About Spark Climate Solutions
We are a science-driven, philanthropically funded non-profit that accelerates progress on unsolved climate challenges. Our goal is to enable a safer climate by filling targeted gaps in current climate actions. We look around the corner at the key blind spots that pose big climate risks or offer big climate opportunities—like major sources of unabated emissions. Then we work to speed up the development of the fields needed to address those challenges.
Rather than betting on individual pathways or innovations, we work to grow a field as a whole so that the most effective science and solutions can be surfaced and scaled. We use a large suite of field-building tools to support new research, markets, policies, and talent development, through both in-house initiatives and building broader coalitions. We are currently focused on super pollutants from agriculture, warming-induced greenhouse gas emissions, and methane removal.
About the Role
The Operations Director will lead Spark’s organizational infrastructure to strengthen and scale, as needed, the core functions that keep Spark running effectively. This role will oversee Operational Strategy, Finance, People and Culture, and day-to-day Operational systems, setting the vision and strategic direction for each while ensuring smooth and efficient delivery of overall operations. We're looking for a candidate who is motivated by building fit-for-purpose systems that enable our teams to maximize their focus on delivering climate impact.
The Operations Director will serve as a key thought partner to the leadership team, advising on strategy and execution for various operational functions, and will also partner with the development, program, and other domain management as needed to support their work. This newly created dedicated role will report to the Executive Director and will lead, mentor, and scale the current operations team (currently 1.5 FTEs). This is a unique opportunity to help shape an organization at the forefront of climate innovation.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Strategy and Leadership
- Partner with the Leadership Team to define Spark’s operational strategy and priorities, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and growth plans.
- Lead the operational side of organizational planning processes, including budget forecasting, workforce planning, and determining other major operational initiatives.
- Support organization-wide proactive planning and sustainable systems.
- Represent Operations at leadership and cross-functional planning meetings, ensuring operational perspectives inform organizational decisions.
- Develop operational governance structures to create accountability, transparency, and proactively identify and mitigate organizational risks through compliance monitoring and internal controls.
- Provide strategic-level guidance to leadership on operational best practices, change management, and support any related initiatives.
- Partner with the ED and Chief of Staff to establish clear decision rights and autonomous authority over operational domains.
- Prepare financial reports for leadership and board meetings.
Finance
- Own and strengthen our internal financial systems and processes, including forecasting, monitoring financial performance against projections and cash flow, and overseeing incoming and subaward grants from application to closeout.
- In conjunction with program leads, create budget dashboards that provide transparent budget status while retaining program leads’ focus on mission success.
- Partnering with the development team, maintain revenue projections, grant budgeting, and financial reporting to funders and leadership.
- Ensure compliance with annual audits, taxes, and other reporting requirements by owning the necessary processes and documentation for nonprofit financial accountability.
- Evaluate and manage third-party bookkeeping and CPA functions and relationships.
People and Culture
- Partner with the leadership team to direct and oversee Spark’s people strategy, including recruiting and hiring, benefits, performance management, and employee experience.
- Establish and maintain a formal talent planning framework to enable long-term vision and inform hiring decisions.
- Steward the performance review cycle and professional development processes, providing leadership and managers coaching, and calibration support to ensure consistent application and clarity across the organization.
- Audit and maintain Spark’s internal handbook and other resources to ensure equitable, transparent, and compliant HR policies.
- Systematically cultivate an environment that promotes connection, equity, and belonging in remote work, while guiding leadership in fostering a culture where staff feel supported and equipped to succeed.
Operations Administration and Systems
- Lead the scaling and documentation of Spark’s operational infrastructure and processes, ensuring systems are right-sized for the organization and standard operating procedures are created with efficiency and cohesion in mind.
- Ensure the full day-to-day operations of the organization are being managed effectively, including event and executive calendar support, and mechanisms for team feedback are in place.
- Work with the Director of Program Management and Strategic Initiatives as needed to support cross-functional or org-wide projects.
- Mentor and manage the operations staff (currently 1.5 FTEs); provide recommendations on and manage the ongoing structure and staffing of the operations team in support of organizational needs.
Qualifications
- 8+ years of experience in nonprofit operations or administration, including at least 3 years in a leadership or people management role.
- Proven ability to lead multi-functional operations teams and scale systems in early-stage or fast-growing organizations.
- Track record of successfully building proactive and sustainable organizational cultures.
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to navigate across all organizational levels, with demonstrated ability to influence upwards.
- Demonstrated experience building financial and grants management systems.
- Strong understanding of nonprofit financial management, including outgoing grant management, funder reporting, and grant applications.
- Demonstrated experience managing core HR processes (recruitment, hiring, onboarding, benefits, compliance).
- Strategic thinker with exceptional execution skills, able to set a vision and ensure the delivery of high-caliber work by a diverse team.
- Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, balancing structure with flexibility.
- Empathetic teammate with a consistent track record of working collaboratively, effectively, and efficiently in ways that prioritize and center empathy and equity.
Compensation
- Estimated salary range: $145,000 - $175,000
- Location: Spark is a remote organization; must accommodate a workday that overlaps with Pacific Time for 4+ hours/day.
- Travel: 2-4 times per year for annual all-team meetings or other trainings/team gatherings
- Benefits: Competitive benefits package including 90% health coverage and 75% coverage for dependents, 401k matching, generous PTO, sick time, and an end-of-year closure, parental leave, annual national park pass, and more
