Director of Operations

Role details

• Salary range : $145,000 – $170,000
• Location: Remote (U.S. only)
• Application deadline : August 24, 2026 at 12 p.m. CT
• Employment type : Full-time W-2 employment with full benefits
• Department: Strategy
• Reports to: Chief strategy officer
• Direct reports: None
• Travel requirements : 1-3 times per year for in-person meetings

Role description

The 19th is hiring an operations director to develop and implement effective, safe and equitable ways of working across the organization to ensure all departments are set up to fulfill the organization’s mission of publishing standout journalism centered on gender while providing staff with exceptional support.

The operations director will develop and implement efficient, effective and equitable ways of working across The 19th to ensure all departments are set up to fulfill the organization’s mission of publishing standout journalism while providing staff with exceptional support. They will connect all departments and cross-functional programs with shared resources and standard processes to facilitate our joint work toward achieving our strategic plans. They will also coordinate with operations-adjacent roles to share expertise and align systems and tools. They will oversee standard operating procedures for repeatable work, systems access, asset management, contracts processes, organizational insurance, security and internal communications. The operations director will also manage a budget and work closely with stakeholders to oversee and execute platform safety and security plans.

The operations director will report to the chief strategy officer.

In a typical week, the operations director will balance a mix of strategic work, such as improving our security roadmap, with daily tasks, such as negotiating vendor contracts. They’ll customize, document and train staff on project management best practices and tools to bring more consistency to how we set up meeting agendas, consult stakeholders, make and communicate decisions, and track progress. They will regularly report opportunities to make how we work together as an organization more equitable and effective to senior leadership. Example projects include establishing a cross-functional operations working group, outsourcing IT to a third-party vendor and auditing internal communications methods.

Responsibilities

• Develop sustainable operational strategies with direction on how to implement them in support of The 19th’s mission and community guidelines, advising internal stakeholders and holding external vendors accountable
• Exercise director-level decision-making authority with appropriate stakeholder input to establish organization-wide operational standards, select or recommend tools and vendors within defined parameters, and align staff to core operational processes
• Design, document and train staff on standard operating procedures and systems used for repeatable work, such as project management, creating and training on consistent practices that can be adapted to meet department- and program-specific needs
• Confidence with leveraging data insights to improve systems and tools to be equitable, efficient and cost-effective
• Establish and lead a cross-departmental working group of operations-adjacent roles that meets regularly to problem-solve, share expertise and ultimately align operations across departments
• Ensure all staff have access to and regularly leverage shared systems and services, such as Google Workspace, Airtable, Zoom, Expensify and Slack, through tactics such as trainings, documentation and individualized support
• Oversee and direct implementation of the safety and security strategy and roadmap, assessing opportunities alongside our goals, hosting regular meetings with stakeholders, assigning and executing tasks, and supporting training coordination in partnership with people operations
• Own and maintain organization-wide AI policies, standards and training for responsible use, including tool evaluation, privacy, security and risk
• Oversee the IT function, including onboarding to and updating systems access, managing assets, monitoring shared inboxes and phones, maintaining office leases and assessing software needs while mitigating risks, as well as setting up and managing a third-party IT vendor to handle routine tasks
• Lead the contracts strategy in consultation with the chief financial officer and chief people officer, and implement the process for various vendors, such as software, subscriptions, office spaces, hotels, consultants, freelancers and independent contractors, maintaining compliance with applicable contract laws while identifying areas for cost-savings by streamlining services across teams and negotiating terms in partnership with department leads
• Implement a cohesive organizational calendar, coordinating department schedules with all-staff trainings, meetings, recurring cross-department initiatives, learning programs, major milestones and other events, and communicating key dates to all staff
• Advance strategies that improve a remote work environment in equitable, accessible and sustainable ways for staff
• Serve as a consultant to managers and program leads who are responsible for creating and upholding workflows to help audit and improve systems, aligning with organization-wide best practices whenever possible
• Create and execute an effective internal communications strategy for all staff, exploring ways to engage staff with the things they must know and do in a remote workplace while using multiple channels, including automated notifications and reminders
• Oversee our documentation process, establishing best practices that support repeatable organizational processes, cross-functional programs and institutional knowledge, including hosting documentation days
• Ensure operational systems, documentation, trainings and events are accessible and inclusive by design
• Manage an annual budget for organizational operations expenses
• Manage our organizational insurance needs, including coverage plans, renewals, broker or vendor management, certificates of insurance and claims coordination to ensure timely renewals and appropriate, cost-effective coverage
• Stay current on industry trends and integrate relevant practices on an ongoing basis as part of an individualized professional development plan
• Occasional early morning, evening and weekend shifts may be needed in the event of a security issue or staff event

Non-essential functions (as capacity permits)

• Participate in culture building and inclusive decision making, as well as bringing ideas to different parts of our work to help us improve as an organization, such as hiring and onboarding new staff members
• Contribute to cross-team learning, leadership development and organizational planning
• Participate in team, organizational and individual relationship building and professional development throughout the year
• Other responsibilities as needed

Relevant skills and experience

• 6+ years designing and executing operations systems in at least two different contexts
• Strong communication and project management skills, and the ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders on deadline
• Experience working in a remote environment and with digital accessibility, using tools like Google Workspace, Airtable, Slack and Zoom; the ability to adapt to emerging technologies and functions
• Demonstrated experience managing or outsourcing IT, including platform security and privacy and asset management
• Experience with responsible AI governance and emerging technology risks a plus
• Experience working effectively with staff from diverse backgrounds, demonstrating respect for different perspectives and inclusive collaboration
• Strong understanding of organizational change management
• Strong meeting facilitation skills and experience guiding groups and individuals at all levels through complex operational or systems topics
• Familiarity with human resources functions and compliance is a plus

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We also encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities.