ABOUT US

UpStart inspires and empowers leaders to dream, build, and grow bold initiatives that enhance the vitality of Jewish Life.

UpStart was founded fifteen years ago with a sole focus: to accelerate the success of social entrepreneurs fueling a renaissance in Jewish life. Since then, we have invested in 127 ventures and their leaders while cultivating an ecosystem of institutional leaders and funders committed to Jewish community change. We are excited to be actively implementing a new Strategic Plan to put social entrepreneurs at the center of everything we do. Our vision is that Jewish communities will be thriving hubs of innovation, building a more just, vibrant, and inclusive future.

UpStart strongly encourages applications from individuals with varied identities and backgrounds, including people of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, LGBTQIA people, and people who come from low-income or working-class backgrounds. As an equal opportunity employer, all individuals are encouraged to apply without regard to race, color, religion, age, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, genetic information, medical condition, veteran status, or any other class protected under federal, state, or local laws.

UpStart’s vision is that Jewish communities will be thriving hubs of innovation, building a more just, vibrant, and inclusive future. As such, we aspire to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem that models this future, embodying and driving toward greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Statistics show that women and structurally marginalized and/or underrepresented groups of people need to see themselves in almost 100% of the requirements in a job posting to apply. We welcome you to apply even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, as no one applicant ever does.

POSITION SUMMARY

UpStart seeks a Director, Program Operations & Systems, who will be an integral member of the Program Operations & Systems Team, and a central figure of coordination cross-functionally to program teams with the Strategy & Impact Department. The role is primarily responsible for leading strong delivery of program operations, while also managing a number of discreet operations projects. The role will report to the Managing Director, Program Operations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Operations Strategy

• Assess needs of Network, and Social Entrepreneurship (SE) teams in order to coordinate standardized program operations support
• Establish/maintain cross-functional coordination, communication, and workflow across Network and SE teams, setting processes and timelines, gathering necessary cross-functional team members, and ensuring projects stay on track. This work is inclusive of, but not limited to, operations processes such as:
  • Program planning and calendaring
  • Program grantmaking
  • Program systems needs
  • Program evaluation planning
  • Program outreach, recruitment, and selection
  • Program onboarding
• Establish/maintain evergreen processes to meet the operations needs across Network, and SE teams
• Collaborate with Senior Director, Learning & Evaluation to understand the evaluation of program operations processes and oversee necessary iterations
• Assess responsibilities of staff towards use of program data systems based on roles
  • Identify needs and partner with Program Systems & Data Manager towards training for program data systems for staff based on above respective responsibilities
• Supervise Program Experience & Production Manager

Project Management

• Lead implementation of standardized grantmaking operations processes within Network and SE programming, managing coordination of program teams, operations teams, and finance teams
• Manage buildout of UpStart’s new Learning Management System (LMS), including but not limited to:
  • Coordination between LMS designers, Salesforce designers, and UpStart team members
  • Delivery of feedback
  • Planning and timeline
  • Communication throughout UpStart team
• Lead/manage cross-functional use of UpStart’s internal program management tools across Program Operations, Network, and SE teams

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

You have a passion for systems and structures and can see the big picture of how to support programs, simultaneously evaluating the need to iterate on existing operations while also creating new ones. You have knowledge of the larger field of program operations. You have honed your skills in all manner of operations functions and you enjoy problem-solving when systems are not in place or require an update.

You have strong project and people management skills, and can work across teams with emotional intelligence. You communicate clearly and effectively and can support the growth of others through their work. Overall, you are eager to put your expertise to use at a strategic level, guiding others to implement support for vast programming needs.

We expect that you will navigate the balance of being a supporter of those you supervise, carving out necessary time for their growth, and a manager of projects with many moving parts, supporting our programmatic goals to turn them into reality. You are equal parts imaginator, coordinator, and structuralist – with an ability to synthesize information and adapt with resourcefulness, flexibility, and a positive attitude in an entrepreneurial culture.

Summary:

• At least 8 years of experience in complex project management, including cross-functional projects and processes
• Supervision experience
• Ability to balance high-level view and granular details, and move from one to the other fluidly
• Strong communication skills
• Desire to learn and grow your expertise, including learning new technologies and systems
• Adaptability and agility in the face of change, both organizational and technological
• Passion for UpStart’s mission and the work of UpStart’s network
• Commitment to UpStart’s values of empathy, optimism, collaboration, and risk-taking
• Commitment to integrating a diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice lens into every piece of their work

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $85,000 - $95,000, based on the candidate’s job-specific experience and skills, education, and readiness.

In addition to a competitive salary, UpStart currently offers the following benefits:

• A comprehensive benefits package, including 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave with no waiting period
• FSA and Commuter Benefits accounts
• Employer-sponsored 401K with employer match
• Flexible discretionary paid time off
• Annual $1,500 professional development stipend
• Annual $250 wellness stipend
• $300 office setup stipend and provided Mac
• Monthly $50 cell phone stipend
• Meeting-Free Fridays
• 3:00pm local close-of-business on Fridays
• Days off for all work-prohibitive Jewish holidays, in addition to secular US holidays
• A one-month (30 days) paid sabbatical per every five years of employment
• Occasional travel for meetings, conferences, and other business-related activities.
• A great remote-first work culture! Check out our culture deck here.

HOW TO APPLY

Click here to submit your resume and a thoughtful, one-page cover letter to our hiring team.

UpStart is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, UpStart will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided accommodations. If accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Sydney Hirsch at sydneyh@upstartlab.org for assistance.

WHAT TO EXPECT

We are committed to a fair and respectful hiring process, and we do our absolute best to respond to every applicant. We prioritize communication and transparency with all candidates, even those who are not moving forward. For questions or concerns about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, please contact Whitney Weathers, Managing Director, People, Culture, & Equity, at whitneyw@upstartlab.org.

Here’s an overview of our hiring process*:

• Step 1: Apply with your resume and cover letter!
• Step 2: Phone screen with an UpStart recruiter.
• Step 3: Video interview with the hiring manager.
• Step 4: A video interview with a panel of UpStart employees.
• Step 5: We’ll check your references to learn about your past experience.
• Step 6: Get an offer letter, sign it, and start your professional journey with UpStart!

*Note: Some of our hiring processes may vary, and not all candidates will advance to each step.