Vice President, Operations

About the State Innovation Exchange 

The State Innovation Exchange (SiX) is a 501(c)(3) policy, strategy, and resource center for progressive state legislators. We empower, embolden, and equip state legislators to build and wield progressive governing power by/with/for the people they represent. We do this by providing legislators with the tools needed to shape impactful public policy and building their capacity to lead with their constituents. We foster long-term collaboration between legislators- across chambers, across regions, and across state lines - and with grassroots movements. Our vision is an equitable, resilient, healthy, and prosperous future for every person in the United States, which is secured and safeguarded by progressive state legislators. SiX’s sister organization, SiX Action is a 501(c)(4) that works alongside SiX to build capacity of state legislators by providing policy development, communications tools, and technical assistance. 

About this Position 

The Vice President of Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for ensuring SiX has the internal infrastructure, financial stewardship, people systems, compliance practices, and organizational culture needed to advance its mission. SiX is a well established organization gearing up for its next phase of organizational development. This leader will serve on the Executive Team, report to the Executive Director, partner closely with the management team, and lead the development of a values-aligned, responsive, and sustainable operations function for a remote, multi-state organization. 

This role is ideal for a senior operations generalist who can bring a clear operational vision, sound judgment, and a collaborative and decisive leadership approach to building systems and supporting people. The VP will set direction, build internal capacity, manage external partners, and ensure that finance, HR, compliance, IT, risk management, administration, and internal systems are coordinated, reliable, and aligned with organizational needs. 

Compensation, Benefits, Location, and Travel 

This is a full-time, exempt position. The position is remote and open to candidates living in the continental United States, subject to SiX’s ability to employ staff in that location. This position requires travel approximately 4-6 times per year for staff retreats, board meetings, organizational convenings, and other work-related needs.

The starting salary for this position is $160,000. SiX uses a nonnegotiable starting wage system to support equity and internal parity, while benchmarking compensation to competitive nonprofit-sector markets. SiX offers competitive benefits including generous healthcare coverage options for you and your family, life insurance, a retirement match, a flexible schedule, and a generous leave and holiday schedule. More information about our benefits and compensation philosophy is available here. 

Role Responsibilities 

All staff at SiX have personalized role responsibilities – the outcomes and impacts you are expected to deliver as part of your unique role within the organization. As the Vice President of Operations you report to the executive director and are responsible for delivering on the following expectations in your day-to-day work: 

Executive Leadership and Operational Strategy: 

• Serve as a member of the Executive Team and a strategic partner to the Executive Director, management team, and board as needed. 
• Set the vision and direction for SiX’s operations function, anticipate organizational needs, gather input from staff and managers, and lead through change with clarity, confidence, care and grounded in innovative and evidence based operations and culture building practices. 

Operations Team and Function Building: 

• Build a high-functioning operations function that is responsive, values-aligned, appropriately staffed, and clear about roles and decision rights. 
• The operations team at SiX is currently small and largely supported by outsourced vendors. A key priority this year will be to build out an operations team by hiring, supervising and cultivating the leadership of a Finance Director and HR Director and determining the right balance of internal capacity and outsourced expertise. 

Finance and Accounting: 

• Oversee SiX’s finance function to support stability, compliance, strategic decision-making, and long-term sustainability. 
• Manage and coordinate the accounting firm, finance consultant, and future Finance Director; oversee budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, internal controls, grant tracking, accounts payable and receivable, payroll coordination, audits, 990s, 1099s, and other required financial reporting. 

Human Resources and People Operations: 

• Oversee HR and people operations in partnership with SiX’s PEO, outsourced HR support, legal counsel, and future HR Director. 
• Ensure HR systems, policies, and practices are compliant, equitable, values-aligned, and appropriate for a remote, multi-state organization, including recruitment, onboarding, compensation and benefits, performance management, employee relations, manager support, and shared management practices. 

Organizational Culture and Values in Practice:

• Help steward a healthy, accountable, collaborative, and values-aligned organizational culture. Translate SiX’s values into practical policies, systems, norms, and management practices. ● Support a culture of care, impact, and excellence by identifying behaviors and dynamics that 

strengthen or undermine the organization’s culture, and intervening with clarity, care, and accountability when practices or behaviors are out of alignment. 

Administration, IT, and Internal Infrastructure: 

• Oversee administrative systems, records, contracts, file management, staff tools, and cross-organizational workflows. 
• Manage the outsourced IT firm and ensure technology systems, equipment, email, files, data, cybersecurity practices, and remote-work tools are secure, functional, accessible, and well maintained. 

Compliance, Risk Management, and Legal Coordination: 

• In collaboration with the Executive Director, VP Development and VP Programs, oversee operational compliance for both State Innovation Exchange and SiX Action, including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) compliance, charitable registration, lobbying-related reporting coordination, payroll and employment compliance, financial reporting, contracts, insurance, and internal policies. 
• Manage the relationship with outside legal counsel, coordinate legal review as needed, and proactively identify and resolve operational risks. 

Vendor and Partner Management: 

• Serve as the primary internal manager for SiX’s key operations vendors and partners. Set clear expectations, coordinate workflows, monitor performance, and ensure external partners provide accurate, timely, values-aligned, and cost-effective support. 

Qualifications 

We know strong candidates may not bring every qualification listed below. We are especially interested in candidates who combine senior operational judgment, values-aligned leadership, and the ability to build clear, sustainable systems in a complex organization. Strong candidates will bring many of the following experiences, skills, and qualities: 

• Significant senior leadership experience overseeing operations in a nonprofit organization. ● A strong generalist orientation, with demonstrated ability to lead across finance, HR, administration, IT, compliance, legal coordination, contracts, and internal systems. ● Experience serving as an executive team member or senior leader who partners closely with an Executive Director or CEO on strategy, decision-making, change management, and risk management. 
• Demonstrated ability to build and supervise teams, develop leaders, and create clear systems of accountability and support. 
• Strong financial management experience, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, audits, internal controls, grant budgeting, and financial decision support.
• Experience overseeing HR or people operations, including employee relations, performance management, compensation and benefits, hiring, onboarding, compliance, and manager support. 
• A demonstrated commitment to racial, gender, economic, and social justice and the ability to work effectively across lines of difference. 
• Experience with 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) compliance, including charitable registrations, lobbying-related compliance, audit and tax processes, and multi-state employment considerations. 
• Experience managing outsourced vendors and consultants, such as accounting firms, HR providers, PEOs, IT firms, legal counsel, auditors, insurance brokers, and benefits providers. ● Demonstrated ability to operationalize organizational values through policies, systems, management practices, and day-to-day behaviors, with a focus on how the work gets done as much as what gets done. 
• Decisive, confident, collaborative, and low-ego leadership; strong judgment; discretion; attention to detail; and the ability to make clear decisions while seeking meaningful input. ● Excellent communication and project management skills, including the ability to translate complex operational, financial, HR, or compliance information for different audiences in a remote environment. 

VP-Level Core Competencies 

The responsibilities and qualifications above describe the specific needs of this role. The following competencies are standardized expectations for all VP-level roles at SiX. As the Vice President of Operations, you will be responsible for delivering on the following VP-level core competency expectations in your day-to-day work: 

National Strategy and Oversight: You oversee strategy, impact, and resource deployment for at least one of the organization’s core program or issue areas. 

Staff Management and/or Partner Management: You are responsible for hiring, supporting, and cultivating the leadership of staff in your program or issue area. You are responsible for ensuring successful partnerships with external stakeholders in the implementation and impact of your program or issue area. 

Financial Oversight and Resource Stewardship: You oversee resource prioritization and administration within your department or team, develop department budgets, oversee related income and expenses, and manage your team to provide timely, accurate financial information and comply with all internal financial protocols. For this role, the emphasis is on financial oversight and stewardship rather than direct fundraising. 

Compliance: You ensure that all activities within your program area or department, as well as the staff you manage, comply with relevant nonprofit laws and adhere to internal policies, practices, and protocols. 

External Affairs: You represent the organization to external stakeholders when required.

Organizational Culture and Values: You ensure that you and all members of your team practice and uphold the organization’s values in your day-to-day and long-term work. You steward and exemplify an organizational culture that is productive, collaborative, and equitable. 

Equity and Inclusion: You have a sophisticated understanding of how racial, gender, economic, and social inequity impacts supervisory relationships, organizational culture, partnerships, campaigns, and coalition work, and successfully intervene in problematic dynamics to deepen a justice approach within your team and with your partners. 

Organizational Values 

All staff at SiX are responsible for upholding our organizational values, which were developed collaboratively by all staff. These describe the way we strive to do our work together and the kind of organizational culture we want to build. As the Vice President of Operations, you will be responsible for demonstrating the following behaviors in carrying out your day-to-day work: 

Adaptability and Imagination. We embrace learning from our past, present, and future, remaining open to new perspectives and innovative approaches. Change is necessary, and we actively cultivate the courage to envision and pursue possibilities beyond the status quo. Connection, Relationship, and Collaboration. Authentic relationships and principled partnerships are the foundation for building people-centered power. Trust, respect, and accountability guide how we work together, ensuring that the quality of our work is just as important as the path we take to achieve it. 

Wholeness, Consideration, and Care. We recognize and honor the full humanity of ourselves and those around us. Everyone deserves joy, rest, safety, and respect, and we create flexible, caring work environments that uphold these values. 

Belonging and Difference. We are committed to upholding the inherent value of all people across identities, experiences, and perspectives. We actively work against systems of oppression that harm the communities we are part of and collaborate with. 

Sustainability and Perseverance. We prioritize the long-term sustainability of ourselves, our communities, and our organization by pacing our work, reducing harm, and fostering an environment of shared knowledge and abundance. 

How to Apply 

Interested applicants should submit a compelling cover letter and resume using the application form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Priority will be given to candidates who apply by Friday, June 26. For further assistance, please contact jobs@stateinnovation.org with "Vice President of Operations" in the subject line of the email. 

State Innovation Exchange is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ folks, people with disabilities, and immigrants to apply for open positions. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, age, marital and/or veteran status, or any other characteristic or activity protected by federal, state, or local law.