Job Title:                      Operations Director

FSLA Status:                 Salary Exempt – $60,000 to $70,000 dependent on experience

Reports To:                   Executive Director

Supervisory Role:          Education, Stewardship, and Conservation Programs Employees

 

JOB GOAL: The Operations Director will oversee the day-to-day operations of educational and conservation programs. They will have both internal and external facing responsibilities including: providing client services (business, school, and partner development); framing of key approaches through project, program, and grant management; assuring high quality educational services are delivered; providing and editing written products (curriculum, staff communications to partners, brochures and outreach materials, and grant reports and applications); on-going administration (grants administration; financial and program reporting and tracking; information technology and equipment management; and facilities and resource allocation); and managing human capital (HR/recruiting; mentoring; educational staff evaluations; career progression). The Operations Director will ensure that staff members are held to a standard that is measurable and has internal accountability processes per job descriptions, the employee handbook, and the program training manuals.  The Operations Director will partner closely with the Executive Director to chart Artist Boat’s future growth through the strategic plan to assure the organization maintains annual delivery of five to seven Eco-Art Programs to over 17,000 K-Grey learners.

 

JOB PURPOSE:  The Operations Director is a senior level position reporting directly to the Executive Director and will be responsible for enhancing the internal organization and infrastructure necessary for Artist Boat’s continued success and growth.  The Operations Director will also assure the Executive Director is relieved of day-to-day management/supervision of program managers/coordinators and their crew members so that she can focus on external matters and achieving the vision to conserve 1,400 acres and building a Gulf Coast Environmental Education Center. The Executive Director will focus on fundraising, public relations, and strategic partnerships. The Operations Director will focus on maintaining and codifying programs while determining and implementing the standards the Executive Director has used to grow Artist Boat, Artist Boat Programs, and the Coastal Heritage Preserve. The Operations Director is a new position and pivotal to the implementation of the five-year strategic plan authorized by the board of directors in January of 2020. This position is intended to grow capacity and develop into a Deputy Director position as other employees move from coordinators to managers.

 

JOB DUTIES:

 

Program Visioning, Planning, and Development

  • Identify monthly, quarterly, and annual program goals and strategies to achieve goals and keep the managers and staff focused on those priorities first and foremost.

  • Maintain an evaluation cycle of program delivery by staff, annual reviews, grant progress and deliverables, and partner satisfaction to adaptively manage and improve programs and services.

  • Supervise and evaluate the design, implementation, delivery, and results of Habitat Restoration and Stewardship and Educational programming.

  • Determine allocation of resources for program effectiveness and efficiency.

  • Assure that collection and record keeping of statistical data on demographics of the programs are being performed.

  • Ability to understand and prioritize the long-term magnitude of institutionalizing Artist Boat’s internal structure and standards for the organization and how this relates to the environmental literacy needs of the Gulf and Galveston Region and improved environmental quality.


 

Budgeting, Fundraising, and Grant Management

  • Maintain grant cycle and apply for grants with state, federal, and local agencies or foundations for programmatic funding.

  • Develop and track clear plans, budgets, timelines, and task lists with the program managers that align with grant and contract deliverables.

  • Ensure deliverables and grant goals are met on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.


Develop and actively manage program budgets. Assure monitoring, evaluation, and reporting are conducted as required for grants, state and federal agencies, OSHA, and USACE mitigation properties or programs of Artist Boat.

 

Supervisory

  • Directly supervise teams of Program Managers/Coordinators (2+) and Educators (4-6) to deliver outstanding programs to clients, meet deliverables and goals of grants, and establish accountability measures for the teams.

  • Manage internal staff development to ensure staff grow professionally.

  • Oversee volunteers and improve mechanisms for volunteers to participate in leadership roles.

  • Supervise daily tasks and time management goals of education and conservation staff.

  • Assist the Executive Director by providing day-to-day operational supervision for programmatic functions of the organization while assuring the Executive Director is able to be informed and knowing when decisions require the Executive Director’s input (examples might include financial commitments beyond the scope of a grant, how a partnership with another organization works, or when employees seek permission for items beyond the boundaries for operations / privileges of the employee handbook).


 

Other

  • Willing to drive own vehicle to destinations throughout the Galveston Bay region if needed.

  • Comfortable driving a standard transmission vehicle and towing trailers and training others to do so.

  • Comfortable in the field alone leading groups of 10 -15 participants.

  • Can utilize personal cell phone to communicate with co-workers and partners in the field.

  • Assist with land acquisition tasks as needed and as opportunities occur.


  • Able to live in the Galveston Island Community.

  • Ability to work long hours and weekends when needed.


 

Communication

  • Ability to build and maintain constructive and effective relationships internally with staff, board members, volunteers, and externally with individuals, organizations, educational institutions, corporations, local businesses, consultants, legislators, property owners associations, parks departments, grantors, private foundations, and local/state/federal agencies while accurately representing the philosophy of Artist Boat.

  • Assure the website and other marketing tools are utilized effectively to recruit volunteers and program participants, inform the public, and create a high profile for the organization and programs.

  • Commit to clear communication with the Executive Director and commit to taking care of any tasks that leverage the Executive Director’s ability to garner resources, donors, and partnerships for Artist Boat.

  • Consummate professional honoring confidentiality with the Executive Director at all times.

  • Assure timely, accurate, and direct communications with grant officers and stakeholders.

  • Assure and supply current and quality content for the creation of newsletters, press releases, and social media as it relates to programs.

  • Represent Artist Boat in industry conferences, professional associations, and other public venues personally or via program managers.


 

PERSONALITY

  • Intrinsically motivated and goal oriented

  • Ability to act independently

  • Demonstrate professional communication

  • Natural forward planner

  • Good organization skills

  • Mature, credible, and comfortable dealing with people at all levels

  • Reliable, tolerant, able to get along with others, and a team player

  • Driven to develop professionally and seek out opportunities for professional development

  • Ability to work, thrive, and supervise in a high-visibility and fast paced, sometimes stressful, environment

  • Ability to recommend good decisions based on analysis, wisdom, experience, and sound judgment

  • Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy in organizational settings

  • Ability to learn and acquire knowledge and skills related to Artist Boat programmatic functions, Artist Boat policies and procedures with regards to administration and financial operations, and Artist Boat conservation-guiding documents for habitat management and education and public access


 

 

IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS

  • Advanced Degree in Business, Management, Arts, Marine Biology, or Marine or Environmental Resource Management

  • Five to ten years in a senior management position in a non-profit organization working in the environmental sector of the Galveston Bay region or Gulf of Mexico

  • Track record of delivering superior results, establishing program and partnerships, commanding respect among staff members, and assuming leadership roles in a non-profit organization

  • Record of successful multi-tasking, ability to take initiative and make tough decisions, and able to put the needs of the organization as the top priority

  • Proven ability to work with efficiency, flexibility, and good humor; willingness to do “whatever it takes” and foster that sense among team members

  • Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide array of people – junior and senior, in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, and from diverse backgrounds

  • Operate with excellence in mind and with the confidence to defend/debate ideas without ego-interfering

  • Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills

  • Passionate about Artist Boats’ mission, impact, and potential

  • Record of perseverance in the face of challenges, delivers against timelines, not intimated by tasks/time limitations

  • Exceptional program management and planning abilities

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills


 

 

Artist Boat is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Please submit application package via SNAIL MAIL to Karla Klay at 13330 Settegast Road, Galveston, TX 77554. The package should include cover letter, resume, college transcripts if degreed, and three contacts or letters for professional references/recommendations. The deadline is June 20, 2021 anticipated start date is July 15 to August 1, 2021.  Will interview qualified candidates as soon as full package is received. No phone calls or emails, please as the Executive Director is exceptionally busy and cannot respond to these inquiries. Applications will be reviewed in full and interviewed based on meeting the qualifications described above and submission of  complete applications.