Operations Director

SMASH Alumni Team; United States; Remote; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

SMASH Alumni Team is seeking an Operations Director to lead strategic initiatives and enhance operational effectiveness. This hybrid role combines HR leadership with program operations, aiming to align workforce strategies with the organization’s mission in cultivating a competitive STEM workforce. Ideal candidates possess extensive experience in nonprofit operations, exceptional communication skills, and a commitment to our mission.

Benefits

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Paid time off

Volunteer time

Flexible spending accounts

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in people operations, program operations, or hybrid organizational operations.
• Experience in nonprofit or education-related settings.
• Strong knowledge of HR compliance and payroll systems.

Responsibilities

• Drive strategic talent initiatives and operational excellence.
• Oversee recruitment workflows and ensure compliance with labor laws.
• Implement systems for performance data collection.

Skills

Collaboration

Relationship Building

Problem Solving

Resilience

Job description

At SMASH, we aim to build a strong STEM workforce through academic learning and experiential engagement for high school and college students. We empower dedicated students in STEM fields through intensive education, rigorous coursework, and access to resources, aiming to cultivate success in college and careers. Our vision is to create a STEM ecosystem where every student can thrive in the global economy. By providing opportunities, we seek to enrich our communities and workplaces with well-prepared, competitive leaders.

This is a pivotal time for SMASH as SMASH builds on the success of our programs. Working at SMASH is about rapid growth, grit, personal commitment, accountability, and courage to challenge the status quo. If you have what it takes to change the STEM landscape, we want to hear from you.

SMASH is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization operating under the umbrella of the Kapor Center family of organizations.

About the role

The Operations Director is a cross-functional leader responsible for driving strategic talent initiatives and operational excellence across SMASH’s full-time and seasonal workforce. This hybrid role blends human resources leadership with hands-on program operations, ensuring alignment between the organization’s people strategy and programmatic success. This role requires a great deal of cross-departmental collaboration and organizational effectiveness. The ideal candidate is a systems thinker and people-first strategist who thrives in fast-paced, mission-driven environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and lead an integrated talent acquisition and recruitment strategy to attract top-tier full-time and seasonal staff aligned with SMASH’s mission and values
• Oversee recruitment workflows including job description development, hiring timelines, background checks, and I-9 verification
• Develop and manage a seamless onboarding and offboarding experience in partnership with program and department leads
• Establish offboarding protocols including exit interviews, HR systems removal, separation agreements, and asset recovery
• Implement a system for collecting and analyzing performance data for seasonal staff to inform coaching, rehire decisions, and talent pipelines
• Lead the development and facilitation of training for full-time and seasonal staff, ensuring readiness for program implementation and operational consistency

Program Operations - 50%

• Serve as the operational lead for program readiness, ensuring all staffing, training, and compliance elements are in place for seamless program delivery
• Partner with Programs leadership to design and implement systems that support operational excellence, including schedules, logistics, and staff coordination
• Oversee weekly virtual and in-person workspaces for seasonal program staff, ensuring optimal collaboration and productivity
• Coordinate cross-functional debriefs and program team meetings that drive continuous improvement and alignment
• Manage operational aspects of scholarship disbursements in coordination with Finance, ensuring accuracy and compliance
• Monitor survey data collection from scholars and alumni, ensuring high response rates and integration of insights into program design
• Maintain secure and compliant recordkeeping systems to support both HR and program operations
• Work closely with IT, Finance, and Programs teams to align people and program operations for smooth execution
• Develop and maintain clear SOPs, workflows, and knowledge-sharing resources to drive consistency, clarity, and scale
• Champion a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across departments

Payroll, Benefits & Compliance Oversight - 40%

• Direct the execution of payroll, benefits administration, onboarding, and leave management processes across SMASH’s workforce
• Develop and implement compensation strategies for full-time and seasonal staff in partnership with Operations and Finance
• Lead HR audits and compliance reporting (e.g., PTO tracking, workers’ compensation, classification audits)
• Oversee multistate tax registration and ensure legal compliance across all employment jurisdictions
• Ensure accurate worker classification (e.g., contractor vs. employee, exempt vs. non-exempt) in alignment with labor laws and internal policy
• Ensure schedule compliance for seasonal staff in alignment with labor laws and internal policy
• Deliver trainings and ongoing support for staff using HR tools and systems

Required Attributes

• Collaboration: Exceptional listening, communication, and presentation skills; excellent time management and organizational skills; timeliness and dependability; courageously candid when facing difficult conversations
• Relationship Building: Welcome and embrace individual differences of everyone in the room; humility; patience when navigating situations; ability to listen to multiple perspectives; restorative approach to relationship building and conflict resolution
• Problem Solving: Remain curious, innovative, iterative, and quickly pivot as needed; keep activities on track, think creatively, and act swiftly in the face of unanticipated events; make data-based decisions
• Resilience: Approach situations with a growth mindset, adapt, and reflect to ensure desired outcome(s) are met

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in people operations, program operations, or a hybrid organizational operations role, preferably in a nonprofit or education-related setting
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing workforce systems and program delivery logistics
• Strong knowledge of HR compliance, payroll systems, and multi-state employment practices
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver results in fast-paced, seasonal environments
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and change management skills
• Passion for and a deep commitment to SMASH’s mission

Compensation

Salary Range: $100,000 - $115,000

SMASH offers competitive compensation, and excellent benefits including medical, dental, vision,

life/disability insurance, 401(k), professional development stipend, paid time off, volunteer time, and flexible spending accounts. Our collaborative office is located in Oakland’s dynamic Uptown District. We are seeking candidates with a personal commitment to our mission and innovation--values that are embedded in our culture.