Director of Operations and Organizational Development

This is a senior leadership role carrying significant organizational authority and responsibility for the internal health, operational excellence, and people development of the Lab. This is not a support role — it is a co-leadership role for someone ready to share genuine ownership of a growing, mission-driven organization.

The Director of Operations and Organizational Development partners with the Executive Director to ensure WPL runs with clarity, accountability, and intentionality — that staff are developed and supported, systems are built and maintained, and the organization operates with integrity across all of its work. The ideal candidate is a confident, relational leader who thrives in complex environments, genuinely enjoys developing people, brings both systems thinking and interpersonal intelligence to their work, and is energized by building organizational capacity from the inside out.

Responsibilities

People Leadership & Staff Development

• Directly supervise program staff, providing clear expectations, regular feedback, and meaningful professional development support.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and cohesion in complex team environments, including during periods of organizational change and transition.
• Brings both relational intelligence and operational discipline to people leadership — understanding that systems serve people, not the other way around.
• Creates conditions where every team member has clarity about their role, what success looks like, and how their work connects to the organization's mission.
• Leads with curiosity before judgment, particularly when navigating team dynamics across difference in race, identity, background, and lived experience.
• Develops people intentionally — giving team members stretch opportunities with genuine support, not just task assignment.
• Holds self and others accountable with directness and care, modeling that clear is kind.

Operations & Organizational Management

• Under the guidance and goals set by WPL's Executive Director, lead the design and implementation of WPL's internal operational infrastructure — including workflow management, internal systems, policies and procedures, and cross-team coordination. This is a building role, not a maintenance role.
• Establish and maintain a project tracking system that provides real-time visibility into deliverable status across all contracts, with early identification of risk and clear accountability for resolution.
• Serve as a key liaison to NIU administrative and compliance functions, ensuring WPL remains in good standing with university policies and contract requirements.
• Manage budget monitoring in coordination with administrative support staff and the Executive Director; ensure expenditures align with contract budgets and timelines.
• Build and lead internal communications practices that create consistent clarity across a geographically distributed team — ensuring that information flows reliably and that no team member is operating without the context they need.
• Lead the planning and execution of team meetings, retreats, and other internal convenings that strengthen team cohesion and organizational alignment.

Program & Contract Work

• Develop substantive familiarity with WPL's contract portfolio sufficient to provide meaningful oversight, quality control, and accountability for program deliverables — without assuming primary responsibility for their execution.
• Ensure that project leads have the clarity, resources, and organizational support they need to deliver excellent work, intervening early when deliverables are at risk.
• Represent WPL credibly in meetings with partners and clients when appropriate, and carry select external relationships with confidence and independence.
• Support the development of proposals, scopes of work, and contract renewals in partnership with the Executive Director.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in public policy, public administration, business, organizational leadership, social sciences, or a related field; candidates with a Bachelor's degree and demonstrated equivalent leadership experience will be considered.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in organizational management, operations, or people leadership.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing people from diverse racial, cultural, and experiential backgrounds, with the awareness to recognize when workplace dynamics feel exclusionary to those whose identities differ from the majority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven ability to build trust and organizational cohesion in complex, changing environments.
• Strong organizational management skills with demonstrated ability to build systems, policies, and operational infrastructure — not just maintain them.
• High comfort with ambiguity and a default orientation toward creating clarity for others.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills across diverse audiences.
• Ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in organizational management, operations, or people leadership, preferably in a policy, government, nonprofit, higher education, or research setting.
• Proficiency with project management platforms; experience with Asana or similar tools preferred.
• Experience leading organizational change or building operational infrastructure in a growing organization.
• Familiarity with the public workforce development system or adjacent policy areas.
• Experience working with state government agencies or managing contract-funded work.
• Familiarity with university administrative environments.

Compensation & Benefits

$90,000 - $115,000/Annually; NIU offers a robust benefits package.