Forward Majority

Forward Majority

State legislatures are at the forefront of the fight for democracy. Since 2017, Forward Majority has been at the frontline of the fight to accelerate Democratic power in state legislatures. To date, we’ve mobilized over $150M to advance our mission.

The Role

As the organization prepares for the next presidential cycle, Forward Majority seeks a Director of Operations & People. The Director of Operations & People is a senior organizational leader responsible for the systems, infrastructure, and people practices that enable the organization to operate effectively, responsibly, and at scale. Reporting to the CEO, the Director oversees a broad portfolio spanning business and financial operations, tax and regulatory compliance, audit, grants administration, payroll and benefits, human resources, and organizational administration. The Director serves as a strategic partner to the CEO and leadership team and manages relationships with key external partners, including accountants, auditors, tax professionals, compliance consultants, payroll and benefits providers, and other professional service firms.

This highly trusted role requires strong judgment, discretion, exceptional organizational skills, and the ability to manage complex, interconnected processes. The Director will evaluate and maintain systems that ensure the organization meets its legal and financial obligations, supports its employees effectively, and has the operational infrastructure necessary to achieve its mission.

The ideal candidate is a strategic and highly hands-on operator who is comfortable both setting direction and ensuring that important details are executed. They will bring structure to complex work, anticipate problems before they arise, and create processes that allow the rest of the organization to focus on its core work.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational & Financial Operations

• Lead the development and ongoing management of the organization’s operating and program budgets in partnership with the CEO, leadership team, and relevant department heads, with an expectation of a two-year budget of $50 million for 2027-2028
• Monitor budgets, forecasts, and significant variances and work with teams to address issues and make informed resource-allocation decisions.
• Serve as a senior operational partner to the CEO and leadership team, identifying organizational needs and developing or enhancing systems and processes to address them.
• Oversee the organization’s financial operations and compliance and serve as the primary internal liaison to external accountants and the compliance firm. Ensure they have the information, documentation, and direction needed to perform effectively and hold them accountable.  
• Oversee accounts payable and bill payment processes through Ramp, ensuring expenses and payments are properly documented, approved, and processed on time. Oversee the organization’s expense management and corporate credit card processes, including Expensify and/or successor systems.
• Work with the accounting team on accounting matters to ensure accountants have what they need and systems stay updated and highly functional for the CEO.  
• Establish and maintain effective financial and operational controls, including ensuring staff provide monthly 501(c)(4)/PAC cost allocations
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, strengthen internal controls, and streamline systems and processes.

Tax, Compliance & Audit

• Own the organization’s overall compliance calendar and ensure critical legal, tax, regulatory, and reporting obligations are anticipated and completed on time.
• Oversee organizational registrations, including charitable registrations across applicable states and jurisdictions, including working closely with external registration providers.
• Manage the relationship with the organization’s tax accountant and ensure all required tax filings and forms—including Forms 990 and related filings—are completed accurately and on schedule.
• Oversee the annual audit of the organization’s 501(c)(4), serving as the internal lead and primary coordinator with auditors and accountants.
• Ensure auditors receive the information and documentation they need and that the organization’s accounting partners respond to requests and meet deadlines.
• Manage the organization’s external compliance consultant and ensure required PAC and other compliance reports are completed accurately and on schedule.
• Coordinate with internal staff, accountants, attorneys, auditors, and compliance consultants to ensure compliance requirements are addressed appropriately.
• Maintain strong documentation and organizational records related to tax, compliance, audit, and regulatory matters.
• Proactively identify potential compliance or operational risks and escalate significant issues to the CEO and appropriate advisors.

Grants & Inter-Entity Operations

• Oversee grants and transfers between the organization’s 501(c)(4) and PAC, ensuring appropriate approvals, documentation, accounting treatment, and compliance.
• Manage grants made to external organizations, including coordinating grant payments, maintaining documentation, tracking deliverables, and collecting required reports.
• Partner with program and finance teams to ensure grant commitments and expenditures are appropriately reflected in budgets and financial records.
• Work with the Development team to ensure required grant reporting and documentation are complete and maintained in accordance with organizational requirements.

Human Resources & People Operations

• Serve as the senior leader responsible for the organization’s human resources and people operations. The organization has less than 15 employees. 
• Partner with the CEO and leadership team on organizational structure, staffing, personnel policies, and broader people strategy.
• Own the full hiring process with support from the Chief of Staff, including developing and posting job descriptions, conducting or coordinating initial candidate screens, managing interview processes, facilitating references and offers, and ensuring a strong candidate experience.
• Own employee onboarding and offboarding processes and ensure they are coordinated across HR, payroll, benefits, technology, and organizational systems.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees and managers on workplace policies, processes, and routine employee relations matters, escalating sensitive or complex issues appropriately.
• Oversee the organization’s performance review process, including timelines, manager coordination, documentation, and follow-through.
• Maintain and periodically update the Employee Handbook with support from the Chief of Staff and related personnel policies and procedures.
• Ensure HR practices and documentation are appropriately maintained and coordinated with external HR, legal, and payroll resources as needed.
• Partner with the CEO and leadership team on employee engagement, organizational culture, staff development, and other people-related priorities.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and discretion with sensitive employee and organizational information.

Payroll, Benefits & Employee Programs

• Oversee payroll administration through Justworks, ensuring payroll is processed accurately and on schedule. Manage state-specific payroll withholding and related requirements through Justworks.
• Oversee employee benefits administration and serve as the primary internal coordinator with Justworks and other benefits providers.
• Work with the CEO and external providers to manage organizational insurance programs, including D&O, workers’ compensation, and healthcare coverage.
• Track insurance policies, renewals, payments, documentation, and coverage requirements.
• Oversee the organization’s 401(k) program, including coordinating bi-monthly contributions with the payroll schedule and updating employee contributions as needed.
• Ensure employees receive timely and accurate information regarding payroll, benefits, retirement, and related programs.

Organizational Administration & Infrastructure

In partnership with other operations staff, the Director will oversee and strengthen the organization’s broader administrative infrastructure, including:

• Providing material support for Board meetings. 
• Developing and maintaining internal operational policies and procedures.
• Ensuring organizational systems are documented, accessible, and appropriately maintained.
• Evaluating existing systems and recommending improvements that increase efficiency, accountability, and organizational effectiveness.
• Partnering with other members of the Operations team to establish clear ownership of responsibilities and ensure effective coverage across the organization.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO on organizational operations, people, financial processes, risk, and infrastructure.
• Work closely with department leaders to understand operational needs and translate them into effective systems and processes.
• Build strong relationships across the organization and create clarity around roles, responsibilities, deadlines, and decision-making.
• Manage and hold external vendors and professional service providers accountable for high-quality, timely work.
• Anticipate operational challenges and develop solutions before they become organizational problems.
• Balance strategic priorities with the day-to-day execution required to keep the organization running smoothly.
• Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in operations, nonprofit administration, finance, HR/people operations, compliance, or a related field, with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Experience in a senior operations, administration, finance, HR, or organizational leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex operational functions and multiple external professional service providers.
• Experience overseeing accounting, tax, audit, compliance, payroll, benefits, or other regulated organizational functions.
• Experience with nonprofit organizations strongly preferred; familiarity with 501(c)(4) organizations, PACs, charitable registrations, and political/nonprofit compliance is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of organizational budgeting, financial processes, and internal controls.
• Experience managing HR and employee lifecycle processes, including recruiting, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, and offboarding.
• Exceptional project and time-management skills, with the ability to manage numerous concurrent priorities and critical deadlines.
• Excellent judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential, sensitive, and high-stakes matters with discretion.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with executives, employees, outside counsel, accountants, auditors, consultants, and other professional partners.
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining willing and able to personally engage in detailed execution when necessary.
• High degree of initiative, resourcefulness, and follow-through.
• Strong proficiency with organizational and financial technology systems; experience with platforms such as Justworks, Ramp, Expensify, Sage, JazzHR, or comparable systems is a plus.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means the organization has a strong, reliable operational foundation that lets leaders and staff focus on advancing the mission.

The Director will create confidence that:

• Financial and compliance obligations are being handled accurately and on time.
• External accountants, auditors, tax professionals, and consultants are well managed and accountable.
• Budgets and financial processes provide leadership with the information needed to make sound decisions.
• Employees have a well-run, responsive, and professional HR experience.
• Payroll, benefits, retirement, insurance, and other employee programs operate smoothly.
• Hiring, onboarding, performance management, and offboarding are organized and consistent.
• Grants and inter-entity transactions are appropriately managed and documented.
• Organizational policies, systems, and processes are clear and effective.
• Operational risks are identified and addressed proactively.
• The organization can grow without its administrative infrastructure becoming a constraint.

Ultimately, the Director of Operations & People will be a trusted senior leader and operational partner to the CEO, responsible for ensuring the organization has the people, systems, processes, and infrastructure needed to execute its work effectively.

Preference is for someone in the Washington, DC area. Salary range for this position is $150,000 to $170,000 and commensurate with experience and skill.

To Apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter through the JazzHR portal for the “Director of Operations and People” role. We appreciate your interest and will contact candidates whose qualifications meet the needs of this position. 

Forward Majority offers a full benefits package that includes healthcare (100% premium coverage for employees), a 401k plan with an employer match, a flexible work environment, unlimited PTO policy, and much more. 

Forward Majority is a political organization and an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, those with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ community are strongly urged to apply. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition.

Conducting in-person activities for this role is required. Please contact [email protected] for accommodations and exemptions.