Operations Associate

The West Virginia Community Development Hub (The Hub) is seeking a full-time Operations Associate, located in Charleston, West Virginia. The ideal candidate will be someone who can work efficiently; collaborate with colleagues and partners statewide; and is passionate about growing their skills to support and advance the mission of The Hub.

We strongly encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds to apply for this position. Our entire Hub team is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace and in communities, and we have support systems in place to welcome new staff members.

Who We Are
The Hub is a statewide nonprofit organization that works annually with dozens of community-based teams and partners located across West Virginia to build local communities and economies. With more than a decade of experience, The Hub has a unique approach to community-based coaching that includes centering residents as subject matter experts on what is best for their area; breaking down historic barriers to collaboration and unifying people from different backgrounds; and championing new, and often historically underrepresented, community leaders.

The team at The Hub never goes it alone. We engage over 200 partner organizations each year in our work, and these trusted relationships are at the foundation of our success. In 2022, The Hub worked in 22 communities across West Virginia and helped those communities leverage $6.8 million in external funding toward resident-driven projects. This year, The Hub is coaching in 31 communities throughout West Virginia and the Appalachian region. The Hub received an historic federal award through the US Economic Development Administration as part of the ACT Now Coalition in 2022, and we have scaled our organizational staff size and operations to successfully launch the project. Additionally, we are partnered with the US Department of Agriculture-West Virginia to convene and facilitate the USDA Southern West Virginia Rural Partners Network.

Learn more about The Hub’s impact at https://wvhub.org/impact/.
This is an exciting moment of growth and visibility for The Hub, and we need a dynamic, detail-oriented, efficient, and passionate individual to support the internal operations and event coordination of the organization. The Hub provides a thorough on-boarding and training experience for all new employees, and we are committed to the leadership development of our entire staff. Learn more at: https://wvhub.org/history-and-approach/.

What You’ll Do
The Operations Associate reports to the Operations & VISTA Program Coordinator. You will be responsible for the following:

• You will work with the staff, external partners, and other stakeholders to plan, facilitate and execute meetings and events across the state to support The Hub’s programs and strategic network initiatives.
• You will organize, arrange and complete travel plans for The Hub’s staff members for trips to The Hub’s events, partner meetings, and conference opportunities.
• You will support the internal operation of the organization through coordinating with all staff for supply and incidental purchase requests in accordance with The Hub’s financial and procurement policies.
• You will work in cooperation with the Operations Coordinator to support the staff with responsive technology assistance and technology training across multiple platforms.
• You will collaborate regularly with the Operations Coordinator and an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader to optimize standard operating procedures for the organization while working within a broader, dynamic administrative team.
• You will increase overall internal organizational efficiency to support your colleagues in their community-based work across the state.

Who You Are & Keys to Success (the must-haves)
To be successful in this job, you will excel in seven areas:
1. Relationship-Building: You develop strong, collaborative working relationships with a diverse group of people. You are comfortable speaking with many different types of people, both on staff and with external partners. You are a trusted confidant to many people.
2. Detail-oriented: You enjoy taking a problem or a big idea and breaking it down into smaller, manageable tasks. You can easily fix errors that may have been overlooked and use details to correct process-breakdown issues. You get satisfaction from marking items off of a to-do list and solving problems.
3. Executing: You have the tenacity to take an idea from a thought to a written plan and make it come to life, including engaging people in substantive, trusted relationships as well as meeting objectives and goals. You pride yourself on your planning skills and your drive to follow through, even when challenges arise. You are self-driven and can initiate without heavy oversight.4. Inclusive Leadership: You approach leadership with a mindset of “power with” rather than “power over” and regularly include others in decision-making. You know you don’t have all of the answers, and you’re willing to actively collaborate with others to find solutions.
5. Setting and Managing Priorities: You have experience managing competing demands of your time, and are able to build your own systems to keep tasks from slipping through the cracks. You are a self-starter and are driven to complete work independently within a supportive team environment.
6. Commitment to Equity: You recognize the role of race, income, age, gender, and other identities in addressing disparities. You recognize how your own identities show up in the work, and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback with an eye toward continuous learning about race, ability, and other lines of difference.
7. Commitment to Learning and Leadership Development: You are interested in the community development field and the transformative work of The Hub. You are also keen to develop your own leadership skills, behaviors, and abilities, and you will pursue opportunities for professional growth.

If you were here right now, you would be:

• Coordinating and following through on event planning details for the upcoming Community and Business Resilience Initiative, the Southern WV Rural Partners Network, and the Community Collaborative Network Steering Committee meetings
• Coordinating travel bookings for staff and program participants, including event registration, lodging, and rental cars
• Reminding staff and coordinating monthly supply requests for the organization
• Standardizing expense report submission for staff reimbursements and verifying receipts for record-keeping
• Collecting timesheets and organizing them monthly for approval and record-keeping
• Assisting staff with technology issues and supporting tech trainings at monthly staff meetings

What Else You Should Know
The salary for this position will be negotiated with the applicant and will be based on qualifications and experience. The expected starting salary will be between $35,000-$40,000.

This position is full-time. The location for this position is Charleston, WV and applicants must be available to work from the Charleston office location during normal business hours, Monday-Friday, with some flexibility to work in a hybrid setting from home.

Significant travel and some flexibility in work hours are expected for this position. Willingness to travel is a must. The Hub offers a flex-time policy to accommodate work completed outside a typical workday. All travel expenses are reimbursable and travel may often be done in coordination with other Hub staff.

We are actively seeking to recruit diverse candidates for this position. We want The Hub to represent the diversity found in West Virginia communities accurately. We are seeking candidates that demonstrate diversity of perspective, experience, and culture. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color as well as any applicants who are historically underrepresented in roles like this.

We strongly encourage applications from people who have a passion for this work, even if their professional experience does not align perfectly with the expectations listed. The Hub has a generous support system that includes a mix of paid professional development opportunities as well as training and support from fellow staff members.

The Hub is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of The Hub to create a favorable work environment in which all employees, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, ability, or religious affiliation, can enjoy equal opportunities in their employment relationship with the organization.

How to Apply
Applications are due on/by midnight on Sunday, April 30, 2023.
Applications should be submitted via email to Katie Loudin at [email protected] with the subject line “Operations Associate” and the following documents attached:

•  Cover letter explaining your interest in this position and your relevant skills, expertise and experience
• Résumé
• A writing sample that demonstrates your ability to make a clear strategic recommendation or a writing sample that demonstrates your writing and critical thinking skills. Writing samples must be no more than 3 pages and current (created within the past year).

If you have a question about qualifications or what is needed for this role, please contact Katie Loudin at [email protected].