Operations Lead - Volunteer

Hive Mind Speaks; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Hive Mind Speaks in Edinburgh seeks a senior Operations Lead to coordinate our diverse functions and ensure operations align with our mission.

You will develop workflows, improve transparency, and support staff and volunteers, enabling bold civic art interventions and democratic processes that matter.

Qualifications

• Experience leading large teams and coordinating volunteers.
• Experience handling HR issues and deadlines.
• Familiarity with cloud storage systems like OneDrive or Google Drive.
• Strong communication, impartiality, and decision-making.
• Ability to identify risks and mitigate them.
• Secretariat experience is desirable; ability to collate and present information to the Founder.

Responsibilities

• Act as the lead for the Operations mandate, coordinating with senior leaders.
• Develop, practice and improve systems and workflows to promote efficiency and transparent communication.
• Organise a clean, navigable record-keeping system including contracts, suppliers and risk registers.
• Set reporting and accountability standards and monitor progress for the Founder.
• Identify talented individuals, volunteers, or advisers to improve operations.
• Identify reputational or other risks that affect organisational integrity or operations.
• Maintain a clear distinction between organisational operations and project control.

Skills

Leadership

HR Experience

Volunteer Coordination

Communication

Risk Management

Project Coordination

Team Management

Tools

OneDrive

Google Drive

Job description

We are a small charitable organisation that seeks to provoke participatory democracy via disruptive visual art. We're looking for an senior Operations Lead to coordinate our organisation’s distinct functions, and ensure operations align with our vision & mission.

What difference will you make?

• Your work will directly help us fund and deliver bold civic art interventions and national democratic processes that aim to influence real policy change. Our staff and volunteers are who we are, and without our staff we wouldn’t be able to make any meaningful change.
• Your role helps make sure our organisation is aligned with our mission of increasing public participation in democratic processes via guerilla art.
• Your role is extremely important to the smooth operation of Hive Mind Speak, making sure that our senior leadership feels supported and promoting organisational wellbeing.
• Your role will help our staff feel supported, and are on the same page, allowing them to focus on contributing to our projects meaningfully.

What are we looking for?

• We are looking for someone that is kind & respectful, impartial, assertive and confident with strong communication skills and able to intervene objectively when required.
• Experience working together alongside other people in large teams; preferably in a manager, leadership, HR, volunteer coordinator or extensive experience leading teams is strongly desirable.
• Familiarity with online cloud systems such as OneDrive or Google Drive is essential to this role.
• Strong observation and damage control skills are strongly desirable, experience in resolving HR issues, managing deadlines and taking a proactive approach to identifying and preventing emerging risks.
• Accountability and responsibility; past experience in managing project deadlines.
• Friendliness; building rapport with senior leaders and supporting them where necessary, ensuring that communication is seamless across teams.
• Any secretariat experience would be desirable; having the ability to collate and summarise large amounts of information and presenting these regularly to the Founder.

Hybrid

What will you be doing?

• You will act as the lead for the Operations mandate of our organisation, having a senior role in the organisation and ensuring that operations in Hive Mind Speaks is coordinated and aligned with our mission with senior leaders.
• Working to develop, practice and improve an system and workflow(s) that promotes operational efficiency and facilitates transparent communication across all levels of the organisation.
• Organise a clean and easy to navigate record-keeping system that stores essential information, including communications, documents, audiovisual materials etc. This includes establishing policy, contract, supplier, risk and decision registers.
• Set the standards for reporting and accountability throughout Hive Mind Speaks to encourage transparent communication. You will be monitoring progress across the organisation and inform our founder of current progress.
• Identify talented individuals, volunteers, contractors or specialist advisers that can improve the operations of Hive Mind Speaks.
• Identify any reputational or other risks that can harm the integrity of the organisation and/or obstructions that impair operational efficacy.
• Maintain a clear distinction between organisational operations and project control.

What’s in it for you?

• Develop your leadership and aptitude for leading volunteers and our volunteer teams; learning how to coordinate volunteers.
• Develop your communication skills and assertiveness, as well as being able to resolve any disputes or misunderstandings.
• Experience of working in a large organisation and managing cross-departmental functions
• Meet friendly, like-minded individuals, who are passionate about making real impact and change!
• As part of our team, where appropriate, you will be invited to events to connect and further develop professional relationships, expanding your network.