Associate Director, Systems Operations

Job Title: Associate Director, Systems Operations

Team: Systems

Location: Chicago (IL)

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt 

Start Date: ASAP

About Braven

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.  

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring an Associate Director, Systems Operations. This role will serve as the operational coordinator for the entire Systems function, ensuring alignment, coordination, and efficient execution across its key departments (IT, Engineering, Salesforce, and Digital Product Management).

As a member of the Systems team, you will be an expert individual contributor focused on increasing operational efficiency and clarity. You will execute a mixture of defined and unique, non-routine tasks, ensuring seamless operational flow and communication across the technical teams and their key organizational stakeholders.

This role is on the Systems team and reports directly to the Chief Technology Officer. 

What You’ll Do

Operations Support (50%)

• Maintain and monitor progress on the Systems team roadmap, highlighting high-level initiatives and their alignment with Braven’s strategic goals.

• Provide dedicated leadership within the Systems team to drive internal processes, optimize workflows, and enhance operational efficiency.
• Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Systems team, gathering and presenting routine data on operational efficiency, project health, and ticket resolution times.
• Assist in managing the annual planning and budget processes for the Systems function, coordinating data collection and documentation from department leads.
• Design and execute a process of cyclical reporting on Systems operations for central leaders, external partners, and the broader organization.

System Alignment & Coordination (25%)

• Support operational governance and team culture by organizing, planning, and preparing materials for Systems-wide meetings, retreats, and cross-functional check-ins to drive alignment and clarity.
• Manage the Systems-wide calendar and communications flow to ensure all departments (IT, Engineering, Salesforce, Digital Product) are informed of priorities, projects, and deadlines.
• Act as the central bridge across Systems departments, identifying dependencies, resource conflicts, and alignment opportunities, and proactively resolving them in partnership with department leaders.
• Maintain and update internal process documentation and resources for the Systems team and its stakeholders.
• Lead the onboarding and offboarding process for Systems team members, ensuring all technical and operational needs are met.

Cross-Functional Support (25%)

• Act as a trusted liaison for the Systems function, translating priorities and operational realities across the organization and reporting on Systems operations to central leaders, external partners, and the broader organization.
• Serve as the central bridge across Systems departments, identifying dependencies, resource conflicts, and alignment opportunities, and resolving them in partnership with department leaders.
• Lead and facilitate Systems Team meetings and retreats, including monthly team meetings and cross-functional check-ins, ensuring alignment, clarity, and connection to Braven’s mission and vision.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• At least 4 years of experience in an operations, project management, or administrative support role, preferably supporting a technical or complex function.
• Experience executing a mixture of defined and unique, non-routine tasks.
• Fluency in Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides).

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to building strong and welcoming cultures that help to develop others.
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and has prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population.
• Experience in the education, government, or nonprofit sector.
• Experience with a CRM system like Salesforce or similar.
• Experience with project management tools such as Asana or Jira.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to adjust style across different audiences.
• Strong organizational skills with a proven ability to create and execute project plans with high attention to detail and meet deadlines.
• Comfortable seeking out, receiving, and implementing constructive feedback; demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
  

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Chicago (IL) 3 days per week

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
•  Braven doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Compensation and Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking.

Starting salary within the range is determined by role scope and qualifications, with new hires starting at the lower end to allow for growth with performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges, by geographic market, for this role are set forth $76,000-$94,900. This is a full-time, exempt, and benefits eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.  

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: 

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe our total rewards package aligns with what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply. 

Location

We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Chicago. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.  We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.