Vice President, Operations & Organizational Effectiveness

Meyer Memorial Trust; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Meyer Memorial Trust seeks a Vice President, Operations & Organizational Effectiveness to translate strategy into action and ensure the organization has the people, systems, and operating practices needed to advance its mission. The VP collaborates with the CEO and Executive Team to strengthen organizational performance, culture, and execution.

The role provides strategic leadership for People & Culture, IT, and Office Operations, building aligned, efficient operations and resilient

Qualifications

• 15+ years of leadership experience in operations, organizational effectiveness, or related fields.
• Proven ability to translate strategy into clear goals, structures, and operating practices.
• Experience leading organizational change and cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong systems thinking with ability to connect people, processes, and technology.
• Excellent judgment, communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Commitment to equity and inclusive organizational practices.

Responsibilities

• Translate Meyer’s strategy into clear organizational goals and operating structures.
• Oversee People & Culture, IT, and Office Operations to ensure aligned priorities.
• Lead and develop senior operations leaders and teams.
• Foster enterprise-wide performance rhythms and accountable execution.
• Partner with CEO and Executive Team to strengthen culture and collaboration.
• Drive cybersecurity, data practices, facilities, and external convening infrastructure.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategy translation

Cross-functional collaboration

Change management

People & culture leadership

Job description

The Vice President, Operations & Organizational Effectiveness is a senior organizational leader responsible for strengthening Meyer’s ability to translate strategy into action and ensuring the organization has the people, systems, infrastructure, and operating practices needed to advance its mission and priorities effectively.

As a member of the Executive Team, the VP partners closely with the CEO and other senior leaders to strengthen organizational performance, cross-functional collaboration, decision-making, accountability, and execution. The VP brings an enterprise-wide perspective to how Meyer works—connecting strategy, people, and systems and helping the Executive Team operate effectively as a collective leadership body.

The VP provides strategic leadership and oversight for People & Culture, Information Technology, and Office Operations, including Meyer’s external convening and event infrastructure. The VP leads and develops the People & Culture Manager, IT Manager, and Director of Office Operations, empowering each leader to effectively lead their function while creating alignment and integration across the Operations portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

Enterprise Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

• Serve as an active member of the Executive Team and trusted advisor to the CEO, bringing an enterprise-wide perspective to organizational strategy, performance, culture, capacity, change, and complex organizational matters.
• Partner with the CEO and Executive Team to translate Meyer’s strategy and priorities into clear organizational goals, structures, systems, and ways of working, including facilitating strategic planning and organization-wide goal-setting processes.
• Strengthen the effectiveness of the Executive Team as an enterprise leadership body, fostering shared ownership, clear decision-making, cross-functional collaboration, and accountability for organizational priorities.
• Establish organizational operating rhythms and performance practices, including Director Meetings, that clarify ownership, provide visibility into progress, surface barriers and changing conditions, and drive execution and accountability for organizational priorities.
• Provide leadership for significant organizational change, partnering with People & Culture and other leaders to strengthen culture, leadership effectiveness, employee engagement, and organizational capacity.
• Anticipate emerging organizational needs, risks, and opportunities and provide leadership for organizational resilience, adaptability, and responsible stewardship of resources.
• Use organizational data, employee feedback, operational metrics, and other information to identify opportunities to improve effectiveness, reduce unnecessary complexity, inform decisions, and strengthen Meyer’s ability to adapt and respond.

People & Culture

• Provide strategic leadership and executive oversight for the People & Culture function, ensuring people strategies and practices are aligned with organizational priorities, values, and culture.
• Lead, coach, and partner with the People & Culture Manager to advance workforce strategy, organizational culture, employee engagement, talent development, performance management, compensation, and employee experience.
• Partner with the People & Culture Manager and organizational leaders on leadership development, succession and talent planning, organizational design, and workforce capacity.
• Serve as an executive thought partner on complex or sensitive people and organizational matters while empowering the People & Culture Manager to lead day-to-day People & Culture practices and execution.
• Ensure the organization maintains effective, equitable, and legally compliant people practices.
• Provide strategic oversight for Meyer’s technology infrastructure, systems, cybersecurity, data practices, and technology investments.
• Lead and develop the IT Manager, ensuring clear priorities and alignment between technology strategy and organizational needs.
• Ensure technology systems effectively support organizational needs and identify opportunities to improve systems integration, information management, security, adoption, collaboration, and evolving ways of working.
• Ensure appropriate organizational practices related to cybersecurity, privacy, access, business continuity, and technology risk.
• Guide major technology investments and system implementations from an organizational and change-management perspective.

Office Operations & Workplace Convenings

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for office and workplace operations, facilities, administrative infrastructure, and event operations.
• Lead and develop the Director of Office Operations, ensuring the function effectively supports staff, visitors, partners, and the broader work of the organization.
• Ensure Meyer’s physical workplace, operational infrastructure, and event capacity are safe, welcoming, accessible, effective, and equipped to support staff, visitors, partners, and high-quality external convenings.
• Partner with Programs, Communications, and other teams to clarify responsibilities and ensure effective coordination for external convenings and events.
• Provide strategic oversight of key operational vendors, facilities needs, workplace practices, and related organizational resources.
• Ensure appropriate policies, systems, controls, and risk-management practices are in place across the Operations portfolio.
• Oversee key vendor relationships, contracts, insurance, emergency preparedness, and other significant operational matters as appropriate.
• Ensure operational functions maintain effective plans and practices for business continuity, safety, compliance, and organizational resilience.
• Partner with Finance and other leaders to ensure operational resources are stewarded responsibly and aligned with organizational priorities.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Operations leaders and staff, establishing clear priorities, roles, expectations, and accountability while empowering functional leaders to exercise their expertise and effectively lead their areas of responsibility.
• Foster collaboration, coordination, and shared problem-solving across Operations functions while maintaining clear functional ownership.
• Build a responsive, service-oriented, solutions-focused culture within Operations that is committed to continuous learning and improvement.
• Ensure Operations functions are appropriately staffed, structured, and resourced to meet current and future organizational needs.

Experience and Competencies

• 15+ years of leadership experience in operations, organizational effectiveness, people and culture, administration, or related areas, including experience leading multiple organizational functions.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a leader and strategic partner to a CEO and senior leadership team.
• Experience translating organizational strategy into effective structures, systems, processes, and operating practices.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change, cross-functional initiatives, and complex organizational projects.
• Strong understanding of organizational development, culture, talent management, and employee experience.
• Experience overseeing organizational infrastructure such as technology, workplace operations, facilities, administration, or related functions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop experienced functional leaders while empowering them to exercise their expertise.
• Strong systems thinking and ability to identify connections across people, processes, technology, resources, and organizational strategy.
• Excellent judgment, communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills. Ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity, balance competing priorities, and move between strategic and operational perspectives.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and creating organizational systems and practices that reflect the organization's values.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Hybrid Work: This role is expected to work in the office three days per week, with Tuesday through Thursday serving as the primary in-office days. Monday and Friday are remote workdays, with flexibility to work in the office more frequently or as needed based on business and team needs.
• Most work is conducted in a standard office environment.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Meyer Memorial Trust is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace in compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including the Americans

with Disabilities Act (ADA). Meyer ensures equal opportunity for all employees and applicants regardless of race; color; age; gender identity or expression; sexual orientation; religion; marital status; national origin or ancestry; citizenship; immigration status; physical, mental, or medical disability; veteran status; obligations related to service in the United States Armed Forces; or any other reason protected by law.

We value the unique perspectives and experiences that individuals bring, particularly those from communities that have been historically underrepresented.