Associate Director of Administrative Operations

YIMBY Action and Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) are seeking a meticulous, systems-minded operations professional to serve as the administrative and financial compliance backbone of our two affiliated organizations.

The Associate Director of Administrative Operations will own the day-to-day administrative functions that keep YIMBY Action and YIMBY running smoothly: financial operations and compliance, payroll, benefits administration, gift processing, organizational systems, and staff onboarding and offboarding logistics. This is a role for someone who is energized by getting the details exactly right — someone who takes genuine pride in clean data, airtight compliance, and operational processes that hum along reliably.

As department head of the Operations Department, the Associate Director will supervise one direct report and serve as a key organizational partner to leadership and department heads across the organization. This role requires someone who can work with a high degree of autonomy on defined systems and processes while escalating appropriately on complex financial or compliance matters.

This position reports to the Chief of Staff.

What we're looking for

Responsibilities

Financial Operations & Compliance (50%)

• Manage payroll processing via Justworks for all staff across both organizations. Ensure payroll runs accurately and on time. Collaborate with third-party experts and service providers as needed.
• Administer employee benefits, including health plans, insurance, retirement funding, accrued vacation, and other benefits. Serve as the primary point of contact for staff benefits questions and issues.
• Lead preparation of required tax documentation and governance and compliance filings, including 990s, lobbying disclosure forms, state fundraising registration, and audit materials. Coordinate with outside counsel and accounting partners as appropriate.
• In collaboration with the Chief of Staff, oversee financial operations including the annual operating budget process and implementation of audit feedback.
• Manage all accounts payable and receivable transactions, contract commitments, and expenditures to ensure consistency with the approved budget. Produce monthly financial and cash flow reports, process payments, and perform banking functions.
• Maintain and improve financial systems and internal controls. Collaborate with the Chief of Staff to identify opportunities to optimize processes and strengthen compliance.
• Support staff adherence to financial controls and spending best practices. Develop and lead financial trainings to ensure staff understand organizational financial processes and expectations.
• Process all incoming gifts accurately, issue tax receipts, and maintain clean gift records in coordination with the Development team.

Administrative Operations (30%)

• In collaboration with the Chapter Systems Manager, own and maintain data integrity for key organizational Airtables. Consult with other teams on Airtable structure and best practices.
• Collaborate with teams to build and maintain other core organizational systems, including Google Drive and related tools. Identify and implement opportunities to improve efficiency and consistency across shared systems.
• Oversee org-wide timekeeping for compliance, accuracy, and timeliness. Ensure records are complete and flag issues proactively.
• Oversee day-to-day administrative operations for both organizations, including management of staff requests, mail systems, and office operations. Continuously evaluate administrative processes and propose improvements.
• Manage new hire account setup and access provisioning across organizational tech tools as part of the onboarding process. Ensure departing staff accounts are deprovisioned accurately and promptly during offboarding.
• Under supervision of the Chief of Staff, manage the employee policies and procedures handbook. Propose updates as needed to ensure policies remain current, equitable, and aligned with organizational goals.
• Manage logistics for employee onboarding and offboarding, including coordination of paperwork, system access, and staff communications.
• In collaboration with managers and the Workplace Inclusion Group, support implementation of HR policies and procedures that align with organizational goals and values.

Department Leadership (15%)

• Serve as department head for the Operations Department. Supervise and develop one direct report, setting clear expectations and supporting strong performance on operational priorities.
• Collaborate with organizational leadership during annual strategic planning. Collaborate on OKRs and metrics that reflect operational health and compliance standards, and set achievable team goals.
• Serve as an organizational partner to department heads and leadership on operational and administrative matters. Represent the Operations Department in cross-functional decision-making and help build staff understanding of and adherence to organizational systems and processes.

Special Projects (5%)

• Occasional initiatives that deliver on program service, donor expectations, chapter growth, professional development, and/or team culture.

Qualifications

3–6 years of experience in nonprofit operations, finance, administration, or a closely related field, including demonstrated ability to:

• Exceptional attention to detail. You are comfortable being the last set of eyes on critical compliance documents and financial reports.
• A hyper-organized, proactive communicator who doesn’t let things fall through the cracks and takes genuine satisfaction in operational systems that work reliably.
• Supervisory experience or demonstrated readiness to manage and develop a direct report.
• Manage payroll, benefits administration, and financial compliance processes accurately and on time
• Prepare or coordinate preparation of tax filings, audit materials, and regulatory compliance documentation
• Maintain financial records and produce reports in accordance with GAAP
• Build and maintain organizational systems and databases with a high degree of data integrity
• Work independently on defined operational processes while escalating appropriately on complex or sensitive matters
• Communicate clearly and proactively with staff, leadership, and external partners
• A demonstrated commitment to the YIMBY vision; previous work or volunteer experience aligned with YIMBY goals. A genuine passion for more housing and shelter of every type — including subsidized nonprofit affordable housing, market-rate housing, transitional housing, navigation centers, and more.
• Experience with nonprofit financial operations, including familiarity with 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) compliance requirements, is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in Airtable or comparable database systems. Experience with Justworks or similar payroll and HR platforms is a plus.

Benefits

• Up to 100% employer funded comprehensive medical coverage
• 401k enrollment opportunities
• 3 weeks of paid vacation plus another 20 paid holidays
• Paid sick time
• Paid family & disability leave
• Significant professional development opportunities, including paid professional development stipend
• Flexible work hours within a 40 hour work week
• Membership in YIMBY Action nationwide activist network and vibrant 3,700+ member Slack community
• Access to YIMBY Action network of elected officials, journalists, and business leaders