OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

About the Role

Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS) seeks an experienced Operations Director who will focus on creating, managing, and improving policies, practices, and procedures across the organization with the goal of improving VOLS’ effectiveness in fulfilling its mission. The Operations Director will serve on the VOLS Senior Leadership Team, manage a direct report, and report to the Executive Director.

Organizational Mission

For 40 years, VOLS has partnered with New York City’s leading law firms and companies as well as community-based organizations to help close the access to justice gap for low-income New Yorkers. VOLS provides free, civil legal services to New Yorkers with limited resources, including seniors, veterans, individuals entitled to public benefits, immigrant youth, children and their families, mothers in prison or jail, and small business owners. Last year, VOLS assisted clients on more than 4,000 legal matters, and our services benefited over 6,200 individual New Yorkers. VOLS’ staff of 22, including 15 attorneys and law graduates, works with volunteers from over 80 law firms/companies to exponentially increase our impact. We partner with 150 community groups to ensure that our services are accessible and address local needs. VOLS strives to build and retain a diverse and inclusive team, and we actively seek a diverse candidate pool. We strongly encourage candidates who have had lived experience in the communities we serve.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Finance & Administration

• Manage outsourced finance provider relationship.
• Oversee purchasing and expense control.
• Manage payroll in coordination with outsourced finance team and PEO.
• Work closely with outsourced finance team on preparation of financial analyses, operating budget, forecasting, accounts payable reconciliation, annual audit, and other financial needs.
• Work closely with Development & Communications Director, Legal Director, and outsourced finance team on government contracts.
• Work closely with Development & Communications Director and outsourced finance team on budgeting in connection with grant proposals and reports.
• Manage organization’s insurance options, policies, and claims.
• Develop and manage office procedures, facilities and equipment usage, disaster preparedness, and other workplace operations.
• Supervise office manager.
• Supervise maintenance of and changes to organization’s facilities and equipment.
• Manage relationships with landlord, vendors, and other contractors.
• Coordinate organization-wide operations policies.
• Coordinate annual goal setting and planning processes.
• Support Board of Directors, including coordination of quarterly board meetings, drafting meeting minutes, serving as a liaison to Audit and Finance Committees, and responding to financial data requests.

Human Resources

• Manage all HR functions, including but not limited to, recruiting; developing, maintaining updating of all onboarding and offboarding processes; ensuring compliance with all relevant laws; and managing annual benefits selection process.
• Draft and roll out office-wide policies.
• Lead efforts to create and maintain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and learning environment, including related organization-wide committees.
• Work closely with Executive Director on planning and executing staff professional development and team building experiences, including retreats and workshops.
• Manage annual performance evaluation cycle.
• Manage enrollment and contributions to VOLS’ retirement plans and relationship with pension plan advisor.
• Manage outsourced PEO relationship.
• Represent management in labor-management interactions, including in labormanagement committee meetings.

Technology

• Oversee maintenance and improvements of information technology (IT) systems and data security.
• Oversee technology systems in furtherance of VOLS’ program areas.
• Managed outsourced IT provider relationship.

Other projects may be assigned by the Executive Director as needed.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant management experience, including oversight of finance, human resources, administrative, and/or technology functions.
• Previous supervisory experience.
• Successful project manager, with experience organizing and executing multiple complex or time-sensitive projects and prioritizing as needed.
• Strategic thinker with solution-oriented mindset.
• Highest standards of confidentiality, sound judgment, discretion, and diplomacy; high degree of personal integrity, including the ability to manage sensitive or confidential information.
• Effective negotiator with external parties.
• Clear and effective oral and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with Teams, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and QuickBooks.
• Flexible and collaborative approach.
• Passion for the mission of providing high-quality, free legal services to low-income New Yorkers and promoting volunteerism.

Preferred Qualifications:

• College degree preferred. Advanced degree or significant training or experience in nonprofit management, business administration, finance, or related field is helpful.
• Experience leading in a unionized work environment.

This position will be hybrid. Local travel and willingness to work occasional evenings is required.

All VOLS employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 including a Bivalent vaccine dose or latest 2023–2024 COVID vaccine formula, unless provided a reasonable accommodation pursuant to applicable federal, state and local statutes.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitment:

VOLS strives to build and maintain a diverse workplace that embraces staff with different backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We seek a diverse applicant pool and particularly welcome and encourage applicants from marginalized communities, including, but not limited to, those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled, immigrants, uniformed service, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and those directly impacted by the legal system.

VOLS is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, creed, age, disability, sexual orientation, biological sex, gender identity/expression, family status, military service or any other status protected under the law.