Interim Director of Operations & Planning | 4-6 months+ | Primarily Remote | Research Nonprofit
Pay: $52–$58/hour
Schedule: 35–40 hours per week, Monday–Friday, Eastern Time
Location: Primarily remote, with occasional onsite meetings in NYC
Start: ASAP
Duration: Approximately 4–6 months, with the possibility of extension
Position Overview
TSS is seeking an experienced, hands-on Interim Director of Operations & Planning for an independent nonprofit organization supporting the global academic and scientific research community.
The organization is navigating a period of significant growth and transition and is looking for an experienced operations leader to help strengthen organizational planning, coordination, and accountability as it prepares for 2027. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with a dynamic CEO and leadership team to build the systems, processes, and organizational structure needed to support the nonprofit's next chapter.
Working directly with the CEO and functional leaders, this individual will help translate strategic priorities into an actionable 2027 organizational plan and establish the tools, processes, and routines needed to implement and monitor that plan.
This is a hands-on leadership assignment, not primarily an advisory or consulting role. The CEO and leadership team will provide strategic direction and make key organizational decisions. The Interim Director will facilitate planning discussions, translate those decisions into practical operational frameworks, and personally develop and implement the systems needed to move the work forward.
The goal is to leave the organization with functioning planning and accountability systems that staff and leadership can continue using well beyond the assignment.
Key Responsibilities
Organizational Planning & Implementation
Partner with the CEO and leadership team to develop and implement a coordinated, actionable 2027 organizational plan.
Facilitate planning discussions across departments, gather input, and translate organizational priorities into clearly defined workstreams and deliverables.
Establish measurable outcomes, milestones, timelines, resource requirements, and accountable owners.
Personally develop planning documents, templates, trackers, and tools to organize and communicate the plan.
Create practical processes for reviewing priorities, evaluating new initiatives, and determining when work should be added, deferred, or reconsidered.
Operational Systems & Accountability
Assess existing planning, project management, and reporting practices to identify opportunities for greater consistency and effectiveness.
Design and implement systems for tracking organizational priorities, deadlines, milestones, and progress across teams.
Develop dashboards, status reports, and other tools that give leadership clear visibility into progress, challenges, and outstanding decisions.
Establish regular leadership planning and review meetings, including agendas, reporting formats, and follow-up processes.
Work directly with department leaders to clarify responsibilities, gather information, and support adoption of new systems.
Partner with the CEO to identify obstacles, reinforce accountability, and improve coordination across the organization.
Operational Assessment & Improvement
Review how organizational functions, projects, and responsibilities are currently coordinated.
Identify gaps, overlapping responsibilities, unclear ownership, and processes that may be limiting effectiveness.
Recommend and implement practical improvements to workflows, communication, reporting, and operational coordination.
Help clarify the ongoing systems, responsibilities, and support needed to sustain the new processes.
Assess longer-term operations staffing needs and provide recommendations to leadership.
Qualifications
Approximately 8–10+ years of relevant organizational operations experience, including substantial senior-level leadership responsibility, ideally at the Director level or above.
Demonstrated success developing and implementing organizational planning, project management, and accountability systems.
Experience working across departments and with senior leadership to translate strategic priorities into actionable operational plans.
Strong, hands-on project management skills, including personally creating plans, trackers, dashboards, reporting tools, templates, and workflows.
Experience facilitating cross-functional planning discussions, establishing accountability, and helping teams adopt new processes.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior leaders and stakeholders across an organization.
Experience navigating organizational growth, change, and evolving priorities.
Proficiency with common productivity, project management, reporting, and collaboration tools. The organization uses Google Workspace, Adobe Acrobat, and Zoom.
Experience in nonprofit, academic, research, or other mission-driven organizations is preferred.
Additional Details
This is a primarily remote position requiring availability during Eastern Time business hours. Occasional onsite meetings in New York City are expected, approximately once per month, including attendance at a December Board meeting.
The assignment is expected to last approximately 4–6 months, with the possibility of extension.
This opportunity is particularly well suited to an experienced operations leader who enjoys both organizational planning and the detailed work of putting systems into practice. Success will be measured by the processes established, the clarity created across teams, and the organization's ability to sustain these improvements after the assignment.
Interested candidates should apply with an updated resume highlighting their experience developing and implementing organizational planning, operational systems, and accountability processes.
At TSS, we specialize in creating meaningful connections between talented professionals and impactful organizations. Our expertise is particularly strong in foundations, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations, with services extending to for-profit businesses throughout the NYC metro region and across the nation. We staff for temporary, temp-to-perm, and direct hire roles, and put a strong emphasis on building relationships and paying attention to the details to help make placements that exceed expectations!
TSS proudly follows all equal opportunity employment policies and employs personnel without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status.
DETAILS AT A GLANCE
JOB TITLE: Director of Operations & Planning
JOB TYPE: 4-6 months+
HOURS: Monday–Friday, 9:00am–5:30pm, approximately 40 hours/week
LOCATION: Primarily remote, with occasional onsite meetings in NYC, including a December Board meeting
JOB ORDER NUMBER: 11579
START DATE: ASAP
Salary: $52-$58/hr
HOW TO APPLY: Click on the apply button and send your resume to TSS. Please make sure to reference the job title and job order number in the subject line. If you are already registered with TSS, just send us an email.
This role is a TEMPORARY position through TSS. You would be employed and paid by our company and working directly with our client.