Managing Director of Program Operations (Internal) at Bottom Line

National, Maryland, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

19 Sep, 26

Salary

160000.0

Posted On

21 Jun, 26

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Program Operations, Strategic Planning, People Management, Salesforce Governance, Project Management, Data Analysis, Change Management, Cross-functional Collaboration, Process Design, Stakeholder Management, Budgeting, Operational Excellence, Product Ownership, Curriculum Rollout, Performance Monitoring, Executive Leadership

Industry

Higher Education

Description

MANAGING DIRECTOR of PROGRAM OPERATIONS National Internal Only Applicants Who We Are and What We Believe: Founded in 1997, Bottom Line is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization with a mission to partner with degree-aspiring students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds as they get into college, graduate, and launch meaningful careers. For nearly 30 years, Bottom Line has provided consistent, one-on-one support to help students navigate the challenges of accessing and succeeding in college. We serve students from 9th grade through career launch through our signature programming in Massachusetts, New York City, Chicago, Ohio, Detroit, and Houston and scaled supports available nationwide. Our vision is to create a far-reaching ripple effect, launched by the transformative power of a college degree and a mobilizing first career, that uplifts individuals, families, and entire communities. When you join Bottom Line, you will become a part of a team that combines passion with expertise to advance equity and opportunity for degree-aspiring students. In our dynamic, results-driven environment, your contributions will help shape brighter futures and stronger communities. What You Will Do: In partnership with the Chief Program Officer and the Managing Director of Program Strategy & Fidelity, the Managing Director of Program Operations leads the execution system that delivers Bottom Line's national program model at scale across regions, virtual delivery, and partners. The two Managing Directors form the primary leadership of the National Program Team under the CPO. The MD of Program Strategy & Fidelity stewards what good looks like; the MD of Program Operations stewards the operating system that makes it deliverable. This role is designed as a system architect and decision owner, building the repeatable infrastructure, decision frameworks, and operating systems the team and regions rely on. This role also enables the Directors of Access, Success & Career, and Scaled Advising to focus on model fidelity, regional leadership, and program quality. This role reports to the Chief Program Officer. Primary Responsibilities: Program Operations & Execution Excellence (35%) * Ensure high-quality execution of the program model across in-person, virtual, and partner-delivered modalities, with oversight of national virtual advising through the Director of Scaled Advising. * Build and maintain repeatable operating infrastructure (annual calendars, playbooks, codified processes, decision frameworks) so the system functions seamlessly. * Lead and continuously improve all centrally delivered student-facing services, ensuring clarity, staffing readiness, and operational alignment with the program model. * Oversee rollout of new tools, curriculum, and training in collaboration with Training & Learning and other organizational leaders. Program Data, Systems & Product Governance (20%) * Hold program-side accountability for NPC (Salesforce) governance and the program-facing system ecosystem; ensure named product ownership through the Program Operations Manager, with documented decision rights, formal request prioritization, and service-level expectations that ensure transparent infrastructure. * Translate Strategy & Fidelity expectations into reporting structures, dashboards, and training resources into usable data systems and processes. * Set the Programs-side partnership with Transformation on technical build priorities at the executive and prioritization level; ensure the day-to-day build partnership operates through the Program Operations Manager so that program needs shape sequencing and build outputs are adopted in the field. * Provide structural support on the Early Warning System (EWS), ensuring signal-to-action workflows are integrated across programming. Cross-Regional Implementation & Continuous Improvement (15%) * Identify cross-regional implementation patterns, drive course-correction, and share synthesized insights with Program Strategy & Fidelity and the CPO to inform model clarity and organizational decision-making. * Surface implementation realities and operational risks to the CPO to inform enterprise decisions on strategy, resource allocation, and growth direction. * Maintain a feedback loop with the MD of Program Strategy & Fidelity, bringing implementation insights into model evolution and translating model updates into operational rollout plans. * Participate in role-aligned learning spaces (e.g. Managing Director of Programs, Program Directors, etc.) and facilitate before- and after-action reviews on key cross-program milestones. Cross-Functional Partnership (15%) * Support cross-team role clarity and accountability for work that touches multiple departments, including recruitment operations, new-site implementation, and partnership delivery, closing decision loops so no critical thread falls between teams. * Serve as the primary Programs-team counterpart to the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships (Growth) on partnership delivery, owning the implementation playbook that paying partners access. * Partner with Transformation on platform adoption and change management; with RAE on outcome measurement and continuous improvement; with Development on program-side fundraising support. * Support the Chief Program Officer in national fundraising as needed, providing operational credibility on partnership delivery and scale readiness, and translating funder questions into operational priorities. Staff Management, Coaching & Development (15%) * Together with the MD of Program Strategy & Fidelity, co-lead the Program Team's operating culture, decision rhythms, and cross-pillar collaboration under the CPO. * Manage four direct reports: Director Access Program Operations, Director Success & Career Program Operations, Director Scaled Advising, and Senior Program Manager of Program Operations. * Through these directors, lead a team of approximately 12 Program Operations staff plus advisors and contractors across Scaled delivery and central student-facing services. * Set direct-report goals, coach their development, and build a high-performing, mission-driven team culture. Other (~5%) * Support cross-organizational priorities as needed and represent Bottom Line positively across stakeholders and the broader community. * Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without advanced notice. Philosophy: * Deep commitment to Bottom Line's mission and a belief in scaling high-quality programming to first-generation, low-income students. * System architect and decision owner; designs roles, frameworks, and operating systems so that fewer things depend on any single person, including the Managing Director themselves. * Builder of durable infrastructure; treats hero behavior, undefined decision rights, and unprioritized requests as signs of a system that needs designing, not work to absorb. * Comfort making decisions on defined domains and saying no or not now with clear rationale; able to hold the line on scope when ambiguity tries to creep in. * Skilled at translating between Strategy & Fidelity's design language and Operations' delivery language; serves as the connective tissue without becoming the bottleneck. * Comfort with ambiguity, change management, and integrating teams from different organizational legacies, including the Bottom Line and Get Schooled integration. * Excellent emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills; builds trust with regional leaders, national peers, and frontline staff. * Data-informed and improvement-oriented; uses engagement, persistence, graduation, and Employability data to inform decisions. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 9a to 5p or 10a to 6p (local time), flexibility may be requested. Additional hours as needed. Direct Reports: Four direct reports: Director, Access Program Operations; Director, Success & Career Program Operations; Director, Scaled Advising; and Program Manager, Program Operations. Through these directors, indirect oversight of approximately 12 Program Operations staff plus the team of Virtual Success Advisors and contractors. Expected Travel: Approximately 1-2 trips per quarter to Bottom Line regions, Bottom Line staff convenings, and/or field events. Who Should Apply: If you meet the qualifications below, you should apply. Required: * Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. * 8 to 10 years of progressive leadership and management experience in a nonprofit, government, or philanthropy, ideally serving first-generation and low-income students. * Demonstrated experience leading multi-site or national program operations, with accountability for fidelity, quality, and outcomes across multiple programs. * At least three years managing through layers (managers and directors). * Demonstrated experience as a product owner or operational decision-maker on shared systems (Salesforce, NPC, advising platforms), with the capacity to make decisions, set priorities, and define service-level expectations. * Project management discipline; comfort with iterative sprint cycles, milestone tracking, intake routines, and SLA frameworks for cross-team work. * Strong program planning, design, and implementation skills; an eye for visualizing processes and foreseeing the impact of operational changes. * Demonstrated ability to leverage data systems (Salesforce, PowerBI, or comparable) and shape data infrastructure for end-user adoption. * Excellent emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and ability to partner cross-functionally with executive leaders. * Work authorization required. * Demonstrated commitment to Bottom Line’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values Preferred: * Experience leading the Program or Service functions for a national multi-site nonprofit organization. * An understanding of the education nonprofit sector, including donor relations and management. * Familiarity with iterative sprint cycles, product ownership, and Agile or Scrum frameworks; Professional Scrum Product Owner certification a plus. * Lived experience or deep professional relationships in first-generation and low-income communities. Compensation: * Nat'l-$132,000 * Chi-$145,000 * Bos-$156,000 * NY-$161,000

Responsibilities

Leads the execution system for delivering the national program model across various regions and modalities. Responsible for building repeatable infrastructure, managing program data systems, and overseeing a team of operations directors.