Director Strategic Operations Jobs in Chicago, IL

Job Title: Associate Director, Strategic Operations

Team: Insights & Strategic Planning 

Location: Hybrid in Chicago (IL) strongly preferred, Atlanta (GA), Newark (NJ), or New York (NYC) 

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Start Date: ASAP 

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.  

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

To learn more, take a look at Braven's Jobs.

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring an Associate Director, Strategic Operations, who will serve as the operational engine for the Insights & Strategy team and lead the process to report on priorities and goals at the organizational level. This role will own the Braven-wide rhythm and content of how we communicate progress on our goals to staff, leaders, and our national and regional boards; play a key role in the Insights & Strategy team's work to strengthen cross-functional coordination and partnership; and drive the internal operational rhythm of the Insights & Strategy team. You will be a designer of process, an expert on our priorities, and a trusted voice on our progress.

This is a role for someone who excels at communication and writing, creating and owning high-quality operations and processes, and collaborating cross-functionally. You read context well, operate comfortably in ambiguity, demonstrate utmost discretion, and know how and when to take the next step without waiting to be asked.

This role is on the Insights & Strategy team and reports directly to the Head of Insights & Strategy.

Organizational Progress Monitoring & Reporting (40%)

• Design, own, and continuously improve the infrastructure to prepare progress updates for stakeholders. Regular deliverables include but are not limited to:
• Project managing and packaging quarterly progress-to-goal (PTG) memos for Braven's national board, leadership, and staff
• Drafting region-specific progress updates on priorities for regional board meetings
• Preparing regular updates to Braven leadership and staff on organizational priorities and goals
• Pull, analyze, and/or visualize data independently to support progress monitoring
• Build relationships with relevant partners for this work (e.g., executive owners of priorities)
• Establish expertise and serve as a thought partner on questions and situations related to org-wide progress monitoring

Cross-Functional Partnership & Coordination (30%)

• Act as trusted liaison to the leaders of the Product, Systems, and External Affairs teams in changing the operating model for how they work together.
• Design and help execute a regular central team <> regional team feedback structure at the Alignment Team level (Braven's leadership team)
• Support the Head of Insights & Strategy to lead two internal councils (Data Governance Council and AI Advisory Council) and one external council (Labor Market & Economic Advisory Council)

Insights & Strategy Team Operations and Coordination (30%)

• Own the coordinated operational rhythm of the two halves of the team (Insights and Strategy), including annual planning and goal-setting, quarterly alignment, and weekly coordination
• Design and plan team stepbacks and other meetings in support of the Head of Insights & Strategy and the Senior Director of Insights, from creating the agenda through post-meeting follow-up
• Own knowledge management for the Strategy half of the team, maintaining shared and organized documentation and ensuring process clarity
• Lead or support capacity-building and systems/process-building projects for primarily the Strategy half of the team

For all of the above responsibilities, use AI in responsible, smart, and human-valuing ways to continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your work.

Requirements

• BA/BS in a quantitative field or work experience that demonstrates expertise in quantitative analysis
• At least 3 years of relevant experience

• Extensive experience writing and presenting compelling data-driven narratives for internal and external audiences
• Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets and SQL

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience using AI effectively and responsibly to make an actual impact on outcomes 
• Proficiency in SQL 
• Experience designing and building dashboards and visualizations (Tableau preferred) 
• Strong strategic thinking skills, including a proven ability to bring clarity to ambiguous solutions
• Ability to take initiative to solve challenges and tap into opportunities; ability to make complex tasks simple by applying clear logic and processes to component steps
• Excellent time management and prioritization skills, which allow you to manage your own time and energy and seek the right help to complete multiple projects well and on time.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, known for checking and double-checking your work
• Learner's mindset, which you use to master new tools, software, and ways of working.
• Strong collaboration skills. You seek to understand others' problems and use your own perspective to solve problems together.
• You have the following technical skills and knowledge:
• Proficiency in Google Suite, Slack, and Jira
• Proficiency in Salesforce
• Proficiency in Python or R
• Your experiences have informed your belief in Braven's mission and have prepared you to work with or for Braven's student Fellow population.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL),  Newark (NJ), or New York City (NYC)
• Travel roughly 5 times per year for team convenings and to visit regions in your portfolio

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Braven doesn't offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking.

Starting salary within the range is determined by role scope and qualifications, with new hires starting at the lower end to allow for growth with performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges, by geographic market, for this role are set forth $87,200-$108,900 in Atlanta, $92,000-$114,900 in Chicago, and $101,200-$126,400 in Newark and New York City. This is based on a 50-hour work week at an hourly rate. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits-eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.  

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: 

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Location

We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Atlanta, Chicago, Newark, or New York City. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happen when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.  We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.