Operations Lead

Inside Higher Ed; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational innovation center in Columbus, Ohio, is seeking an Operations Lead to oversee the successful operations of student-related initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree and six years of experience in operations. Responsibilities include project oversight, developing operational excellence frameworks, and collaborating across teams to drive results. Competitive professional development opportunities are available in this full-time role.

Qualifications

• Minimum of six years of relevant work experience in operations or project management roles.
• Demonstrated ability to organize large amounts of information effectively.
• Willingness to complete travel and work evenings/weekends if necessary.

Responsibilities

• Oversee successful operations across all CSI initiatives.
• Provide oversight of projects to ensure timely delivery and metric adherence.
• Develop operational excellence foundations, including templates and strategic planning.

Skills

Strong project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Excellent written and verbal communication

Ability to implement new tools and technology

Capacity to measure and articulate metrics

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Job Title: Operations Lead

Department: Academic Affairs Administration | Timashev Center for Software Innovation

The Operations Lead will oversee successful operations across all Center for Software Innovation (CSI) and student innovation–related initiatives. The goal of CSI is to empower student innovation and cultivate a strong, growing community of builders. This role is central to building a strong, durable organization that is prepared to address both current and future opportunities for student innovation at scale.

Serving as the operational backbone of the organization, the Operations Lead ensures that CSI’s ambitious vision translates into measurable results. Acting as a strategic partner to the Executive Director, this role designs systems, drives execution, and enables a culture of operational excellence across all initiatives.

The Operations Lead provides comprehensive oversight of projects across student innovation initiatives, including Learning to Career, Entrepreneurship, and Community. This role ensures initiatives remain on track for timely delivery and meet stated goals and metrics. As needed, the Operations Lead will step into individual projects to support execution and ensure successful, on‑time delivery.

This role is responsible for developing and managing the foundations of operational excellence, including creating templates for playbooks; organizing, storing, and tracking information and data; running regular strategic planning processes; and thoughtfully leveraging technology to enable smooth and effective operations.

The Operations Lead works closely with Human Resources, Finance, and relevant hiring managers to support seamless position management. This role also develops and manages a strong, experience‑focused onboarding, orientation, and training process for all CSI hires, including staff, fellows, and students.

Additionally, the Operations Lead leads membership management, engagement, and communications for all CSI‑related councils and ensures the CSI website remains current. The role is responsible for producing consistent, engaging reporting for leadership, councils, cross‑functional partners, and other stakeholders as determined.

In partnership with Finance and the Executive Director, this role oversees and ensures that budgets and forecasts are up to date and forward‑looking with respect to funding needs. The Operations Lead also creates, when applicable, and maintains relevant contracts, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and other agreements.

This role is critical to the effectiveness of CSI and is well suited for someone who can bring structure to ambiguity, work effectively through change, and demonstrate a strong track record of creating positive impact through operational excellence.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 6 years of relevant experience

Required Education And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of six years of relevant work experience in operations or project management roles
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration skills and experience working with leadership and executives
• Demonstrated ability to quickly, accurately, and effectively organize large amounts of information into formats suitable for their intended purpose
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong project management, slide deck creation, spreadsheet, and related operational skills
• Ability to implement new tools and technology
• Ability to measure, track, and clearly articulate metrics and results
• Willingness to complete some travel and work evenings and weekends as needed
• Successful completion of a criminal background check is required

Desired Education And Experience

• Master’s degree with 8–12 years of relevant work experience
• Prior experience in academia or non‑profit organizations

Additional Information

Please submit both a cover letter and a resume to be considered for this opportunity.

Function: Business Planning and Operations

Subfunction: Business Operations

Band: Specialized

Level: 4

Location: University Square South (1032)

Position Type: Regular

Scheduled Hours: 40

Shift: First Shift

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post‑offer process.

The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability. As required by Ohio Revised Code section 3345.0216, Ohio State will: educate students by means of free, open and rigorous intellectual inquiry to seek the truth; equip students with the opportunity to develop intellectual skills to reach their own, informed conclusions; not require, favor, disfavor or prohibit speech or lawful assembly; create a community dedicated to an ethic of civil and free inquiry, which respects the autonomy of each member, supports individual capacities for growth and tolerates differences in opinion; treat all faculty, staff and students as individuals, hold them to equal standards and provide equality of opportunity with regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.