Business Operations Associate

About This Role

Description

Join a mission\-driven team supporting and empowering future college graduates!

Who We Are

At Steppingstone, our mission is to prepare students from under\-resourced communities to access, navigate, and graduate from college.

• Through the Scholars Program in Boston, we provide academic, social\-emotional, and college readiness programming from as early as fifth grade and continuing through college graduation.
• Through the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA), we connect the people, practices, and innovations essential for eliminating barriers to college and career success.

Who You Are

The Business Operations Associate role is a strong fit for a detail\-oriented, service\-minded professional who thrives in dynamic environments and takes pride in keeping an organization running smoothly behind the scenes. In this role, you will independently drive day\-to\-day operations across frontline support, office management, internal communications, IT coordination, and finance\-related processes—ensuring staff have the tools, information, and environment they need to do their best work. The ideal candidate is highly organized, proactive, and collaborative, with strong customer\-facing skills and a commitment to supporting the team in service of Steppingstone’s mission.

Start Date: Immediate

Salary: $60,000

Responsibilities

Below are the core responsibilities of the Business Operations Associate at Steppingstone. This list is not meant to be exhaustive; the Business Operations Associate may perform other duties as assigned or required.

Frontline Support

• Serve as the initial point of contact for callers and visitors (including Scholars, families, donors, vendors, \& others), addressing inquiries and providing assistance as needed; provides effective customer service to callers, visitors, and staff;
• Serves as a source of general knowledge regarding Steppingstone events, meetings, program calendar, policies, etc.;
• Maintains an accurate log of visitor information.

Office Management

• Oversee daily office operations, including supply inventory, equipment maintenance, and facility management;
• Implement and maintain office policies and procedures to enhance efficiency and ensure compliance with local health, safety and building codes;
• Ensure all office equipment is functioning properly (e.g., printers, copy machines, conference room equipment) by performing proactive, regular audits; act as main contact for both staff and vendors for all office equipment; coordinate regular maintenance and repairs of equipment; this includes but is not limited to: copiers, postage machine, and drinking water;
• Manage inventory of office supplies; Monitor and order office supplies while managing cost;
• Create and execute a system for receiving mail/package/deliveries and routing it to the intended recipient;
• Act as liaison with building management and serve as the main contact for building and facility\-related issues, coordinating maintenance and repairs as needed;
• Ensure office space is sanitary and safe for all staff and visitors; serve as the main contact for janitorial service providers; participate in regular sanitizing of frequently used office common areas;
• Support the implementation of new technology and tools to enhance office efficiency;
• Maintain accurate records of space usage, maintenance requests, and repairs;
• Foster a positive work environment through office aesthetics and amenities;
• Gather feedback from employees regarding office space and work conditions;
• Implement initiatives or improvements to the space that enhance employee morale and engagement;
• Implement and maintain office policies and procedures to enhance efficiency and ensure compliance with local health, safety and building codes.

Internal Communications and Knowledge Management

• Draft, compile, and send various components of the communication strategy as needed; this includes staff communication related to office\-wide procedures and events;
• Ensure all staff calendars, including holidays and kitchen duties, are kept up to date and are effectively communicated with staff;
• Foster an environment where employees know what information is available to them, understand how to find it, and are encouraged and incentivized to utilize the knowledge\-sharing tools that are in place; develop communication and training programs to raise awareness of knowledge management initiatives and encourage participation.
• Create and maintain Operations\-focused knowledge management resources (e.g. operations content on SteppingZone).
• Support the effective implementation of the knowledge management operating plan; this includes working within and across teams to ensure content owners are producing/updating content according to the knowledge management plan.

IT Support

• Coordinate with Netlogix as needed to facilitate effective IT support;
• Maintain an accurate inventory of tech equipment for all equipment stored on site; ensure on\-site tech equipment is in working order by performing periodic audits;
• Manage and troubleshoot office technology (e.g. conference room technology, internet routers, etc), escalating to technology vendor as needed;
• Develop and maintain accurate documentation and support materials to help employees utilize org\-wide/office technology effectively;
• Provide additional tech support as needed, potentially including: managing the system for loaning tech equipment to staff (when assigned laptop needs repairs, etc); assisting in maintaining software licenses;
• Coordinate with the People Operations Manager and Netlogix (Steppingstone’s 3rd party IT vendor) to set up systems access and technology for new hires, orient new hires to the office, and provide information about basic office procedures and expectations;
• Collect technology and other Steppingstone assets from staff members who are leaving the organization;

Finance Operations

• Ensure timely and accurate entry of accounts payable transactions into Quickbooks, via Bill.com;
• Make deposits; create and share check copies/documentation as appropriate;
• Work collaboratively with the Finance Manager on all finance\-related responsibilities.

General Operations Support

• Support visits and meetings by meeting with team members to understand needs, and support with general meeting/visit coordination, room set up, clean up, and tech;
• Maintain organized paper and electronic files;
• Create and maintain accurate, detailed, internal process documentation for this role;
• Run local errands as needed to execute the responsibilities of this position, e.g. going to the post office.

To Apply: Please read the Requirements in the sections below prior to submitting an application. Please submit your resume and thoughtful cover letter.

Employee Benefits

• Generous paid time off
• 15 days PTO
• 5 wellness days
• 12\.5 holidays
• 2 weeks paid office closure
• Health, Dental and Vision coverage
• Life, Short\-Term and Long\-Term disability insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Tuition \& Professional Development reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Accounts \- Health and Dependent Care
• Pre\-tax Transportation Plan (Transit \& Parking)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Membership to the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)

Steppingstone Core Values

• Mission First* \- Keep Scholars front and center in all we do.

• Lead with Inclusion* \- Elevate every voice, consider every perspective.

• Stronger Together* \- Team up and trust each other.

• Own It* \- Act with integrity, stay accountable, and be transparent.

• Learn. Grow. Innovate.* \- Embrace change, drive creativity, and never stop learning.

Compensation philosophy

At Steppingstone, we believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization. As a result, to ensure organizational parity, Steppingstone does not negotiate salary offers; instead each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking. If you have questions, we welcome you to raise them during the hiring process.

• A candidate will be found unsuitable for employment with Steppingstone and automatically disqualified if they use threatening language or behavior either written, verbal, or physical during any phase of the interview process.*

• The Steppingstone Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any individual, employee, or application for employment on the basis of race, color, marital status, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or handicap, as defined by law.*

Requirements

Hybrid Schedule

The Business Operations Associate will work a full\-time Monday\-Friday schedule. This position is a hybrid role with at least three days per week in office with some flexibility around work hours. A $500 home office set\-up stipend will be provided upon hire, followed by quarterly stipends of $50\. Laptops are provided to each employee to enhance the hybrid experience.

Education, Experience and Skills

• Required*

• Demonstrated commitment to educational access and success
• 2\+ years of experience in an operations, administrative, or support role
• Experience across the various functional areas named as essential functions of the role above;
• Demonstrated success in:
• Customer service or frontline support
• Engaging with staff and external stakeholders
• Strong technical skills and general comfort with technology;
• Proficient in Google Workspace
• Basic Excel skills for entering and organizing data (e.g. for technology asset management);
• Experience with related technologies, such as finance/accounting systems.

• Preferred*

• Prior work experience in a nonprofit or educational organization
• 5\+ years of experience in an operations, administrative, or support role
• Associates or Bachelor's Degree in a related field such as:
• Business Administration
• Finance
• Operations Management
• Coursework or certifications in Project Management or Business Operations
• Experience with Quickbooks and Bill.com
• Intermediate Excel skills for analyzing data;
• Experience with Asana

Competencies Required for Success in the Role

• Open to contributions from a diverse group of stakeholders and resolves conflicts constructively and respectfully;
• Communicates in a timely manner and adapts communication style to fit the audience and situation
• Takes accountability for work and actions. Owns mistakes and deals with issues when necessary. Adapts to changing circumstances and new information with flexibility and resilience
• Completes tasks efficiently. Consistently meets deadlines and accomplishes tasks on time
• Analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of options, evaluates potential solutions, and proposes recommendations.

Physical demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to work at a desk, communicate information, move about the office, operate office equipment and utilize a computer for extended periods of time.
• Additionally, the employee is frequently required to move boxes across the office for various needs (e.g. moving office supplies to storage) and to move office furniture (e.g. for meeting set up and/or clean up).
• Pursuant to the ADA, Steppingstone will provide reasonable services and accommodation(s) to employees with qualified disabilities in order to perform the essential functions of their employment, except when doing so would be unduly disruptive and/or result in undue hardship to the organization.

Travel required: Travel to summer programming locations in the greater Boston area for tech set up and packing. Occasional additional travel to Boston\-area program sites and events throughout the year.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.