Head of Operations & People

About WISER

WISER is a Washington, DC–based nonprofit advancing quantum education, workforce development, and applied research. We bring together industry, government, national laboratories, and academic institutions to develop talent and translate emerging technologies into practical applications.

About the Role

WISER seeks a hands‑on Head of Operations & People to manage the organizational processes that support our growing education and research programs. This person will oversee HR administration, coordinate contracts and legal matters with counsel, and manage the administrative development and submission of grant proposals. Working closely with the President and technical leads, they will turn organizational needs into clear processes, maintain reliable records, and ensure commitments and deadlines are met. The ideal candidate combines strong judgment, excellent writing, attention to detail, and the ability to move work forward independently.

Key Responsibilities

People Operations and HR

• Manage onboarding, orientation, and offboarding for employees, fellows, contractors, and consultants.
• Prepare and maintain offer letters, agreements, personnel records, confidentiality agreements, and other required paperwork.
• Coordinate hiring logistics, interviews, references, and candidate communications with hiring managers.
• Maintain accurate records of compensation, appointments, renewals, reporting relationships, and engagement terms.
• Coordinate payroll and payment changes with accounting and external providers.
• Develop practical HR policies and procedures, working with counsel or HR specialists where needed.
• Support managers with performance review processes, staff questions, and sensitive personnel matters.

Contracts and Legal Coordination

• Conduct initial business and administrative reviews of research agreements, consulting contracts, NDAs, partnership agreements, and vendor contracts.
• Identify unclear obligations, operational risks, missing information, and provisions requiring legal or technical review.
• Coordinate with external counsel, consolidate internal feedback, and track contract revisions through approval and signature.
• Maintain a central contract repository and tracker covering deliverables, payment terms, renewals, reporting requirements, and key deadlines.
• Help ensure applicable partner and funder requirements are reflected in consultant and subcontractor agreements.
• Coordinate implementation of contractual obligations with project leads and finance staff.

Grant Writing and Proposal Coordination

• Identify relevant funding opportunities and track eligibility, submission requirements, and deadlines.
• Manage proposal calendars, checklists, document collection, internal reviews, and submission workflows.
• Draft and maintain WISER’s organizational narratives, institutional background, program descriptions, capabilities, impact data, and administrative proposal sections.
• Collect and incorporate accurate WISER data, including participation metrics, outcomes, partnerships, and prior experience.
• Coordinate with technical teams, which own the scientific content, research approach, technical milestones, and deliverables.
• Work with leadership and finance to assemble budgets, budget justifications, staffing information, and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate letters of support, partner materials, registrations, and submission portal requirements.
• Track award conditions, reporting schedules, amendments, and administrative closeout requirements.

Organizational Operations

• Establish clear workflows for purchasing, vendor onboarding, expenses, document management, and internal approvals.
• Coordinate with bookkeeping, accounting, insurance, and other external service providers.
• Maintain organizational records and support preparation of board materials and administrative filings.
• Track operational priorities and bring decisions, risks, and overdue items to the President’s attention.
• Build processes that allow WISER’s leadership and technical teams to focus on programs, research, and partnerships.

What You'll Do:

Preferred experience:

• Work with nonprofits, research organizations, universities, or growing technology organizations.
• Federal grants, sponsored research, or government-funded programs.
• Coordination of international teams, fellows, consultants, or institutional partners.
• Familiarity with STEM education or emerging technologies. Quantum expertise is helpful but not required.

Who You Are:

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in operations, people operations, nonprofit administration, research administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing onboarding, personnel documentation, and confidential information.
• Experience reviewing business agreements and coordinating with legal counsel.
• Strong grant writing, institutional writing, or proposal management skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and stakeholders.
• Ability to create workable systems and personally execute day‑to‑day tasks.
• Sound judgment about when to act independently and when to seek legal, financial, or technical expertise.