Deputy Director

Rainbow Fleet•Oklahoma City, OK

2d•$66,000 - $75,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Deputy Director serves as Rainbow Fleet’s senior internal operating leader and a strategic partner to the Executive Director. The position is responsible for translating organizational strategy and priorities into coordinated execution across programs, grants, people operations, and administrative functions. The Deputy Director directly supervises the Program Directors, Grants & Claims Director, and Operations Personnel and establishes the leadership rhythms, expectations, communication, and accountability necessary for those functions to operate effectively together. As second-in-command, the Deputy Director serves as the primary point of leadership for day-to-day organizational operations, resolving issues at the appropriate level and elevating matters to the Executive Director when they involve significant organizational risk, strategic direction, financial exposure, Board governance, or external relationships. The Deputy Director works in close partnership with the Executive Director to maintain alignment between Rainbow Fleet’s long-term direction and its daily execution. The role is expected to exercise substantial independent judgment and decision-making authority within established organizational strategy, policies, budgets, and regulatory requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Education, Organizational Leadership, Human Resources, or a related field.
Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including supervision of managers or professional staff.
Demonstrated experience overseeing multiple functional areas, programs, or departments.
Strong operational leadership, organizational management, and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated ability to translate strategic priorities into operational plans and measurable execution.
Experience managing performance, developing leaders, and establishing accountability across teams.
Strong judgment and demonstrated ability to make decisions independently within established authority.
Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and organizational communication skills.
Ability to work effectively with senior leadership while maintaining ownership and accountability for delegated responsibilities.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Education, or related field.
Senior leadership experience in a nonprofit, early childhood, education, human services, or government-funded organization.
Experience with federal or state grants, contracts, audits, or regulatory compliance.
Experience leading organizational growth, restructuring, process improvement, or change initiatives.
Bilingual proficiency in English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

Translate strategic priorities established by the Executive Director and Board into operational plans, responsibilities, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
Lead the day-to-day coordination of Rainbow Fleet’s programs and administrative functions.
Establish effective operating rhythms for leadership meetings, cross-functional planning, decision-making, accountability, and follow-through.
Identify operational barriers, competing priorities, gaps, and dependencies across departments and lead their resolution.
Ensure organizational policies, procedures, systems, and workflows support effective and consistent operations.
Make routine and significant operational decisions within delegated authority, escalating matters appropriately based on organizational impact or risk.
Directly supervise, coach, and develop the Program Directors, Grants & Claims Director, and Operations Personnel.
Establish clear expectations for leadership performance, accountability, communication, collaboration, and decision-making.
Hold leaders accountable for addressing performance, staffing, workflow, and team issues within their areas of responsibility.
Support managers in resolving employee and operational concerns at the appropriate level rather than unnecessarily escalating routine management matters.
Partner with Operations Personnel on people operations, including recruitment processes, onboarding, performance management systems, employee relations practices, policies, and organizational compliance.
Identify leadership and organizational capacity needs and recommend appropriate staffing, development, or structural changes to the Executive Director.
Foster a positive, inclusive, equitable, and accountable organizational culture consistent with Rainbow Fleet’s mission and values.
Provide executive-level oversight to Program Directors while maintaining appropriate ownership of program operations at the director level.
Ensure programs operate consistently with organizational strategy, contractual requirements, quality expectations, and established outcomes.
Facilitate coordination among programs when resources, participants, funding requirements, staffing, or organizational priorities intersect.
Monitor program performance and organizational indicators to identify trends, risks, and opportunities requiring leadership attention.
Support Program Directors in strengthening systems, management practices, service quality, and operational effectiveness.
Supervise the Grants & Claims Director and ensure effective coordination between grant requirements, program operations, financial practices, and organizational priorities.
Maintain organizational visibility into grant and contract obligations, reporting requirements, deadlines, compliance risks, and operational implications.
Ensure appropriate internal controls, documentation, policies, and accountability systems are maintained.
Coordinate organizational readiness for audits, monitoring visits, contract reviews, licensing requirements, and other compliance activities.
Elevate material compliance, contractual, financial, or organizational risks promptly to the Executive Director.
Partner with the Executive Director, Grants & Claims Director, Operations Personnel, and contracted financial professionals to support sound financial management.
Monitor departmental and program performance against approved budgets and identify significant variances or emerging resource needs.
Ensure leaders understand and manage resources within established budgets and organizational priorities.
Participate in annual budgeting, resource planning, and organizational forecasting.
Recommend operational investments, efficiencies, staffing decisions, and resource allocations to the Executive Director.
Serve as a trusted thought partner and operational counterpart to the Executive Director.
Maintain regular communication with the Executive Director regarding organizational performance, significant risks, leadership concerns, emerging issues, and decisions requiring executive attention.
Provide candid, well-developed recommendations rather than simply escalating problems for resolution.
Protect appropriate organizational decision-making levels by ensuring operational matters are addressed by the leaders responsible for them whenever possible.
Support the Executive Director in assessing organizational capacity, structure, priorities, and readiness for future opportunities.
Assume responsibility for internal organizational leadership when the Executive Director is unavailable or as delegated.
Represent the Executive Director internally and externally when specifically designated to do so.
Evaluate organizational systems, workflows, communication practices, and management processes for effectiveness.
Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives that strengthen efficiency, accountability, employee experience, service quality, or organizational capacity.
Use organizational data and stakeholder feedback to identify patterns and inform operational decisions.
Build systems that reduce unnecessary dependence on individual leaders and strengthen consistency, clarity, and institutional knowledge.
Support an organizational environment in which problems are surfaced early, decisions are made at the appropriate level, and leaders take responsibility for outcomes.