Director of Workplace Operations

Urban Initiatives is seeking a highly efficient and engaging people person to serve as the Director of Operations with keen attention to detail. This position will support workplace operations across UI’s headquarters located at 650 W Lake in the West Loop of Chicago, as well as, as overseeing the operational systems to support our workforce at headquarters and in their remote locations, including at schools across the city.

They will be responsible for demonstrating UI’s values internally and externally promoting and maintaining welcoming, safe, and productive worksites for all employees and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Workplace Management

• Provide Onsite Support for UI Headquarters to ensure a high-quality office culture including:
• Office organization and cleanliness
• Space and room reservations
• Answer phones and follow up on voicemail messages
• Triage maintenance requests
• Stock office supplies and food
• File and shred documents, as needed
• Monitor worksite emergency preparedness
• Ensure adherence to all worksite operational SOPs and the employee handbook

Provide Remote Support for UI Satellite Locations including:

• Schedule meetings for team building
• Develop and monitor worksite emergency preparedness protocols
• Conduct site walk-throughs bi-annually of all satellite locations

Manage workplace onboarding during New Hire Orientation i.e. training, materials, etc

Develop And Implement Strategies To Support Inventory Management Prioritizing

• Dissemination and tracking of UI property
• Adherence to safety and security protocols
• Ensuring we have the right materials to support the productivity of our team

Develop And Implement Strategies To Support Facilities Management, Prioritizing

• Development of satellite site safety protocols in alignment with all worksite operational SOPs and the employee handbook
• Development of escalation procedures

Lead office relocation project prioritizing:

• Researching potential spaces that would meet the needs of our team
• Development of step by step process to ensure a smooth transition
• Facilitating optional spaces to provide updates to UI stakeholders and receive feedback

Technology Management

• Serve as primary point of contact for IT Partner and all technology vendors; serve as a liaison between staff and IT Partner support team ensuring all employees have operational technology; support updates as needed
• Review IT expenses and make recommendations on implementation and cost savings
• Support implementation of Cybersecurity Training
• Manage technology onboarding during New Hire Orientation i.e. training, materials, etc

Event Planning

• Support event logistics for Operations Team events:
• We’re Not Playing Around Conference
• Holiday Party
• Summer Staff Retreat
• Employee Appreciation, as needed

Seamless Execution

• Oversee updating of organizational calendar and scheduling lunch and learns
• Utilize our Monday.Com systems to ensure efficient and transparent processes across all operations requests

Desired Qualifications

• Passion for Urban Initiatives’ mission and an opportunity to learn and grow
• Embody UI’s organizational values: teamwork, commitment, fun, impact, inclusion, and initiative
• Desire to be a team player and ability to effectively work both independently and collaboratively
• Demonstrated ability to think critically, be forward-thinking, and determine situational strategies
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a sounding board to clarify decisions and strategic steps to reach desired goals
• Demonstrated ability to organize and manage projects and manage multiple tasks in a busy environment
• Strong administrative skills and attention to detail
• Excellence in both written and verbal communications and the ability to effectively communicate through an array of approaches (emails, phone, in-person, presentation, deck, one-pager, soundbites, etc.)
• Commitment to join the UI team on our anti-racist journey, which includes interrupting oppression in our work whenever we encounter it
• Experienced in building business relationships with cross-functional leadership
• Appreciates ambiguity and autonomy in a fast-paced environment
• Experience working in an office environment
• Ability to work 4 days in person per week, 9AM-5PM

Compensation Package

• $70,000 base salary
• Health, dental, and vision insurance premiums paid 100% by Urban Initiatives (for employees and for their children)
• Life, short term disability, and long term disability insurance paid 100% by Urban Initiatives
• Option to contribute to a 401K with up to a 3% match of your salary after one full year of employment
• 120 hours of paid time off (PTO), accrued monthly (PTO may be prorated based on start date.)
• Paid holidays (Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day)
• Comp time

How To Apply

Apply HERE no later than November 1st.

Urban Initiatives is dedicated to intentionally fostering a climate of purposeful inclusion in our workplace, and candidates of diverse backgrounds and identities are strongly encouraged to apply. Urban Initiatives is an Equal Opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. This is in accordance with federal and state law.

Target Start Date is November 15, 2023

Urban Initiatives

Founded in 2003, Urban Initiatives is a nonprofit organization that runs youth development programs in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Urban Initiatives’ mission is to use the power of sport and play to empower Chicago’s youth to achieve academic success, develop social-emotional skills, and build social capital. Currently, Urban Initiatives serves an estimated 60 schools throughout the City of Chicago.

Urban Initiatives is preparing to scale program operations to have a significantly greater impact across Chicago. Our programs support social emotional learning (SEL) and demand for these services is greater than ever. Maturing the administrative capacity of our fundraising team is critical to raise the funds necessary to accelerate our impact.