Careers

Operations Manager

Location: Okeechobee, Florida
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer
Position Type: Full-Time/ On-Site
Salary: $55,000 annually

About the Education Foundation of Okeechobee

The Education Foundation of Okeechobee believes every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. Through innovative initiatives, strategic partnerships, and community investment, we strengthen education from early childhood through career readiness.

Is This You?

You’re the kind of person who notices what needs to happen before anyone has to ask.

You thrive on creating order from complexity, building systems, coordinating moving pieces, and making sure important details never fall through the cracks. You don’t simply complete the task in front of you—you anticipate what comes next, identify potential problems early, and seek to find solutions before issues arise.

You bring extreme attention to detail without losing sight of the bigger picture. You can manage multiple projects, coordinate events, organize information, build relationships, and consistently deliver high-quality work.

You’re naturally curious and enjoy researching opportunities that help organizations grow. Whether it’s a grant opportunity, a potential sponsor, a new partnership, or a more efficient process, you’re always looking for ways to create greater impact.

You understand that every interaction matters. You think beyond logistics and consider the experience of the student, donor, sponsor, volunteer, and community partner. From the first invitation to the final thank-you, you believe thoughtful planning, strong branding, clear communication, and exceptional execution build trust and strengthen an organization’s reputation.

Position Summary

The Operations Manager is responsible for strengthening the Foundation’s organizational capacity through exceptional operations, development support, and project implementation.

Working closely with the CEO, this position helps turn ideas into action by researching opportunities for growth, coordinating grant development, managing day-to-day operations, implementing Foundation initiatives, and ensuring every project reflects the Foundation’s commitment to excellence.

This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys variety, takes initiative, and thrives in a fast-paced environment where every day looks a little different. 

Essential Responsibilities

• Search for and identify new grant, sponsorship, and partnership opportunities that fit the Foundation’s mission and current priorities, and build relationships with the community partners behind them.
• Summarize new opportunities for the CEO — funding amount, deadline, and requirements
• With support from the CEO, write and assemble grant applications, gather supporting documentation, and submit by each funder’s deadline.
• Send donor and sponsor stewardship communications (thank-yous, updates, renewal reminders) and fulfill sponsorship benefits such as recognition and logo placement.
• Line up event sponsors, secure auction and raffle items, and help prepare for fundraising events.
• Handle day-to-day office and administrative tasks that keep the Foundation running smoothly.
• Document standard processes so the Foundation’s systems stay consistent as it grows.
• Keep a running log of grant deadlines, reporting requirements, and compliance items, and flag upcoming due dates before they’re missed.
• Build a timeline for each active initiative and flag to the CEO when something is at risk of slipping.
• Open and sort incoming mail, log incoming checks and deposits, and route correspondence to the right person.
• Enter donations, expenses, and other transactions into QuickBooks, and send documentation to the Foundation’s bookkeeper.
• Assemble board meeting packets — agenda, reports, financials
• Keep donor, financial, and event records current in the Foundation’s databases and spreadsheets.
• Plan and run Foundation events start to finish — booking venues, coordinating vendors, and managing day-of logistics.
• Build a timeline and communication plan for each initiative so every task has an owner and a due date.
• Work with the CEO & Creative Director to write and design invitations, registration forms, signage, and sponsor recognition materials for each event.
• Pull together results from each event or initiative — attendance, dollars raised, participation — and summarize for grant reports, board updates, and Foundation storytelling.
  
  

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Three or more years of experience in nonprofit management, operations, development, communications, project management, events, education, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing details in a flexible and dynamic environment
• Experience coordinating fundraising events, sponsorships, or public-facing community initiatives.
  
  

Preferred

• Experience with grant writing, grant administration, or grant management.
• Experience with QuickBooks or similar accounting software.
• Experience with nonprofit donor/CRM platforms (e.g., Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, Neon CRM) and project management tools (e.g., Asana, Monday.com, Trello) for tracking relationships, tasks, and deadlines.
  
  

Compensation & Benefits

$55,000 annual salary, generous monthly wellness stipend, paid time off, and professional development support. Flexible work environment with the opportunity for occasional remote work; some evening/weekend work and some travel for conferences or organizational initiatives are required to support Foundation events.

Why Join Our Team?

This is more than a job—it’s an opportunity to help shape the future of education in Okeechobee County.

You’ll play a vital role in strengthening a growing organization, helping turn ideas into action, creating meaningful experiences for our community, and ensuring every initiative is executed with excellence.

If you’re looking for a career where your work is meaningful, your ideas are valued, and your impact is visible, we’d love to hear from you.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Education Foundation of Okeechobee is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, age, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, political beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal or Florida law.

Anyone who is interested should send their resume and cover letter outlining their relevant experience and interest in the role to Alaina Barron, Chief Executive Officer, at alaina@edfoundationofokee.org