PPS seeks an Operations Manager to manage day-to-day operations and systems and support member, donor and grant administration. The successful candidate will be highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong communications and writing skills and a passion for urban life and culture. The candidate should have superb relational skills that make them an asset to PPS’s community relationship building activities. The position will be part of a highly integrated office of five full-time staff and will report to PPS’s Executive Director. PPS has a part-time accountant who provides bookkeeping, fund transfers, forecasting, budgeting, daily summary sheets, and ensures all financial paperwork is retained and archived.

Title: Operations Manager
Salary: $60,000 – $70,000
Status: Full-time exempt
Applications accepted on a rolling basis, with review beginning December 12, 2024. 

Founded in 1956, Providence Preservation Society (PPS) is one of the country’s first preservation organizations. It is a unique civic, design and community resource with a distinguished history of scholarship, grassroots advocacy, and visionary educational and training initiatives that has spearheaded the successful preservation of significant buildings, cultural landscapes and neighborhoods across the city. PPS understands that the work of preservation is not defined by the fight to protect singular examples of architecture, as though the city were a museum, but must engage with planning and policy, place-based research, creative practice, climate justice and community engagement with the goal of shaping a livable, equitable city for all. Our 2021-2026 Strategic Plan outlines the organization’s progressive approach that prioritizes social and racial justice, and new programs and initiatives that address systemic inequities.

PPS seeks an Operations Manager to manage day-to-day operations and systems and support member, donor and grant administration. The successful candidate will be highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong communications and writing skills and a passion for urban life and culture. The candidate should have superb relational skills that make them an asset to PPS’s community relationship building activities. The position will be part of a highly integrated office of five full-time staff and will report to PPS’s Executive Director. PPS has a part-time accountant who provides bookkeeping, fund transfers, forecasting, budgeting, daily summary sheets, and ensures all financial paperwork is retained and archived.

PPS is one of Providence’s legacy institutions and as one of the first preservation organizations in the country, has always played a significant role in shaping and defining preservation and heritage practice nationally. This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic, creative and innovative cultural organization whose work integrates historical and architectural research, advocacy, education, and community development.

Administrative Responsibilities (40%)

• Manage info@ email account and triage requests.
• Oversee scheduling, training and stewardship of volunteers in collaboration with program and event staff.
• Support staff and intern onboarding processes and staff/board events.
• Provide administrative support for PPS’s building markers program, communicating with applicants and processing payments.
• Maintain and update PPS’s contractor referral list.
• Manage the rental or use of PPS’s second-floor meeting space.
• Manage service contracts that PPS maintains with professional organizations or contractors and resolve issues as needed.
• Provide support to the Board of Trustees and PPS committees, scheduling meetings and maintaining and sharing files.
• Provide support for events, including managing registration and sales, updating the database, and assisting with logistics or other day-of elements as needed.
• Organize and maintain all historical records, paper and electronic files.
• Collaborate with staff to update website content as needed
• Manage software and hardware, including GoToConnect phone system, media and software subscriptions, copier and computers, referring problems as needed to the on-call IT Manager.
• Manage office supplies and process mail.
• Assist with general office administration tasks, as required.

Membership and Donor Management Responsibilities (50%)

• Plan and execute annual membership drive, generating and overseeing the mailing of renewal letters, tracking incoming pledges and payments, and updating the membership database.
• Maintain updated language about member and donor benefits on PPS’s website and in email communications, welcome materials, and other public-facing materials.
• Maintain and manage updated rosters for institutional members, corporate sponsors and PPS’s legacy giving circle.
• Assist in developing and executing member, donor and sponsor cultivation strategies, maintaining the pipeline, ensuring accurate information on members, donors and prospects and conducting prospective member, donor or sponsor follow-up.
• Collaborate with staff to plan and execute the Annual Fund drive, providing data, tracking progress, generating and overseeing the mailing of donor letters and updating the donor database.
• Process and record incoming donations, overseeing gift entry, acknowledgement letters and receipts for both hard copy and digital transactions.
• Communicate with members and donors to answer questions or address issues and produce tax receipt documentation.
• Generate informational reports or research as needed on donor history and fundraising status toward annual goals.

Grant Management Responsibilities (10%)

• Collaborate with staff to research grant opportunities.
• Assist the Executive Director in grant submission, the development of grant budgets, preparation of documents and grant reporting.
• Ensure compliance with all grant requirements and deadlines, maintaining internal grant tracking spreadsheet and ensuring that all grant documentation is added to PPS’s database.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in the Social Sciences, Humanities, Visual Arts, Design, Communications, Nonprofit Management or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 2-3 years’ experience with similar or equivalent organization or department in a similar role.
• Ability to work effectively and comfortably in a city that is multi-cultural and multi-lingual with demonstrated cultural awareness and competency skills and a commitment to the equity and justice-oriented mission outlined in PPS’s current strategic plan.
• Solid understanding of and experience working in development, membership or a chapter-based organizations is preferred.
• Highly organized with ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Exceptional communication skills both orally and in writing.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe; experience with fundraising or Constituent Record Management software like DonorPerfect or enthusiasm and capacity to learn.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding member and donor information.
• Demonstrated leadership, interpersonal, and collaborative skills, fostering a positive, creative and productive team environment.

PPS fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are committed to reflecting the communities with whom we work and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented populations to apply. This position is based in Providence, and candidates should be based in the area or willing to move. Providence is a diverse city of 190,000 that is home to Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence College, and other institutions of higher education, located one hour from Boston.

Compensation and Benefits:

• This is a full-time salaried professional position with a salary range of $60,000 – $70,000, commensurate with experience.
• Current policy affords 15 paid holidays, 10 vacation days, 10 sick days and 2 personal days each year and the option of working remotely one day per week.
• Comprehensive benefits package includes health, dental, bereavement leave, and retirement benefits.
• Annual professional development stipend.

Interested applicants should send an email to jobs@ppsri.org with “Operations Manager” as the subject line. The email should contain the following (please send the following as a single PDF document):

• A cover letter that describes in detail your mission alignment with our work, and how your experience and skills match the responsibilities of this position.
• Resume.
• Optional: one additional submission that relates to your interests in local or public history, preservation, architecture/design/craft, creative practice or urban life and culture (for example, an essay, blog post, or creative project of some kind).

Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed beginning December 12, 2024.