Operations Associate, Science Program

The Opportunity

The foundation’s Operations Associates provide operational and administrative support for program staff and are accountable for enabling effective operations throughout the full cycle of grant development and grant management and in other key internal processes, which include management of operating and grantmaking budgets, monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, and other needs.

This associate will provide support to the Science Program, with primary focus on the foundation’s Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems (EPiQS) Initiative. EPiQS aims to promote discovery-driven research in the field of quantum materials—solid materials characterized by novel quantum phases of matter and exotic cooperative behavior of electrons.

This position is based at our main office in Palo Alto, CA, and reports to the EPiQS Program Director, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Science Program Manager on operational and financial management. The Operations Associate also works closely with others in the Science Program and across the foundation.

Under the foundation’s residency policy and hybrid work arrangements, you must reside within a reasonable driving distance of the foundation’s Palo Alto office, and you will be expected to work onsite a minimum of four days a month, the weeks of our May and November board meetings, and on periodic occasions throughout the year when foundation business needs require.

In This Role You Will: 

Initiative Team Operations

• Track operating budget and grantmaking allocations of the EPiQS initiative, ensuring informed financial decisions of the Program Director and regular coordination with the Program Officer and Program Manager.
• Develop and implement templates, timelines, analyses, and processes to support and enhance initiative operations, particularly grant submissions, internal deadlines, team deliverables, initiative spending, and management of active grants. Use good judgment, with understanding of context, to identify priorities and strengthen team operations.
• Manage internal team processes ensuring that tasks and responsibilities are clear, and deadlines are met.
• Exercise judgment within defined internal grant procedures and practices to determine appropriate courses of action. Serve as key internal contact for EPiQS, solving problems and consulting with Grants Administration and Program Manager as needed.
• Facilitate team coordination, work plans, internal functional relationships, knowledge management, and tracking and accountability of action items.
• Collaborate with the Program Director and Program Officers in the formulation and implementation of team processes and, with the Program Manager and other Associates, in the development and implementation of program-wide processes (e.g., grant submission flow, grant sign-off, grant document templates). 
• Track and manage priorities within multiple work-streams to support the Program Director’s decision-making, the Program Manager’s oversight of program operations, and the Program Officers’ grant development processes – including data collection and entry, deadline tracking, and grant-requirement follow-up.
• Coordinate team activities, organize team meetings and calendars, maintain meeting agendas, create and distribute meeting notes and synthesis documents, maintain action items for the team and carry out other administrative duties as requested.
• Help organize and schedule conferences, workshops and meetings with members of the grantee community, including managing event expenses and participant reimbursements.
• Occasionally manage contracts with external vendors, including hotels, restaurants, and event management companies. Partner with external parties to oversee travel policy compliance, conduct participant reimbursement, and manage event expenses as needed.

Grants Operations

• Coordinate operational grantmaking processes, including preparation of grant materials, and planning efforts of the EPiQS Initiative.
• Support EPiQS Program Director and Program Officer with review of proposal budgets, management of active grant records, monitoring of grant reports and payments, and communication with grantees and other stakeholders, ensuring high-quality and effective day-to-day running of the EPiQS initiative and other grant portfolios.
• Employ project and grant management tools to manage information on the grant pipeline, including grant requirements, preparing and sending reporting templates for grantees, and tracking payments.
• Manage expenditure-responsibility and equivalency-determination requirements, working with grantees, foundation legal staff, and Grants Administration.
• Help prepare and run calls for proposals, manage proposal web portal, and help organize proposal reviews.
• Develop, solicit, and coordinate updates of website content in partnership with Program Director and internal communication team members.
• Communicate effectively to internal and external audiences regarding our funding activities and apply knowledge about EPiQS, other grant portfolios, and the Science Program when addressing inquiries from the community.
• Contribute to, and participate in, the foundation’s cross-program activities and projects as needed.  

What You Bring to the Foundation:

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree.
• 3+ years of relevant work experience preferred with proven experience in administration, program coordination, and/or project management.
• Experience with meeting and/or event planning and management strongly preferred.
• General interest in and appreciation of science (such as evolution, ecology, microbiology, aquatic science, earth sciences, physics, chemistry, etc.) demonstrated through school, work, extracurricular activities, and/or volunteer programs.
• Familiarity with academic administration, funding, and department and laboratory structures is also beneficial.

Competencies

• Strong organizational skills and diligent attention to detail.
• Excellent project management and analytical skills.
• Experience developing, managing, and reviewing budgets.
• Strong team orientation, positive attitude, integrity, self-motivation, discipline and reliability.
• Ability to work independently, self-manage priorities and goals for projects, anticipate needs, and meet deadlines, while working well under pressure.
• Ability to track action items and accountabilities with a team that primarily works remotely.
• Ability to think critically and provide practical solutions based on thorough analysis in the face of real-time issues.
• Ability to exercise judgment within defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate courses of action.
• Willingness to ask for help and identify appropriate resources to accomplish tasks.
• Strong written, spoken, graphic, and interpersonal communication skills (e.g., copy editing, drafting memoranda and reports, preparing PowerPoint presentations, taking and distributing meeting notes, and exchanging correspondence with external contacts).
• Proficiency with office productivity software (e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Willingness to support and promote the foundation and colleagues through commitment to the foundation’s goals for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.           

Attributes

The ideal candidate will also demonstrate the following attributes that describe how we at the Foundation strive to do our work with each other and our partners.

• Committed to Excellence
• Passionate
• Collegial
• Open and Honest
• Humble and Self-Aware