About Chicago Beyond
Chicago Beyond is a national philanthropic organization that addresses systemic inequity by backing solutions led by those closest to the issues. Since our inception in 2016, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $65 million in catalytic funding in over 250 individuals and community organizations while leading national systems change initiatives. Because there is no single barrier to equity, Chicago Beyond engages in opportunities across philanthropy, justice, health, and beyond.
We address systemic inequity in three ways:
- Investments:We make catalytic investments to increase the impact of solutions led by those closest to the issues.
- National Initiatives:We lead national initiatives in partnership with change makers to challenge and reshape the status quo.
- Insights:We provide insights to disrupt and reimagine “systems as usual” and share learnings on equitable funding, practices, and policies.
Chicago Beyond was founded by Liz Dozier, a nationally renowned former educator and high school principal. Chicago Beyond’s innovative and impactful work has been featured on both the local and national level from the Chicago Tribune to the Clinton Global Initiative to Aspen Ideas Festival and Stanford Social Innovation Review. For more information on Chicago Beyond, please visit chicagobeyond.org.
Position Details
The Director of Business Operations at Chicago Beyond is responsible for building the systems, infrastructure, and operating foundation to enable us to achieve our mission. This role is responsible for leading and managing the organization’s business functions, ensuring seamless operational efficiency and effectiveness across projects, people, systems, and finances.
Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, this is a high-visibility, hands-on role for someone who thrives at the intersection of operations, systems design, and business strategy. You will architect Chicago Beyond’s infrastructure, from financial systems and technology tools to project management practices and organizational dashboards, ensuring visibility into progress, resources, and results. You will also oversee key initiatives and collaborate closely with internal teams to operationalize our strategy and ensure Chicago Beyond runs smoothly to achieve our goals.
This role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and expertise in operations and management to support Chicago Beyond’s mission and growth. It is ideal for a strategic generalist and operational builder who can diagnose inefficiencies, translate strategy into systems, and lead change in an organization. In addition to what is outlined below, you will be responsible for other duties as assigned to support the goals and objectives of the organization.
Key Responsibilities:
- Strategic & Operational Leadership: Lead the development and execution of Chicago Beyond’s operational infrastructure to deliver on strategic priorities. Identify inefficiencies, design scalable solutions, and drive implementation across teams. Collaborate with the Chief Strategy Officer to develop and implement strategic plans. Partner with senior leaders to translate strategy into clear goals, KPIs, and dashboards that track progress and performance. Ensure alignment between people, processes, systems, and strategy, and drive organizational learning by surfacing insights from operations to inform strategy and continuous improvement.
- Financial Management: Lead all financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, expense management, and reporting, ensuring fiscal integrity and transparency. Manage vendor relationships, invoicing, and reimbursements, and serve as the organizational lead for QuickBooks and financial controls. Develop budgets, dashboards, and tools that enable visibility into financial health. Identify opportunities for efficiency, automation, and foresight through scenario modeling and strategic financial planning.
- Continuous Improvement of Systems, Tools, and Processes: Embed values and culture into systems design and ensure they are reflected in tools, processes, and decision-making. Redesign and implement core systems to create cross-functional visibility and efficiency. Evaluate and optimize tools such as Asana, QuickBooks, Airtable, and Microsoft Office to maximize integrations and streamline workflows. Lead change management to ensure adoption and sustainability of new systems. Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance scalability, automation, and alignment with strategic goals. Drive organizational learning by translating data and insights into narratives that inform leadership decisions and drive organizational alignment.
- Project Management & Collaboration: Partner with the Chief Strategy Officer to define the organization’s operational cadence, including planning, prioritization, and progress tracking. Streamline project management practices to improve coordination, simplify workflows, and strengthen accountability. Supervise the Administrative Support Associate and work across teams to align operations with programmatic goals. Foster a culture of collaboration and shared learning. Serve as sense maker by connecting strategy to execution and identifying themes, risks, and opportunities across the organization.
- Talent, Hiring, and Professional Development: Oversee full-cycle hiring, onboarding, and offboarding to attract and retain talent aligned with Chicago Beyond’s mission and values. Lead the professional development and performance management processes, connecting individual goals to organizational priorities and KPIs. Manage benefits through third-party vendors, maintain organizational policies, and champion a culture of growth, feedback, and reflection that advances both individual and collective impact.
- Space Strategy, Utilization, and Management: Design and lead Chicago Beyond’s space strategy to align physical space with our mission, values, and evolving strategic priorities. Shape how our space furthers our work with partners and community to advance our goals. Translate strategic intent into operational execution, designing systems and processes to ensure the space functions efficiently. Continuously assess how the space is used, incorporating data and feedback to drive decisions.
- Risk Management, Scenario Planning, & Compliance: Identify potential risks and challenges to the organization's operations, including financial, and develop strategies to mitigate them. Lead scenario planning and strategic forecasting to anticipate organizational needs and external shifts and design adaptive plans that evolve as context changes. Monitor and evaluate operational performance metrics to proactively address issues and optimize outcomes. Oversee operational governance structures, internal controls, and compliance procedures to safeguard people, systems, and resources.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of experience in business operations, strategy, management consulting, or operations management.
- Demonstrated experience in financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis. Familiarity with QuickBooks preferred.
- Strong strategic planning and project management skills, with the ability to set clear goals, develop actionable plans, and drive results. PMP certification or equivalent experience preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to develop KPIs, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms that drive insight, decision making, and accountability.
- Experience implementing, automating, and optimizing operational systems and processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Experience with Airtable, Asana, CRMs, and grant management systems preferred.
- Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve their full potential in a dynamic environment.
- Strong collaborator with the ability to translate strategy into actionable plans and deliver measurable results.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to identify issues, evaluate options, and implement solutions.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex information to diverse stakeholders.
Working at Chicago Beyond
We are an agile, ambitious team with diverse experience across various sectors. We thrive on challenging each other and continuously learning, united by our passion for equity and lasting impact. If you are an entrepreneurial individual looking to join a dynamic community with significant opportunities to grow and shape what you do, then this will be a perfect role for you. Please note that this role currently requires 2 days in our Chicago office.
Our values guide our work.
- Always Equitable – People in our communities face unimaginable obstacles to achieving their fullest human potential. So, we must fight for equity, not equality.
- Incessantly Urgent – The simple fact is that lives are literally at stake right now. The unacceptability of the situation requires our relentless bias to action in order to accelerate our impact.
- Endlessly Creative – To dramatically impact the lives of our youth and communities, we must employ imagination to augment or replace the usual, typical, and predictable.
- Stubbornly Audacious – Entrenched challenges require disruptive ideas boldly applied. We must be unafraid to embrace risks.
- Uncompromising Integrity – How we achieve our mission is equally as important as our mission. We must do right by our youth, our communities, our partners, our teammates and ourselves.
Benefits
The salary range for this role is $125,000 - $150,000. Chicago Beyond provides a comprehensive benefits package, including competitive medical, dental, and vision plans, a matching 401(k) program, and generous paid time off.
Chicago Beyond is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented applicants.
