Senior Director of Operations and Finance (Chief Operating Officer)

Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions • Washington, DC

17h • Remote

About The Position

The Senior Director of Operations and Finance (SD-O&F) serves as PLEJ’s Chief Operating Officer, principal operating partner to the Executive Director, and a member of the senior leadership team. Reporting to the Executive Director, the SD-O&F translates organizational priorities into operating plans, budgets, clear ownership, timelines, and measures of progress. The role leads financial management and internal operations, including people operations, compliance, risk management, systems, data, and core infrastructure. In partnership with the Executive Director, staff, and Board, the SD-O&F maintains the management practices and systems needed for reliable execution and responsible growth, gives leadership timely visibility into finances, organizational capacity, and operational risk, and supervises staff responsible for financial administration and operational systems.

The position leads organizational planning and execution, financial strategy and stewardship, systems and infrastructure, people operations and team leadership, and governance, compliance, and risk management. It establishes operating practices and approval controls, resolves cross-functional barriers, and ensures follow-through on organizational commitments within the Board-approved budget and delegated authority. Key outcomes include dependable financial reporting and forecasts, integrated operating plans, consistent financial and grant processes, accountable cross-team execution, scalable infrastructure, and decision-ready Board reporting.

PLEJ is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit community supporting election offices serving large and diverse U.S. populations. The position is fully remote and flexible, with regular travel for staff meetings, member convenings, retreats, and national engagement, up to 30%. The salary range is $141,014 to $168,489, commensurate with experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, public administration, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in finance, operations, organizational management, or a related field, including at least five years in senior leadership.
• Substantial responsibility for organizational budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, internal controls, and stewardship of restricted or grant-funded resources.
• Record of improving financial and operating systems and using them to support organizational decisions, accountability, and reliable execution.
• Experience translating strategy into operating plans with clear ownership, timelines, measures, and regular follow-up.
• Experience leading, supervising, and developing staff, including setting priorities and performance expectations in a lean or changing organization.
• Strong financial analysis skills and ability to explain financial information clearly to non-financial colleagues and Board members.
• Experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder work, external vendors or professional service providers, and competing organizational priorities.
• Sound judgment, integrity, discretion, and ability to handle confidential financial, personnel, and organizational information.
• Ability to work effectively in diverse, high-visibility environments while maintaining PLEJ’s commitment to nonpartisanship.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or CPA.
• Experience in a nonprofit, association, public interest, or other grant-funded organization.
• Experience supporting organizational growth, building infrastructure, or leading institutional change.
• Familiarity with nonprofit accounting, fund accounting, grant compliance, audit processes, and Board practices.
• Experience with business continuity, crisis management, cybersecurity readiness, or data governance.
• Background in public administration, election operations, law, policy, or nonprofit leadership.
• Relevant advanced degree, CPA, or other finance or operations credential; equivalent practical experience is also valued.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Executive Director and senior leadership team to translate strategy into an annual operating plan with priorities, owners, milestones, resource assumptions, and measures of progress.
• Establish regular operating reviews to monitor progress, surface delays and dependencies, make decisions, and assign owners and deadlines for corrective actions.
• Coordinate cross-functional planning to align staffing, budgets, program schedules, convenings, partnerships, and operational capacity with organizational priorities.
• Make operational decisions within delegated authority and promptly elevate significant tradeoffs, risks, and resource needs.
• Build a culture of ownership, clear communication, sound judgment, and continuous improvement.
• Lead annual budgeting and maintain multi-year financial plans, rolling forecasts, and cash-flow projections.
• Deliver timely monthly financial reporting on budget-to-actual results, cash position, forecast changes, grant spending, and material variances, with recommended actions.
• Monitor revenue, expenses, staffing commitments, restricted funds, and reserves; identify financial pressures and develop practical responses and scenarios.
• Oversee financial administration and accounting, including monthly close, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, purchasing, expense controls, and financial records.
• Maintain financial policies, internal controls, delegated approval thresholds, and separation of duties, and ensure transactions receive appropriate timely review and approval.
• Oversee grant budgets, fund restrictions, cost allocation, financial reports, and documentation to ensure authorized use of funds and timely reporting.
• Coordinate annual audit and tax preparation, address findings, and manage relationships with accounting, audit, banking, insurance, compliance, and other service providers.
• Prepare financial analysis and recommendations for the Executive Director and Board, and present financial information to the Board as requested.
• Design, document, and improve organizational workflows, policies, tools, and systems so responsibilities and handoffs are clear and work is completed accurately and efficiently.
• Lead operational planning for core organizational processes and ensure systems support programs, member engagement, convenings, and partnerships.
• Oversee vendor selection and management, contracts, insurance, procurement, and administrative processes.
• Strengthen data governance, records management, privacy, access controls, and secure handling of sensitive organizational and member information.
• Maintain business continuity and operational resilience plans, including cybersecurity readiness and procedures for responding to disruptions.
• Use performance measures and management tools to give leaders a practical view of workload, progress, risks, and capacity.
• Ensure resilient, scalable systems support organizational growth and PLEJ’s evolving role.
• Lead and develop the Operations & Finance team, establishing roles, priorities, performance expectations, and professional development goals.
• Oversee people operations with the Executive Director and external HR providers, including workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, performance management, staff policies, and compensation processes.
• Support managers in setting expectations, addressing performance or workload concerns, and maintaining a respectful, accountable, collaborative workplace.
• Assess staffing and operational capacity and recommend approaches to sequencing work, assigning responsibility, and building capabilities.
• Collaborate across teams and take on additional responsibilities as needed to support PLEJ’s mission and impact.
• Maintain a coordinated compliance calendar and systems for tracking legal, regulatory, grant, tax, insurance, and Board policy obligations.
• Ensure records, approvals, contracts, financial documentation, and grant files are complete, accessible to authorized staff, and ready for audits or funder reviews.
• Maintain an organization-wide risk management process covering financial, operational, legal, reputational, people, data, and cybersecurity risks; assign owners and track mitigation actions.
• Coordinate with the Executive Director, Board leadership, counsel, auditors, insurers, and other advisers on governance, compliance, and material risks.
• Provide the Board with accurate, timely operational and financial information to support oversight and decision-making.

Benefits

• Employee medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums fully covered; family members may be added at the employee’s expense.
• Employee short-term and long-term disability insurance premiums fully covered.
• Employee term life insurance premiums fully covered.
• Unlimited paid time off.
• 14 observed holidays and a generous holiday schedule.
• 401(k) retirement plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior