Innocence Project New Orleans Position Announcement

Operations Manager/Administrative Assistant

About IPNO

Founded in 2001, Innocence Project New Orleans (IPNO) frees innocent, life-sentenced prisoners, supports them living well and fully in the world after their release and advocates for sensible criminal justice policies that reduce wrongful convictions. IPNO is one of the most effective innocence organizations in the world. More of Louisiana and Mississippi’s citizens encounter the criminal justice system than those of any other place in the world. We believe that wrongful convictions can be prevented in a smaller, more focused, accurate and accountable criminal justice system. As of October 2020, we have freed or exonerated 36 innocent prisoners, who served over 873 years in prisons between them.

About the Role

The Operations Manager/Administrative Assistant will enable effective workings of the organization across administrative and operational functions. This role is an exciting opportunity to develop operational infrastructure for a small purpose-driven nonprofit.

The ideal candidate is collaborative, entrepreneurial, solutions-oriented, a self-starter, and comfortable as part of a small fast-paced team. The Operations Manager will report directly to the managing director and will work closely with all IPNO staff, interns and volunteers.

Key Responsibilities

OPERATIONS

  • Front desk reception (once we return to the office).
    • Greet guests, respond to phone and e-mail inquiries; collect and distribute mail.
  • Order, inventory and keep organized all office supplies.
  • Manage all building repairs and maintenance for office and transitional property (in Algiers).
  • Oversee information management and IT needs, including keeping an inventory of office tech equipment and working with IT consultant on upgrades and maintenance as needed. Ensure phones are working, office voicemails are updated and oversee any upgrades.
  • Oversee all vendor contracts including copier, IT, office cleaning, web maintenance, etc.
  • Assist in office space planning when staff expands or contracts.
  • Work with broker to oversee all employee and board-related insurance needs. Ensure all insurance policies and bills are current, are the best policies we can obtain, are calculated correctly, within budget and paid on time.
  • Keep all shared spaces organized and manage the organization of our digital files, making sure that files are organized in the correct folders, with consistent labeling, etc. You will also prepare, collate, and package training materials for use in our trainings and presentations.
  • Coordinate with the fundraising, communication, legal and re-entry teams to help with any and all administrative support. We are a small office and if we have a court deadline, every person could be copying, collating and organizing files. When we have fundraising events, all staff pitch in to ensure the event’s success.
  • Support operations director, development director and executive director with administrative tasks as needs arise including fundraising activities such as mailing thank you letters and data entry.
  • Provide remote support to all staff until we all return to the office.
  • Improve systems as they relate to productivity, organization, compliance, etc., as they arise.
  • Oversee staff recognition such as birthdays and work anniversaries.

FINANCIAL

  • Work with outside bookkeeper to ensure they have all they need to effectively manage IPNO’s finances including year-end tasks such as distributing W-2s, 1099s and 1096s.
  • Execute basic financial tasks such as cutting and mailing checks and running Quickbooks reports
  • Assist with annual audit and 990 processes.
  • Ensure IPNO is in compliance with lobbying regulations.
  • Keep IPNO in compliance with state charity registration requirements.

HUMAN RESOURCES

  • Key liaison to outside human resources administrator.
  • Manage all payroll & 401K processing procedures bi-weekly
  • Assist with job posting process including posting job announcements to a diversity of sites and scheduling interviews.
  • Oversee onboarding of all new employees, including providing site orientation to new staffers.

Required Skills & Qualifications

  • You have a minimum two years of operations/office management experience. You have mastered Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Organized and efficient. You are detail-oriented with a demonstrated track record of getting work completed in a timely and efficient manner. You have a positive, solutions-oriented approach to problem solving. You are able to monitor your own work product for quality.
  • You have a demonstrated commitment to meeting a high bar and a history of getting things done even in the face of obstacles and shifting priorities.
  • Flexible and adaptive. You are a self-starter who thrives in a changing, dynamic environment, occasionally with immediate and unexpected deadlines. You can manage multiple projects at once and can work independently while understanding the necessity for communicating and coordinating with a team.
  • Trustworthiness and reliability. You must keep case, client and other work-related information confidential. You diligently follow through on tasks.
  • Initiative. You perform quality work within deadlines with or without direct supervision. You have a strength-based, solutions-oriented approach to problem solving. You have strong personal time management skills – ability to manage and prioritize many tasks across multiple projects.
  • Strong communicator. You have strong listening and communication skills, verbal and writing. You also have strong interpersonal skills.
  • Tech savvy. You are able to handle working remotely and guiding staff in a remote setting. Even though you may not be a tech expert but you can help staff troubleshoot tech concerns and work closely with our offsite IT manager.
  • Reliable transportation.

Big Pluses

  • Experience with Quickbooks.
  • Bachelor’s or Associate’s Degree.
  • Interest and/or experience in criminal and social justice work.

Salary and Benefits

The salary range is 30,000 – $40,000 commensurate with experience. IPNO offers a highly competitive and generous benefits package, including medical/dental/vision, five weeks paid vacation, Federal holidays, 401k match, and cell phone reimbursement. IPNO provides a work environment that encourages health and self-care. IPNO is a family and pet friendly workplace.

How to Apply

Start Date: Immediate. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Please e-mail a cover letter, a resume, and three references to mailto:ipnoOpenings@ip-no.org. Please include the job title in the e-mail subject line. Please do not call. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

 

IPNO is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse work force reflective of the diverse communities we serve and support, with regard to race, culture, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, caregiver status. IPNO works to advance racial justice and equity. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and legal system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.