Operations Director

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Status: Full-Time; Exempt

Location: Remote, within California

Salary Range: $140,000-170,000

Reports to: Executive Director

ABOUT CALIFORNIANS TOGETHER

Californians Together is a statewide advocacy coalition of powerful organizations from all segments of the education community. Our member organizations come together to champion the educational success of California’s 1.2 million English learners by overcoming and transforming the harms of systemic racial, language, and cultural inequality in education and to close opportunity gaps. To learn more about Californians Together, please visit californianstogether.org.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Operations Director provides strategic and day-to-day leadership of all core operational functions at Californians Together (CalTog) and serves as a key thought partner to the Executive Director (ED). This role is responsible for strengthening the organization’s internal infrastructure, financial stewardship, and people practices to support CalTog’s mission and long-term sustainability.

As a member of the senior leadership team, the Operations Director ensures alignment between organizational priorities and internal capacity. This role oversees finance, human resources, administration, compliance, and organizational systems, ensuring that policies, procedures, and practices are effective, compliant, and scalable.

This role supervises 3-5 internal positions and manages key external partners, and vendors including an outsourced accounting firm, to ensure high-quality execution across payroll, benefits administration, accounting operations, financial reporting, and compliance. While some transactional functions are outsourced, the Operations Director retains ownership of internal decision-making, oversight, and continuous improvement across all operational areas.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Organizational Leadership & Strategy:

• Serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the Executive Director on organizational health, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability.
• Partner with the Deputy Director and leadership team to translate strategic priorities into operational plans, timelines, and accountability structures.
• Lead and strengthen organization-wide systems, processes, and decision-making frameworks that improve effectiveness, coordination, and execution.
• Build operational capacity that supports organizational growth, programmatic excellence, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Contribute to leadership team planning, risk assessment, and organizational problem-solving.

Financial Leadership & Stewardship

• Lead the organization’s financial management, including annual budgeting, forecasting, cash flow monitoring, and financial planning.
• Oversee the outsourced accounting firm to ensure timely and accurate bookkeeping, month-end close, reconciliations, financial statements, and audit preparation.
• Develop and maintain financial dashboards, reports, presentations, and analyses for the ED, leadership team, finance committee, and Board.
• Monitor financial performance against budget and provide proactive recommendations to support sound decision-making.
• Oversee internal controls, spending policies, approval workflows, and financial procedures to ensure fiscal integrity and compliance
• Partner with program and development staff on grant budgeting, restricted funding tracking, and financial grant reporting as needed.
• Support annual audit, 990 preparation, and other financial compliance requirements in partnership with external vendors.

Human Resources & People Operations

• Oversee transition to PEO.
• Oversee all HR systems, policies, and employee lifecycle practices, in partnership with the organization’s PEO and external vendors as needed.
• Ensure effective administration and internal oversight of payroll, benefits, leave, onboarding, offboarding, and employee records through the PEO.
• Lead the development, implementation, and regular review of the employee handbook policies, compensation practices, performance management systems, and workplace procedures.
• Ensure compliance with applicable employment laws, wage-and-hour regulations, and HR best practices.
• Support managers in performance management, employee relations, coaching, and organizational development.
• Help cultivate a healthy, equitable, and mission-aligned workplace culture that supports staff succession and retention.
• Identify and implement improvements to people systems and internal communication practices.

General Operations, Compliance, & Administration

• Oversee organizational operations, including contracts, vendor relationships, insurance, business registrations, records management, and administrative systems.
• Ensure the organization maintains a strong compliance practice across nonprofit, employment, grant, and operational requirements.
• Lead the development and maintenance of organizational policies, standard operating procedures, and documentation.
• Assess operational risks and implement systems to mitigate legal, financial, and organizational exposure.
• Manage and improve organizational technology systems, security, tools, and workflows in partnership with staff and external consultants/vendors.
• Oversee facilities or remote operations infrastructure, as applicable.

Board & External Partner Support

• Support the ED and Board with high-quality operational and financial materials for Board and committee meetings.
• Serve as a primary internal liaison to external operational partners, including the PEO, accounting firm, legal counsel, auditors, insurance brokers, and other vendors.
• Ensure service providers are aligned with organizational needs and that outsourced functions are well-managed, accurate, and responsive.

Required Qualifications:

• 8-10+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, finance, administration, or people operations, with significant senior-level responsibility.
• Demonstrated success overseeing finance and HR functions, including budget management, financial reporting, compliance, and people systems.
• Experience managing outsourced service providers (accounting, payroll, PEOs, HR consultants, auditors, or legal).
• Strong financial acumen, including experience with budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, internal controls, and interpreting financial statements.
• Strong knowledge of HR operations and employment compliance, with the ability to oversee systems and advise leadership even when transactional functions are outsourced.
• Proven ability to design and improve systems in a growing or evolving organization.
• Excellent project management and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication skills and ability to translate operational and financial information for non-operational stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and mission-driven leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a nonprofit, education, advocacy, or mission-driven organization.
• Experience working with supporting executive leadership and/or Boards.
• Familiarity with grant-funded environments, restricted funding, and nonprofit financial compliance.
• Experience in organizational growth and change management.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in business, public administration, finance, HR, or related field preferred (or equivalent experience).

Compensation and Other Benefits

The annual salary range for this position is $140,000-170,000, and will be commensurate with experience. Californians Together also offers an excellent benefits package, which includes full health, dental, and vision benefits, a retirement plan with employer contributions, and holidays, vacation, and sick days. The organization also closes between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

Application Instructions

Please submit a cover letter and resume through BambooHR to apply for this position. The priority deadline to apply for this position is Monday, August 24, 2026. Should your resume be selected for a phone screening, these will be done on a rolling basis. If you have any questions regarding this position, please reach out to View email address on click.appcast.io. Emailed applications will not be accepted.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORKING CONDITIONS

This is a full-time, forty-hour per week position, though additional hours and evenings may be necessary to attend events and functions. Work will include long periods of sitting and standing. Time will be spent sitting in front of a computer and on the phone. Some lifting up to 15 pounds may be required. Limited physical effort required. The role involves tasks requiring hearing, performing repetitive hand motions, prolonged sitting, speaking, and typing.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Californians Together is an equal opportunity employer, welcomes a diverse pool of applicants, and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. Californians Together policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, military service, legally protected medical condition, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws.

Californians Together is an equal opportunity employer, welcomes a diverse pool of applicants, and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. Californians Together policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, military service, legally protected medical condition, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws.