Operations Specialist

Vanguard Charitable; Malvern (Chester County); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard Charitable is seeking an Operations Specialist to execute and review financial, grant-related, and clerical transactions within our recordkeeping system.

You will support contributions, grants, exchanges, and account maintenance, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and a strong client and charity experience while upholding policies. Collaboration across teams and continuous process improvements are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Experience with nonprofit organizations preferred.
• Prior grant-making processing experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Execute and review financial, clerical, and grant-related transactions with accuracy.
• Perform Same-Day Quality Assurance reviews to ensure policy alignment.
• Respond to client and charity inquiries with clear, timely communication.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and document changes.
• Share knowledge and support onboarding across transactional workflows.

Skills

Transaction processing

Donor-advised funds

Data analysis

Communication

Prioritization

Quality assurance

Issue investigation

Policy familiarity

Process improvement

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

The Operations Specialist is responsible for executing and quality reviewing financial, clerical, and grant-related transactions within the recordkeeping system. This role supports all areas of Operations, including contributions, grants, exchanges, and account maintenance, and flexes across workflows based on volume and business needs. The Operations Specialist ensures accuracy, efficiency, and a strong client and charity experience while applying sound judgment to complete work in alignment with established policies and guidelines. This role identifies issues, resolves transaction-related problems, and escalates more complex or higher-risk scenarios as appropriate. The Operations Specialist also contributes to process improvements, documentation, and overall team effectiveness.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Transaction Processing and Execution (45%)

Completes routine and high-volume financial and account-related transactions, including contributions, grants, exchanges, and account maintenance within the recordkeeping system. Ensures timely and accurate data entry and processing while supporting changing business volume and priorities. Maintains strong attention to detail and meets established productivity and quality expectations.

• Quality Assurance, Investigation, and Corrective Work (25%)

Performs Same-Day Quality Assurance (SDQA) reviews to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with established policies and procedures. Identifies errors, trends, and processing gaps and takes corrective action as needed, including reversals, resolution of aged or returned items, and correction of misapplied transactions.

Investigates transaction issues to determine root cause, applies judgment in line with guidelines to identify potential issues or risks, and determines appropriate resolution or escalation as needed.

• Client Service and Request Management (15%)

Responds to inbound and outbound inquiries from clients and charities and provides clear, accurate, and timely communication. Clarifies requested actions, answers questions, and ensures appropriate follow-through. Partners with internal teams to support completion of client-related work and maintains a high-quality client and charity experience.

• Process Improvement, Documentation, and Operational Support (10%)

Maintains and updates operational procedures to ensure accuracy, accessibility, and alignment with current practices. Identifies opportunities for process improvement and supports implementation of workflow, policy, and technology enhancements. Participates in testing, cross-functional initiatives, and business continuity efforts as needed.

• Team Support and Knowledge Sharing (5%)

Provides support to team members by sharing knowledge across transactional workflows, including grant-related processing and policies. Assists with onboarding and training activities as needed and escalates questions or complex scenarios to leadership or designated resources.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Training

• Bachelor’s degree required, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Experience with nonprofit organizations preferred.
• Prior grant-making processing experience preferred.

Licensure & Certification

• None required.

Knowledge, Skill, and Ability

• Knowledge of operational transaction processing, financial services workflows, and donor-advised fund concepts.
• Skilled in using and supporting recordkeeping and operational systems, including articulating business and technology needs to stakeholders.
• Able to analyze data, identify issues, and recommend effective solutions and process improvements.
• Skilled in written and verbal communication and building strong working relationships in a team environment.
• Able to plan, organize, and manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to perform quality assurance reviews and maintain high accuracy standards.
• Ability to investigate transaction issues, determine root cause, and take appropriate corrective action.
• Ability to follow established policies and guidelines and identify potential issues or risks for escalation.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and support work across multiple operational areas.

Experience

• Minimum of two years of experience in transaction processing and/or operations.
• Project management experience preferred.
• Experience in financial services, nonprofit organizations, or donor-advised funds preferred.