dental and vision coverage: SLMath currently offers 100% employer-paid dental and vision insurance benefits to eligible employees.
• Location: On-site position (not remote) at Berkeley office. This position may have the possibility to work remotely up to one day per week, dependent on organizational needs.

Applying for this position

Please apply by submitting the following items in MS Word or PDF file format, addressed to lsuliga@slmath.org.

• A compelling one-page cover letter outlining your qualifications for this position
• Resume