Director of Operations

Bipolardiscoveries; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Breakthrough Discoveries is seeking a high-agency Director of Operations to serve as the backbone of a remote-first nonprofit. You will oversee the intersection of finance, HR, legal, and grant administration, ensuring our scientific partners have the resources they need to move fast.

You will design infrastructure to scale impact, coordinate procedures, and coach teams across time zones while maintaining compliance and cost effectiveness.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in organizational operations.
• Experience across HR, finance, IT, and communications.
• Knowledge of data analysis and performance metrics.
• Working with ERP and CRM systems.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain the remote tech stack (e.g., MS Office, Slack, Notion, Zoom) to enable collaboration, productivity, and security across time zones.
• Oversee daily operations, set strategic goals with executives, monitor activities, and improve procedures.
• Manage the annual budget, bookkeeping, and nonprofit financial compliance; lead fundraising/grant cycles.
• Develop a remote-first culture; manage hiring, onboarding, and payroll; update policies.
• Collaborate with scientific leaders to manage grants, milestones, and reporting; handle external partnerships.
• Ensure compliance with 501(c)(3) status and employment regulations across jurisdictions.

Skills

Systems thinking

Pragmatic leadership

Science enthusiasm

Remote collaboration

Communication skills

Education

BSc/BA in business administration

MSc/MA preferred

Tools

MS Office

ERP

CRM

Notion

Slack

Zoom

Job description

BD 2 brings together researchers, clinicians, philanthropists, and people with lived experience to study and treat bipolar disorder in a new way.

About the Breakthrough Discoveries

Breakthrough Discoveries is a lean, high-impact nonprofit dedicated to changing the trajectory of bipolar disorder research. We believe that by bridging the gap between innovative scientific inquiry and patient-centered care, we can accelerate the next generation of interventions and create a world where all people with bipolar disorder thrive. We prioritize agility, transparency, and a steadfast focus on our mission. We are looking for a foundational leader to build the systems that will scale our impact.

About the Director of Operations position

We are seeking a high-agencyDirector of Operationsto serve as the backbone of our organization. This isn’t just about ‘keeping the lights on’; it’s about designing the infrastructure for a modern, remote-first nonprofit. You will oversee the intersection of finance, HR, legal, and grant administration, ensuring our scientific partners have the resources they need to move fast.

You will help us with organization of our daily operations, in order to safeguard and augment the efficiency of the company’s operations to facilitate accelerating development and long-term success. Your duties will include ensuring that our business is well-coordinated and productive by managing its procedures and coaching its people.

You should possess thorough knowledge of various company processes, be competent and able to plan many different kinds of operational activities. We also expect you to be an excellent leader who can discover the most efficient ways to run the business.

Director of Operations responsibilities are:

• Operational Architecture: Build and maintain our remote tech stack (Computers, Microsoft Suite, Slack, Notion, Zoom, PM tools) to ensure seamless communication, productivity, and security across time zones.
• Day to Day Ops:Work together with executives and managers to make decisions for operational activities and set strategic goals.Monitor daily business activities to ensure smooth progress.Perform evaluation of the efficiency of business procedures according to organizational objectives and apply improvements, on a regular basis
• Financial Stewardship:Manage the annual budget, oversee bookkeeping, and ensure compliance with nonprofit financial regulations. You will lead the ‘business-side’of our fundraising and grant making cycles.
• Culture and People:In collaboration with leadership, develop a remote-first culture that prevents burnout and fosters connection. Manage hiring, onboarding, and payroll for a growing team.Review and update policies and promote their implementation
• Grants and Research Administration:Work alongside our scientific leaders to manage the distribution of funds, tracking milestones, and reporting requirements of funded researchers.Organize relationships and agreements with external partners and vendors
• Compliance and Governance:Act as the primaryVerify the compliance of company’s operations to legal regulations related to our 501(c)(3)status and employment practices across jurisdictions.

Who are You:

• A Systems Thinker:You see a chaotic process and instinctively want to build a workflow for it.
• Pragmatic Leader:Entrepreneurial. You know how to do a lot with a little.
• Science Enthusiast:You are a scientist or have worked in the sciences to support the systems and people who expand knowledge.
• Mission-Aligned:You have a genuine interest in scientific advancement and empathy for the community living with bipolar disorder.
• Remote Native:You are an expert at digital collaboration and understand the nuances of managing a team you don’t see in person every day.

Director of Operations requirements are:

• 5+ years’ experience in organizational operations, ideally in a scientific nonprofit environment.
• Solid experience with diverse business functions and principles (e.g. HR, finance, IT, communications, etc.)
• Good practical knowledge of data analysis and performance/operation metrics
• Working experience with MS Office and various business software including ERP and CRM solutions
• Strong organizational and leadership abilities
• Strong communication and people skills
• Good knowledge of industry’s legal rules and guidelines
• BSc or BA degree in business administration or other relevant area; MSc or MA degree will be a bonus

Breakthrough Discoveries is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, especially those with lived experience in the mental health space. We are interested in qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States. Please note, we are not sponsoring visas at this time, being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment.