Operations Lead, Global Ocean Conservation

Monterey Bay Aquarium•Monterey, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values diversity. We firmly believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices, working together, increases our capacity to serve our visitors and fulfill our mission.â¯We welcome people from all backgrounds into our team and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply. Priority deadline for applications is May 4, 2026. Due to the volume of incoming applications, the role may be closed earlier than May 4, 2026. Job Summary: Under general supervision, manage the workflow of external agreements, contracts, publications, and funding arrangements, ensuring compliance with Monterey Bay Aquarium policies, and fulfilling reporting requirements. Develop and implement project tracking systems and monitor expenses against the annual budget. Synthesize and disseminate written monthly updates of all departmental activities to support our internal communication needs and external reporting obligations (requires a thorough and thoughtful approach to collecting information across teams, and servicing relationships with our network of global fellows, partners, and external vendors). Support meetings, events and workshops including logistics, materials preparation, note-taking, and meeting syntheses. Perform other duties as required. The position will be based in Monterey, California (hybrid).

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience in a related field
Minimum 3 years experience in project management and/or grant reporting/management in a non-profit organization
Strong organizational skills with attention to detail
Demonstration of competent, professional writing skills, ideally with audience-focused pieces such as proposals, reports, letters, and fundraising materials
Proficient with project management, financial, and customer relationship management platforms
Strong organization, communication, facilitation, and active listening skills
Proven ability to work effectively and efficiently under multiple, competing deadlines
Ability to communicate effectively, diplomatically, honestly, and sensitively with all levels of management and staff
Demonstrated initiative, flexibility, and ability to work collaboratively
Ability to travel domestically and internationally
Ability to work within and maintain Monterey Bay Aquarium's Core Values
Typical office equipment
Constant sitting, standing, walking, bending
Occasional unassisted lifting up to 50 lbs.
Typical office environment, main aquarium and exhibits, occasional offsite events

Responsibilities

Contract and Agreement Management to ensure rigorous adherence to Monterey Bay Aquarium policies: Manage the end-to-end execution of agreements, serving as the primary liaison between Global Ocean Conservation, external collaborators, and internal administrative departments.
Establish workflows for the department's diverse portfolio of international transactional agreements, fellowships, funds, vendor contracts, and proposals.
Continuously improve administrative systems by identifying bottlenecks and collaborating with Finance, Development, and Legal departments to refine processes that support both internal compliance and external partner needs.
Create tracking tools to maintain a comprehensive dashboard of agreement statuses, ensuring clear visibility into pending approvals and upcoming reporting obligations.
Drive the timely completion of transactions by proactively following up on signatures, insurance requirements, and financial documentation.
Provide guidance to Fellows and partners to facilitate smooth onboarding and funding disbursements.
Fund Governance and Protocol Development: Establish and implement protocols to track and manage an international Community Development Fund, and special projects with the development agency partners and other partners including governments and other international arrangements.
Establish standardized processes (i.e. grant release and disbursement procedures and budget tracking systems, etc.), defining clear criteria for eligibility, approval workflows, and performance-based milestones.
Conduct regular audits of fund activities to guarantee compliance and mitigate institutional risk, ensuring strict adherence to organizational guidelines and international regulations.
Streamline data collection and reporting from global fellows, ensuring that all fund-supported activities align with the department's strategic conservation objectives.
Project portfolio oversight and milestone tracking: Track and report on the progress of the department's portfolio of projects, including research, publications, commitments, and other activities outlined in the annual work plan.
Gather information on project activities and status.
Document the portfolio of work and report regularly on progress, milestones, and KPIs.
Develop and maintain integrated dashboards and tracking platforms (e.g., Asana, Gant, or custom PM tools) to provide real-time visibility into project progress.
Proactively identify risks related to off-track milestones or shifting deadlines.
Synthesize complex project data into robust narratives, monthly updates, and high-level presentations for internal and external reporting.
Monitor and track expenses in collaboration with Finance, Marketing, and Technology, to report regularly on budget status and progress.
Advisory Group Coordination and Engagement: Support the strategic engagement of key advisory bodies, including the Multistakeholder Group, Technical Advisory Committees, and Strategic Advisory Group, by serving as a primary operational liaison, This includes the Multistakeholder Group, Technical Advisory Committees, and a Strategic Advisory Group.
Facilitate the timely delivery and communication of programmatic updates (e.g., briefing documents, organizational announcements, terms of reference, membership rosters, etc.) to external advisors ensuring consistent relationship management.
Logistical support: Coordinate logistical needs for on- and offsite events, workshops, and conferences including materials prep, room set-up, note-taking, and meeting summaries.
Orchestrate the end-to-end logistics for departmental workshops, events, and high-level meetings, both on-site in Monterey and at international off-site locations.
Curate and produce comprehensive briefing materials, agendas, and presentation decks, ensuring all stakeholders are prepared for high-impact programmatic delivery.
Coordinate vendor and site requirements, coordinating schedules and technical needs to ensure seamless event execution.
Synthesize technical discussions and high-level strategy sessions into actional executive summaries, briefing notes, and progress reports.
Distill key takeaways and action items from meetings to drive departmental accountability and ensure continuity across global projects.
Lead the internal dissemination of information, ensuring that meeting outcomes are communicated effectively to relevant teams and integrated into the project management system.
Administrative support: Provide administrative support including responding to inbound inquiries, data entry, inventory management, and distribution.