Operations Manager

About Us

At Friends of the Children – SF Bay Area (Friends-SF), we are breaking the cycle of generational poverty by empowering youth to achieve their big dreams. Each child in our program is paired with a long-term, salaried, professional mentor, a Friend, who walks alongside them from kindergarten through high school graduation, for 12+ years, no matter what.

Founded in 2017, Friends-SF is part of a nationwide network with a 30-year track record of proven impact. We proudly serve the Bayview-Hunters Point community and are committed to expanding our reach across the Bay Area.

Why This Role Matters

Our Friends show up for children every single day. Behind every outing, family event, and new staff member’s first day is an operations team making sure the space is ready, the supplies are stocked, the vendors show up, and nothing falls through the cracks.

We’re looking for an Operations Manager to be the organization-wide operational backbone of Friends-SF. You’ll build and manage the systems, facilities, vendor relationships, and everyday workflows that let our staff do their best work, so they can focus on what matters most: our youth and families.

This is a hands-on manager role with real cross-functional reach. You’ll partner with Program, Development, Operations, and Leadership, turning big-picture priorities into calendars, procedures, and systems that just work. If you love bringing order to a busy environment, take pride in a well-run space, and want your work to directly support kids and families, we’d love to meet you.

What You’ll Do

Build systems that help everyone do their best work

• Develop, document, and continuously improve organization-wide procedures, workflows, templates, and shared systems

• Translate leadership priorities into clear work plans, timelines, owners, and follow-up

• Maintain the master organizational calendar for key deadlines, board and organizational events, trainings, and compliance activities

• Coordinate organization-wide meetings, retreats, trainings, and special projects from logistics to follow-up

• Spot recurring bottlenecks and pain points, and put practical solutions in place

• Keep shared files and resources organized so staff can always find what they need, and help teams adapt when new tools or practices are introduced

Keep our spaces safe, welcoming, and ready

• Lead day-to-day facilities operations, including building access, maintenance, supplies, furniture, and equipment

• Serve as the primary point of contact for contractors, facilities vendors, and service providers

• Coordinate preventative maintenance, repairs, inspections, and facilities projects

• Support workplace safety and emergency preparedness, drills, and incident documentation

• Make sure youth- and family-facing spaces are welcoming, functional, and ready for programming

Steward our vendors and resources

• Manage vendor relationships, service agreements, renewals, and purchasing processes in partnership with leadership and finance

• Track contracts, subscriptions, licenses, insurance certificates, and renewal deadlines

• Maintain inventories of supplies, technology, furniture, and emergency supplies

• Find opportunities to reduce costs, consolidate vendors, and use resources more efficiently

Keep the finance and admin details on track

• Track the operations budget and share regular updates on spending, forecasts, and variances

• Coordinate invoice routing, coding support, receipts, and purchasing documentation for finance

• Support annual budgeting and gather documentation for audit, insurance, grant, and board reporting

Keep our technology and tools running smoothly

• Coordinate day-to-day technology and equipment needs with our external IT provider

• Manage device, account, and access logistics for onboarding and offboarding

• Support good file-management, data-security, and confidentiality practices

Support a great staff experience

• Make sure new team members have their workspace, equipment, systems access, and information ready on day one

• Keep people-operations checklists, procedures, forms, and templates current and easy to find

• Coordinate Employee Handbook updates and track required organization-wide trainings

• Help plan staff celebrations, recognition, retreats, and other moments that make Friends-SF a great place to work

Lead projects that help us grow

• Lead organization-wide projects, tracking milestones and keeping everyone informed

• Build simple dashboards and status reports that give leadership visibility into priorities, risks, and deadlines

• Gather staff feedback and anticipate the systems, space, and capacity we’ll need as we scale

What You Bring

We know great candidates don’t always check every box. If this role excites you and you see yourself in much of what’s below, we encourage you to apply.

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience

• 4 to 6 years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit operations, business operations, office or facilities management, administration, project management, or a related field

• Experience juggling multiple work streams, projects, deadlines, vendors, and stakeholders

• Hands-on experience with facilities, purchasing, contracts, budget tracking, and administrative systems

• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and follow-through skills

• Clear, warm written and verbal communication, and the ability to work well across departments and levels

• Sound judgment and discretion with confidential information

• Comfort moving between big-picture planning and rolling up your sleeves

• The ability to work independently, prioritize competing needs, and know when to escalate

• A demonstrated commitment to racial and economic equity and to creating inclusive, welcoming systems and spaces

Bonus points if you have

• Experience in a nonprofit or youth-serving organization, especially managing a community-based or youth- and family-facing site

• Experience with workplace safety, emergency preparedness, vendor and contract management, or compliance coordination

• Experience supporting organizational growth, office moves, renovations, or new-site launches

• Experience creating SOPs, operations manuals, dashboards, inventories, or compliance calendars

• Strong Microsoft 365 skills (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams) and familiarity with project-management platforms

Other requirements

• Must pass fingerprint and background checks

• Must pass pre-employment drug screening

• Must have safe driving record and valid driver’s license

• Ability to lift items weighing up to 30 lbs. on a regular basis without assistance

• Work requires the following motions: bending, twisting, squatting, and reaching

What We Offer

• A pivotal role in a growing nonprofit, with the chance to shape how our organization runs as we scale

• A friendly and collaborative workplace where work-life balance is respected

• Work that directly supports youth and families in the Bayview-Hunters Point community

Compensation and benefits

Salary range: $70,000 – $80,000, depending on depth of experience, education, and skill set.

• Full medical, dental, and vision coverage

• 401(k) matching plan, basic life insurance, and long-term disability insurance

• Three weeks of paid vacation, two weeks of paid sick leave, six mental health days, and annual winter holiday closure

• Allowances for business mileage reimbursement, cell phone use, and other expenses

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 10AM-6PM, on-site

How to Apply

Please submit a resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, tell us how your skills, interests, and professional and lived experience make you a strong fit for this role. We’d love to hear what draws you to Friends-SF.

Local SF Bay Area candidates only. No relocation assistance is offered.

Friends of the Children – SF Bay Area is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.