Description
ย Job Title: Executive Operations Manager
Status: Full Time, Exempt
Payscale: $65,000 to $80,000
Location: Hybrid, based at the SE Foster Y facility approximately three days per week, with regional support across Metro Portland and Southwest Washington and remote work as appropriate. ย
Role Summary
The Executive Operations Manager to the CEO is a trusted operational partner who supports the CEO in translating priorities into action across the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette. This role blends high-level executive support with select strategic and organizational responsibilities, grounded in the YMCA's mission, values, and community impact.ย
This role provides primary day-to-day support to the President & CEO, ensuring priorities, communications, and commitments are managed with clarity and follow-through, while creating alignment at the executive level and supporting a healthy pace of work across the organization.ย
Key Responsibilitiesย
Executive Support & Operational Managementย
- Manage the CEO's calendar and schedule with a strategic lens; align time with mission-critical prioritiesย
- Prepare the CEO for meetings by providing context, key questions, risks, and next stepsย
- Track CEO commitments and organizational follow-through; ensure actions move to completionย
- Track and support follow-through on key external commitments made by the CEO, ensuring timely coordination and closureย
- Manage information flow to the CEO; synthesize input and surface what matters mostย
- Anticipate needs and proactively address issues that could disrupt momentumย
Strategic Support & Priority Executionย
- Document, organize, and track CEO-defined annual and quarterly prioritiesย
- Support execution of CEO-led initiatives and cross-departmental projectsย
- Prepare agendas and materials for executive leadership meetings and retreats, ensuring content is clear, aligned with CEO priorities, and set up for effective decision-making and follow-through. ย
- Monitor progress on priority work and flag risks or delays earlyย
- Support the design and maintenance of executive operating rhythms, including annual planning cadence, quarterly priority reviews, and leadership retreatsย
- Conduct research and prepare briefing materials to support decision-makingย
Organizational Alignment & Communicationย
- Serve as a liaison between the CEO, senior leadership, staff leaders, and board partners, with executive support aligned to CEO priorities.ย
- Help clarify executive direction into documented next stepsย ย
- Support coordination across departments to reduce silos and duplicated effortย
- Support development and coordination of CEO-directed association-wide internal communications, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with executive priorities.ย
- Support executive team effectiveness through structured agendas, documentation clarity, and meeting designย
- Represent the CEO in meetings or follow-ups as delegatedย
Governance & Board Supportย
- Coordinate preparation for board and committee meetings in partnership with Board Chair, CEO, Chief External Affairs Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief People Officer and Chief Finance Officerย
- Track board actions and ensure timely follow-throughย
- Support governance processes consistent with YMCA standards and best practicesย
- Support Board operations and communications in close coordination with the CEO and Board Chair; this role does not assume ownership of board strategy, committee leadership, or governance decision-making.ย
Office Operations & Southeast Facility Coordinationย
- Coordinate Mission Support Team office space, supplies, and shared resources at the Southeast establishment.ย ย
- Serve as a point of coordination for Southeast facility use, including gym and clay studio rentals, ensuring alignment with established policies, schedules, and community expectations.ย ย
- Liaise with the Childcare team to coordinate shared use of the Southeast facility and ensure alignment with schedules, staffing, and operational needs.ย
- Coordinate with vendors and contractors for routine maintenance and facility needs at the Southeast establishment, in partnership with Operations and within established guidelines.ย ย
- Coordinate mail receipt, opening, and distribution in partnership with Philanthropy and Finance, ensuring timely and accurate routing of donations, payments, and related correspondence.ย ย
- Partner with Operations and Finance as needed to support smooth logistics and appropriate documentation related to rentals.
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Other Duties as Assigned
Performs related duties as needed to support the President & CEO, Board operations, and defined executive coordination responsibilities, without absorbing unrelated operational work or serving as a general problem-solver outside the scope described above.ย
Requirements
ย Scope and Boundaries This role:ย
- Supports and enables the CEO and executive leadership team by improving clarity, coordination, and execution, rather than owning strategy or decision-making authority. ย
- Coordinates CEO-selected initiatives rather than managing a broad portfolio of departmentsย
- Operates with high trust and influence, with limited formal authorityย
This role does not replace a full Chief of Staff function and is not expected to absorb unrelated operational work. Qualifications and Experienceย
- Significant experience supporting senior executives, ideally in nonprofit or mission-driven organizationsย
- Strong organizational and project management skillsย
- Ability to balance detail-oriented execution with big-picture thinkingย
- Clear, concise communicator across diverse audiencesย
- High level of discretion, judgment, and emotional intelligenceย
- Comfort navigating complex relationships and prioritiesย
Working Styleย
- Mission-centered and people-awareย
- Proactive, steady, and solutions-focusedย
- Able to move between behind-the-scenes coordination and visible leadership supportย
- Respects boundaries and sustainable work practicesย