Deputy Director

Rainbow Fleet; Oklahoma City (OK); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Rainbow Fleet seeks a Deputy Director to serve as the senior internal operating leader and strategic partner to the Executive Director in Oklahoma City. The role translates organizational priorities into coordinated execution across programs, grants, people operations, and administration.

As second‑in‑command, you supervise the Program Directors, Grants & Claims Director, and Operations Personnel, establishing leadership rhythms, expectations, communication, and accountability necessary for

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit, business, public administration or related field.
• Minimum five years of progressively responsible leadership experience.
• Experience overseeing multiple functional areas and programs.
• Strong operating leadership, problem solving, and decision making.
• Ability to translate strategic priorities into operational plans and execution.

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic priorities into operational plans with timelines and outcomes.
• Lead day‑to‑day coordination of Rainbow Fleet’s programs and admin functions.
• Establish leadership rhythms, meetings, planning, and accountability.
• Directly supervise Program Directors, Grants & Claims Director, and Operations.
• Partner with the Executive Director on budgets, governance, and opportunities.
• Ensure compliance, controls, and effective use of organizational resources.

Skills

Strategic leadership

People management

Operations management

Cross-functional collaboration

Budgeting

Policy compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in nonprofit/business/public administration or related field

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Job Summary

The Deputy Director serves as Rainbow Fleet’s senior internal operating leader and a strategic partner to the Executive Director. The position is responsible for translating organizational strategy and priorities into coordinated execution across programs, grants, people operations, and administrative functions.

The Deputy Director directly supervises the Program Directors, Grants & Claims Director, and Operations Personnel and establishes the leadership rhythms, expectations, communication, and accountability necessary for those functions to operate effectively together.

As second-in-command, the Deputy Director serves as the primary point of leadership for day-to-day organizational operations, resolving issues at the appropriate level and elevating matters to the Executive Director when they involve significant organizational risk, strategic direction, financial exposure, Board governance, or external relationships.

The Deputy Director works in close partnership with the Executive Director to maintain alignment between Rainbow Fleet’s long-term direction and its daily execution. The role is expected to exercise substantial independent judgment and decision‑making authority within established organizational strategy, policies, budgets, and regulatory requirements.

Essential Functions

Organizational Operations and Execution

• Translate strategic priorities established by the Executive Director and Board into operational plans, responsibilities, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
• Lead the day‑to‑day coordination of Rainbow Fleet’s programs and administrative functions.
• Establish effective operating rhythms for leadership meetings, cross‑functional planning, decision‑making, accountability, and follow‑through.
• Identify operational barriers, competing priorities, gaps, and dependencies across departments and lead their resolution.
• Ensure organizational policies, procedures, systems, and workflows support effective and consistent operations.
• Make routine and significant operational decisions within delegated authority, escalating matters appropriately based on organizational impact or risk.
  

Leadership and People Management

• Directly supervise, coach, and develop the Program Directors, Grants & Claims Director, and Operations Personnel.
• Establish clear expectations for leadership performance, accountability, communication, collaboration, and decision‑making.
• Hold leaders accountable for addressing performance, staffing, workflow, and team issues within their areas of responsibility.
• Support managers in resolving employee and operational concerns at the appropriate level rather than unnecessarily escalating routine management matters.
• Partner with Operations Personnel on people operations, including recruitment processes, onboarding, performance management systems, employee relations practices, policies, and organizational compliance.
• Identify leadership and organizational capacity needs and recommend appropriate staffing, development, or structural changes to the Executive Director.
• Foster a positive, inclusive, equitable, and accountable organizational culture consistent with Rainbow Fleet’s mission and values.

Program and Service Integration

• Provide executive‑level oversight to Program Directors while maintaining appropriate ownership of program operations at the director level.
• Ensure programs operate consistently with organizational strategy, contractual requirements, quality expectations, and established outcomes.
• Facilitate coordination among programs when resources, participants, funding requirements, staffing, or organizational priorities intersect.
• Monitor program performance and organizational indicators to identify trends, risks, and opportunities requiring leadership attention.
• Support Program Directors in strengthening systems, management practices, service quality, and operational effectiveness.

Grants, Contracts, and Compliance

• Supervise the Grants & Claims Director and ensure effective coordination between grant requirements, program operations, financial practices, and organizational priorities.
• Maintain organizational visibility into grant and contract obligations, reporting requirements, deadlines, compliance risks, and operational implications.
• Ensure appropriate internal controls, documentation, policies, and accountability systems are maintained.
• Coordinate organizational readiness for audits, monitoring visits, contract reviews, licensing requirements, and other compliance activities.
• Elevate material compliance, contractual, financial, or organizational risks promptly to the Executive Director.

Financial and Resource Management

• Partner with the Executive Director, Grants & Claims Director, Operations Personnel, and contracted financial professionals to support sound financial management.
• Monitor departmental and program performance against approved budgets and identify significant variances or emerging resource needs.
• Ensure leaders understand and manage resources within established budgets and organizational priorities.
• Participate in annual budgeting, resource planning, and organizational forecasting.
• Recommend operational investments, efficiencies, staffing decisions, and resource allocations to the Executive Director.

Executive Partnership

• Serve as a trusted thought partner and operational counterpart to the Executive Director.
• Maintain regular communication with the Executive Director regarding organizational performance, significant risks, leadership concerns, emerging issues, and decisions requiring executive attention.
• Provide candid, well‑developed recommendations rather than simply escalating problems for resolution.
• Protect appropriate organizational decision‑making levels by ensuring operational matters are addressed by the leaders responsible for them whenever possible.
• Support the Executive Director in assessing organizational capacity, structure, priorities, and readiness for future opportunities.
• Assume responsibility for internal organizational leadership when the Executive Director is unavailable or as delegated.
• Represent the Executive Director internally and externally when specifically designated to do so.

Continuous Improvement and Organizational Effectiveness

• Evaluate organizational systems, workflows, communication practices, and management processes for effectiveness.
• Lead cross‑functional improvement initiatives that strengthen efficiency, accountability, employee experience, service quality, or organizational capacity.
• Use organizational data and stakeholder feedback to identify patterns and inform operational decisions.
• Build systems that reduce unnecessary dependence on individual leaders and strengthen consistency, clarity, and institutional knowledge.
• Support an organizational environment in which problems are surfaced early, decisions are made at the appropriate level, and leaders take responsibility for outcomes.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Education, Organizational Leadership, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including supervision of managers or professional staff.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing multiple functional areas, programs, or departments.
• Strong operational leadership, organizational management, and problem‑solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategic priorities into operational plans and measurable execution.
• Experience managing performance, developing leaders, and establishing accountability across teams.
• Strong judgment and demonstrated ability to make decisions independently within established authority.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and organizational communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with senior leadership while maintaining ownership and accountability for delegated responsibilities.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Education, or related field.
• Senior leadership experience in a nonprofit, early childhood, education, human services, or government‑funded organization.
• Experience with federal or state grants, contracts, audits, or regulatory compliance.
• Experience leading organizational growth, restructuring, process improvement, or change initiatives.
• Bilingual proficiency in English/Spanish.

Environmental & Physical Requirements

• Primarily office‑based with frequent participation in internal meetings, program activities, community events, and external engagements.
• Ability to travel locally and occasionally statewide for meetings, program site visits, organizational activities, and partner engagements.
• Ability to manage multiple organizational priorities, deadlines, and decisions in a dynamic environment.
• Visual, auditory, and verbal acuity sufficient for meetings, presentations, supervision, and organizational communications.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Performance Indicators

• Effective execution of organizational priorities and annual operating goals.
• Strong performance, accountability, and development of direct‑report leaders.
• Consistent coordination and communication across programs and administrative functions.
• Timely resolution of operational, staffing, and cross‑functional issues at the appropriate organizational level.
• Compliance with applicable laws, contracts, grants, licensing requirements, and organizational policies.
• Effective management of organizational resources within approved budgets.
• Reliable identification and escalation of significant organizational risks.
• Continuous improvement in organizational systems, processes, and management practices.
• Increased organizational capacity for the Executive Director to focus on strategy, Board governance, fundraising, partnerships, external leadership, and long‑term sustainability.

Employment Classification

The Deputy Director is a salaried exempt employee of Rainbow Fleet under applicable Executive and Administrative Exemptions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This position reports directly to the Executive Director and exercises significant responsibility for organizational operations, leadership, management, and compliance within delegated authority.

The Deputy Director participates fully in Rainbow Fleet’s employment policies, benefits, and compliance standards.