Description

To apply for this role, send your resume and cover letter to jobs@backofficemi.org.

Role Overview:

The Deputy Director will strengthen BOOM’s internal operations, support and manage a high-functioning staff team, and establish clear systems that allow the organization to run smoothly in a complex, fast-moving movement landscape. This role is essential to creating predictability, alignment, and shared understanding across teams. The Deputy Director partners closely with the Executive Director to ensure staff have the clarity, structures, and support they need to do their best work.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Manage and develop a staff team specialized in Operations, Finance, Human Resources, Compliance, & Data/IT ensuring consistent communication rhythms, shared expectations, and aligned ways of working across the team.
• Manage team workplans in alignment with organizational goals and priorities using clear processes and regular check-ins to track progress and address roadblocks early.
• Maintain and share operational knowledge specific to the Michigan movement landscape, including best practices, risks, and emerging needs.
• Lead operational and organizational change management, strengthening internal systems, decision-making clarity, and communication practices across the organization.
• Build and sustain strategic and operational relationships with BOOM partner organizations and projects.
• Strengthen BOOM’s operational infrastructure by designing and maintaining systems such as communication rhythms, decision-making pathways, job descriptions, SOPs, partner onboarding processes, and performance frameworks.
• Establish knowledge-management practices so critical information no longer relies on one person and staff can work independently.
• Partner with Leadership Team in development and implementation of organizational goals and culture in alignment with strategic plan.

Requirements

Key Qualifications:

As a prerequisite, the successful candidate must believe in the core values of social, economic, and racial justice and be driven by the mission. The candidate should demonstrate a passion for breaking new ground to lead social change. Beyond that, we are seeking a candidate who has proven experience in managing and scaling efficient operational infrastructure, understanding different fiscal entities (including 501c3, 501c4, PAC, LLC), building and sustaining healthy relationships with movement organizations, and a demonstrated ability to both lead and build the capabilities of the staff team. Experience in the Michigan organizing ecosystem is strongly preferred. We are also looking for someone who brings emotional steadiness, grounded communication, and the ability to navigate organizational growth with clarity and care. 

The successful candidate will most likely have had management experience with other organizations. As noted, this is an organization driven by the values of its partners, so experience in managing a “values-driven” organization will be needed. Additional requirements are:

• Results: Proven track record and a bottom-line orientation; evidence of the ability to consistently make good decisions (including managing risks and
  liabilities) through a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; and communicate decisions and their rationale clearly to staff.
• Strategic Vision and Agility: Ability to think strategically, anticipate future consequences and trends, and incorporate them into the organizational plan in
  partnership with other leaders. Ability to translate strategy into clear operational plans, expectations, and workflows for the team.
• Capacity Building: Ability to effectively support organizational change and staff capacity, developing a strong team and the processes that ensure organization strength and unity, with a focus on systems that increase alignment, reduce confusion, and support staff clarity.
• Leadership and Organization: Strong experience managing and developing people; a team builder who provides clear expectations, consistent accountability, and support grounded in understanding individual strengths and needs.
• Action and Solution Oriented: Enjoys working hard and looks for challenges; able to act and react as necessary, even if limited information is available; not
  afraid to take charge of a situation; can take necessary leadership in challenging and difficult situations while maintaining steady, transparent communication with staff.
• Communication: Effective, thoughtful and compassionate written and verbal communication skills; be able to adapt communication to different audiences
  and situations; be able to develop clear and concise written communication and follow through consistently so staff have clarity on decisions and timelines.
• General Management: thorough understanding of finance, systems, and HR; broad experience with the full range of business functions and systems,
  including strategic development and planning, budgeting, business analysis, finance, information systems, and human resources.
• Strong financial stewardship and experience managing budgets within multi-entity nonprofit structures; the ability to balance the delivery of programs
  against the realities of a budget; and problem-solving, project management, and creative resourcefulness.
• Lead change management in ways that model transparency, staff input, and clear communication about why decisions are made.
• Ensure all roles have clear job descriptions, performance expectations, and documented workflows, updated regularly and maintained as shared tools.
• Ability to stay clear, calm, and communicative when things feel complex or fast-moving, helping staff understand what’s happening and what comes next.

Must-Have Qualifications: 

• Strong people management experience, with a track record of developing and supporting staff.
• Proven experience building or strengthening operational systems in growing or evolving organizations.
• Experience with multi-entity nonprofit structures (501c3, 501c4, PAC, LLC).
• Understanding of Michigan’s organizing or movement landscape.
• Ability to communicate clearly, calmly, and consistently.
• Experience creating role clarity, workflows, and documented processes.
• Ability to lead change management with transparency and sound judgment.
• Deep commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Experience supporting teams during periods of growth, transition, or misalignment.
• Familiarity with compliance across multiple fiscal entities.
• Experience working in coalition environments.
• Background in movement operations, campaign administration, or capacity-building.