The Beacon Fund invests in expanding people’s opportunity to thrive. We focus on positive social change by removing systemic barriers to success for individuals and their communities. Based in Denver, Beacon achieves its purpose through three primary initiatives:
• Career and post-secondary success • Immigrant advocacy and integration • Youth nutrition
Beacon advances the work of these initiatives through deploying a broad set of tools including philanthropic grants, investing, and advocacy support. A core set of beliefs guide our work: the power of partnership; humility in knowing that we do not have all the answers; respect for individuals to discover and engage in building a lifestyle of their choice; and an openness to adapt to ever- changing needs and to new ways of creating positive change.
As Beacon continues to implement its social impact strategy, the team is seeking an experienced, highly motivated and entrepreneurial individual to serve as its Manager of Operations & Strategy
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
We are committed to embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the organization to foster an environment where all associates THRIVE and belong. We do this by creating:
• a culture committed to continuous learning that recognizes and values differences • an environment of respect and connection to learn from the richness of identities, experiences, and perspectives • fair access for all to opportunities for growth and advancement
About the Position
This role has emerged as a result of increased philanthropic, investments and advocacy by the organization. The expectation is that the Manager will assist the organization in driving social change and scaling up. It is an excellent opportunity for someone that is an experienced operator who seeks to make a positive impact on the world around them.
The Manager will work closely with the Managing Director, initiative directors and operations team to help advance strategic initiatives and improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. This role will be critical to allowing Beacon to meet its core organizational objectives, including building a more collaborative team, using data to inform decisions, establishing a thriving office culture post-Covid, and leveraging family office resources to continue to stay lean and flexible.
The Manager will bring business acumen and strong operations and systems skills to a growing team and have an implicit service orientation.
Position Overview and Core Areas of Responsibility
The Manager of Operations & Strategy will work closely with the Managing Director (MD) to establish and evolve Beacon’s processes in support of building a more collaborative, impactful, and data-driven organization. The Manager will provide flexible capacity to manage projects, develop and implement new processes, and liaise with the broader family eco-system so that Beacon benefits from this network of support and resources.
Team & Eco-System Management:
Manage (directly or via dotted lines) Operations Associate and other operations resources, including contractors supporting Beacon’s and family office-allocated operational staff (e.g., grants administration)
Develop processes to facilitate capacity and work-flow management of generalist resources
Develop processes to facilitate knowledge sharing across team, including supporting development of our impact monitoring approach
With MD, develop and iterate organizational processes to facilitate cross-initiative collaboration
Support the MD in liaising with family office departments
Help adapt policies and procedures from the family office eco-system to Beacon where appropriate
Support the MD in managing key external vendor relationships, including Donor Advised Fund relationships
Act as a project manager for the MD, while maintaining proactive and cohesive communication to ensure seamless operations and reporting.
Work with the MD on special projects as assigned
Office and infrastructure:
Provide partnership to MD in thinking through needs of hybrid work environment and managing execution (and evolution as needed) of new policies and approaches
Provide leadership in adapting physical office as needed to accommodate team growth and hybrid work environment
Culture:
Project manage bi-annual team retreats and other major working meetings
Help continually adapt Beacon’s use of meetings to best meet the needs of the team while being efficient and effective with its time
Develop and oversee culture and learning events in partnership with the Operations Associate
Annual Planning & Organizational Reporting:
Project manage the annual planning process, including working closely with MD to develop annual operating budget and organization-wide, strategic objectives
Track progress against organization-wide initiatives and goals
Create insightful dashboards that enable team members to make data-driven decision to achieve goals
Manage the quarterly operating budget to actual reports, and eventually, spending forecasts
Manage preparation of reports on all financial activity of the fund
Improve and provide regular reports on financial activity of the fund, leveraging eco-system supports where appropriate
Technology and Systems:
Manage selection and roll-out of any new technology systems with support from either an external vendor or family office technology team
Manage process to adapt or sunset existing technology systems to meet our evolving needs with support from external technology vendor and/or family office, technology team
Develop systems to assess and manage team capacity
Manage process to adapt systems and tools to support impact monitoring efforts
Develop systems and protocols for centralizing document management and ensure execution and maintenance of these systems
Contracting and Vendor Management:
Own contracting process in partnership with Operations Associate
Bid, review, and negotiate contracts and agreements
Monitor and provide oversight for budgets, payments and invoices, and expense reimbursements
Support vendor selection process for strategic initiatives and manage vendor for duration of project or initiative
People:
Develop and implement Beacon’s approach to onboarding new colleagues
Project manage mid-year and end-of-year review processes
Track professional development across the team and support dissemination of learnings and insights from individual professional development opportunities
Work with the family office to provide supplemental support when needed to manage hiring processes (e.g., protocol development, screening, panel prep)
Strategic Initiatives & Innovation:
Provide leadership and execution capacity on strategic, point in time initiatives within Beacon or across household as needed
Who we are looking for
We are seeking an expert operations manager and strategic thinker with 7-10 years of work experience in matrixed teams, ideally with an MBA. We are seeking a structured thinker who is process oriented. Experience working in an operations or special initiatives function in an entrepreneurial company, consulting company, and/or social impact organization. Supervisory experience.
Ideally this individual has worked within both social impact organizations and the business sector so they can bring a variety of tools and approaches to bear to meet Beacon’s diverse set of needs.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required
Robust professional experience as an operations leader in ideally both social impact and business sectors
Significant experience in systems development and vendor selection and management
Experience negotiating contracts or financial transactions, including conducting due diligence and setting terms
Excellent project management skills and structured thinking skills
Financial reporting and presentation skills including dashboard and trend analysis
Supervisory experience
Knowledge, skills and abilities that will support your success
Leading Teams
The ability to motivate the team, delegate effectively, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others
Strong ability to work collaboratively across the team, family office departments, and external partners
A leader who is self-reflective and aware of his/her own limitations; leads by example and drives the team’s performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement
Executing for Results
The ability to set clear and challenging goals while committing the team to improve performance, tenacious and accountable in driving results
Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations
Strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail
Service approach with a highlighted sense of accountability, empathy, and humility
Highly resourceful team-player, solution-oriented, and comfortable operating with incomplete information
Highly proficient with various technology platforms – Microsoft Office, Macintosh OS, Adobe Acrobat, and DocuSign
Integrity and Client Focus
Unquestionable ethics and integrity. Demonstrated ability to protect privacy and maintain discretion in dealing with highly confidential information
Very strong interpersonal skills, professional demeanor, and ability to maintain grace under pressure when adapting to a rapidly changing environment, including reprioritization or reassignment of responsibilities
Intellectual agility and the ability to analyze and think critically
A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in an approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always considering what is best for the organization
Willingness to support, uplift, and shine a spotlight on the valued work of our team members while leading from behind the scenes and keeping a low profile for the organization
All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement, background check, credit check, drug screen and verification of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Vaccination exemptions as a reasonable accommodation for a qualified disability or sincerely held religious belief can be discussed at the time of an offer. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States on your first day of work.
Benefits Information*
Compensation Range : $130,000-$145,000 Benefits Information: We offer a comprehensive and generous benefits package which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k)-retirement plan and paid time off.
*This information is provided to comply with Colorado Law
The Beacon Fund is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required
Robust professional experience as an operations leader in ideally both social impact and business sectors
Significant experience in systems development and vendor selection and management
Experience negotiating contracts or financial transactions, including conducting due diligence and setting terms
Excellent project management skills and structured thinking skills
Financial reporting and presentation skills including dashboard and trend analysis
