Business Operations Lead

Berkeley Food Network is hiring for a Business Operations Lead that will thrive in a fast-paced environment, is comfortable navigating ambiguity in process, and is committed to building an accessible, food-secure future for our community. The Business Operations Lead is the experienced individual contributor who leads the systems that keep Berkeley Food Network’s executive, governance, financial, and people operations running. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role independently leads the Board engagement cycle, lead BFN’s mail and gift-intake channel, runs monthly close preparation with BFN’s bookkeeper, supports the organizational financial calendar through invoice submission, grant reporting, and audit preparation, maintains employment records and onboarding for every new hire, and administers the accounts and access the staff depends on.

Beyond executing the work, this role improves it: designing and documenting the SOPs the organization runs on, training staff and volunteers on shared tools, and anticipating what the Executive Director and Leadership Team will need to succeed in their roles. The ideal candidate has run business operations or executive and Board support before, exercises independent judgment on confidential matters, and leaves every process better documented than
they found it.

Pay: $33.00/hr ($68,640 annual)
Hours: Full-time, non-exempt (40 hours per week)
Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5:00 pm; occasional evenings for Board meetings and events
Location: Onsite at our West Berkeley warehouse; hybrid flexibility after the first 90 days

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Executive & Board Governance 30% – Support the Executive Director’s calendar and executive workflow: scheduling, daily briefings, meeting preparation, and follow-through on commitments — including donor meetings and warehouse tours; anticipate needs and prepare materials before they are requested. – Support the annual Board governance cycle end-to-end: meeting calendar, agenda preparation with the Executive Director, packet production and distribution, minutes, resolutions, and action-item tracking through completion. Assemble the packet from the materials each department supplies, including Development’s slides and reports. – Serve as the primary staff contact for Board members on scheduling, materials, and logistics. Independently manage the annual compliance calendar: insurance renewals, registrations, filings, and governance-document upkeep (bylaws, policies, conflict-of-interest forms), escalating only exceptions. – Track every organizational contract and its renewal or expiration date against the compliance calendar, and bring each one to the Executive Director in advance of the decision date. The Executive Director authorizes and signs contracts. – Draft correspondence, memos, and presentations for the Executive Director that require minimal revision. – Maintain organized, confidential records systems for governance, contracts, and personnel documents; handle donor, personnel, and financial information with absolute discretion. Finance & Business Administration 35% – Support the organizational financial calendar: keep invoice submission, grant reporting, and audit preparation deadlines visible and on schedule, assembling the documentation each one requires and following up until every submission is complete and confirmed. The Senior Development Manager owns the grants calendar and the Executive Director owns the financial calendar; this position keeps both running on time. – Prepare for the annual audit year-round: maintain audit-ready vendor, invoice, receipt, and restricted-fund records, and assemble the requested schedules and documentation when fieldwork begins. – Lead the staff-to-bookkeeper pipeline: design and run the systems that move invoices, receipts, and expense documentation reliably each month. Food and warehouse receiving invoices are handled within Operations. – Support Leadership staff with monthly credit card reconciliation process Own BFN’s gift-intake channel for mailed and offline gifts: log every check and offline contribution on receipt, enter it in donor database platform, and route it for deposit the same week. – Administer acknowledgement letters for in-kind and non-cash donations — goods, food, and services — producing and mailing them with the required substantiation language, supported by the Development & Communications Coordinator. The acknowledgement workflow for monetary donations is held by the Development & Communications Coordinator. – Process incoming mail weekly: sort and route it, log all checks and payments received, and prepare bank deposits on a documented schedule. The Executive Director performs the second check on all deposits before they are made, verifying the deposit against the check log. – Manage vendor accounts, subscriptions, and recurring payments: track renewals, question anomalies, and maintain audit-ready records (including W-9s) for the annual audit and grant reporting. – Coordinate print and mail production for annual fund appeals and campaign mailings — print vendor, postage, and volunteer processing — working from the lists and content the Development & Communications Coordinator prepares. – Execute purchases the Executive Director has authorized for the Business Operations function, and recommend anything new or beyond the authorized scope rather than committing it. People & Systems Administration 15% – Maintain BFN’s employment records: job descriptions, signed acknowledgements, I-9 and employment-eligibility documentation, policy and handbook acknowledgements, training and certification records, emergency contacts, and completed performance-review filings. Compensation records, benefits elections, and payroll data are held by the Executive Director; this position does not access or administer them. – Run new-hire paperwork end-to-end: assemble the packet, collect and verify required documentation on or before the first day, and confirm the file is complete before it is closed. – Own cross-organizational onboarding logistics for every new hire: workspace and equipment, first-week schedule, orientation and introduction meetings, and the onboarding checklist — coordinating with the hiring supervisor, who owns role-specific training. – Provision and deprovision staff accounts and access: Google Workspace, shared drives, and the software licenses each role requires; deactivate all access on an employee’s last day and keep an access inventory the Executive Director can review. – Administer the DMV employer pull-notice program for all positions requiring a driving record, and maintain current documentation of licenses and insurance for staff who drive on BFN business. – Design, document, and maintain the organization’s administrative SOPs, submitting them to the Executive Director for approval before use; train staff on shared systems and onboard new hires to administrative tools. Office Administration 20% – Own office administration: supplies inventory and organization for office and meeting spaces, equipment and technology coordination, shared calendars, and meeting rooms. Warehouse supplies and warehouse vendor relationships sit with the Warehouse Lead. – Serve as the first point of contact for staff computer and equipment issues, arranging vendor or IT support and tracking the resolution. – Schedule and support all-staff meetings, Leadership Team meetings, and cross-departmental gatherings, including agendas and note-taking as requested. – Step in across the Administration function and back up adjacent processes during absences or crunch periods. – Support other tasks as needed based on organizational demands.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Executive & Board Governance 30%
– Support the Executive Director’s calendar and executive workflow: scheduling, daily briefings, meeting
preparation, and follow-through on commitments — including donor meetings and warehouse tours;
anticipate needs and prepare materials before they are requested.
– Support the annual Board governance cycle end-to-end: meeting calendar, agenda preparation with the
Executive Director, packet production and distribution, minutes, resolutions, and action-item tracking
through completion. Assemble the packet from the materials each department supplies, including
Development’s slides and reports.
– Serve as the primary staff contact for Board members on scheduling, materials, and logistics.
Independently manage the annual compliance calendar: insurance renewals, registrations, filings, and
governance-document upkeep (bylaws, policies, conflict-of-interest forms), escalating only exceptions.
– Track every organizational contract and its renewal or expiration date against the compliance calendar,
and bring each one to the Executive Director in advance of the decision date. The Executive Director
authorizes and signs contracts.
– Draft correspondence, memos, and presentations for the Executive Director that require minimal
revision.
– Maintain organized, confidential records systems for governance, contracts, and personnel documents;
handle donor, personnel, and financial information with absolute discretion.

Finance & Business Administration 35%
– Support the organizational financial calendar: keep invoice submission, grant reporting, and audit
preparation deadlines visible and on schedule, assembling the documentation each one requires and
following up until every submission is complete and confirmed. The Senior Development Manager owns
the grants calendar and the Executive Director owns the financial calendar; this position keeps both
running on time.
– Prepare for the annual audit year-round: maintain audit-ready vendor, invoice, receipt, and
restricted-fund records, and assemble the requested schedules and documentation when fieldwork
begins.
– Lead the staff-to-bookkeeper pipeline: design and run the systems that move invoices, receipts, and
expense documentation reliably each month. Food and warehouse receiving invoices are handled within
Operations.
– Support Leadership staff with monthly credit card reconciliation process
Own BFN’s gift-intake channel for mailed and offline gifts: log every check and offline contribution on
receipt, enter it in donor database platform, and route it for deposit the same week.
– Administer acknowledgement letters for in-kind and non-cash donations — goods, food, and services —
producing and mailing them with the required substantiation language, supported by the Development
& Communications Coordinator. The acknowledgement workflow for monetary donations is held by the
Development & Communications Coordinator.
– Process incoming mail weekly: sort and route it, log all checks and payments received, and prepare bank
deposits on a documented schedule. The Executive Director performs the second check on all deposits
before they are made, verifying the deposit against the check log.
– Manage vendor accounts, subscriptions, and recurring payments: track renewals, question anomalies,
and maintain audit-ready records (including W-9s) for the annual audit and grant reporting.
– Coordinate print and mail production for annual fund appeals and campaign mailings — print vendor,
postage, and volunteer processing — working from the lists and content the Development &
Communications Coordinator prepares.
– Execute purchases the Executive Director has authorized for the Business Operations function, and
recommend anything new or beyond the authorized scope rather than committing it.

People & Systems Administration 15%
– Maintain BFN’s employment records: job descriptions, signed acknowledgements, I-9 and
employment-eligibility documentation, policy and handbook acknowledgements, training and
certification records, emergency contacts, and completed performance-review filings. Compensation
records, benefits elections, and payroll data are held by the Executive Director; this position does not
access or administer them.
– Run new-hire paperwork end-to-end: assemble the packet, collect and verify required documentation on
or before the first day, and confirm the file is complete before it is closed.
– Own cross-organizational onboarding logistics for every new hire: workspace and equipment, first-week
schedule, orientation and introduction meetings, and the onboarding checklist — coordinating with the
hiring supervisor, who owns role-specific training.
– Provision and deprovision staff accounts and access: Google Workspace, shared drives, and the software
licenses each role requires; deactivate all access on an employee’s last day and keep an access inventory
the Executive Director can review.
– Administer the DMV employer pull-notice program for all positions requiring a driving record, and
maintain current documentation of licenses and insurance for staff who drive on BFN business.
– Design, document, and maintain the organization’s administrative SOPs, submitting them to the
Executive Director for approval before use; train staff on shared systems and onboard new hires to
administrative tools.

Office Administration 20%
– Own office administration: supplies inventory and organization for office and meeting spaces,
equipment and technology coordination, shared calendars, and meeting rooms. Warehouse supplies and
warehouse vendor relationships sit with the Warehouse Lead.
– Serve as the first point of contact for staff computer and equipment issues, arranging vendor or IT
support and tracking the resolution.
– Schedule and support all-staff meetings, Leadership Team meetings, and cross-departmental gatherings,
including agendas and note-taking as requested.
– Step in across the Administration function and back up adjacent processes during absences or crunch
periods.
– Support other tasks as needed based on organizational demands.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
*Required Qualifications* – Minimum of 3 years of business operations, nonprofit administration, or executive support experience, including direct support of an executive, leadership team, or Board of Directors. – Demonstrated experience building, documenting, and improving administrative systems or SOPs — not only following them. – Ability to work independently with minimal supervision: manage a multi-month governance and compliance calendar, exercise sound judgment on confidential matters, and escalate only true exceptions. – Demonstrated ability to handle confidential employment and donor records with discretion and sound judgment. – Meticulous attention to detail and accuracy, especially with data entry, financial documentation, employment records, and Board records. – Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting correspondence for executive signature with minimal revision. – Proficiency with Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Calendar) and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), and an interest in learning and using AI platforms. – Experience training or directing others (staff, volunteers, or interns) on administrative processes. *Preferred Qualifications* – Experience with a constituent relationship management (CRM) system, such as Salesforce, including gift entry and report building. – Working knowledge of bookkeeping workflows or software (e.g., QuickBooks), expense management, and month-end close. – Experience supporting a financial calendar — invoice submission cycles, grant report documentation, or annual audit preparation. – Experience owning Board governance support (packets, minutes, compliance filings) at a nonprofit. – Experience with human resources administration — personnel files, I-9 and employment-eligibility documentation, or onboarding — in an organization of similar size. – Experience administering user accounts and access in Google Workspace or a comparable environment. – Experience working at a nonprofit or similar community organization with a large volunteer base. – Understanding of food justice and the structural causes of food insecurity. – Experience applying diversity, equity and inclusion and trauma-informed principles in a nonprofit, community-based or human services setting *Personal Attributes* – Service orientation: takes satisfaction in making colleagues’ work easier and the organization run smoothly. – Trustworthy and discreet; understands that access to sensitive information is a responsibility. – Proactive, self-directed, and comfortable working across every department in the organization. – Problem solving mindset, collaborative with other team members. – High level of personal responsibility and accountability to assigned tasks. – Cordial and helpful communication style with staff, volunteers, Board members, donors, community members, and partners. – Commitment to Berkeley Food Network’s goals of ending food insecurity through community-centric approaches.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

Required Qualifications
– Minimum of 3 years of business operations, nonprofit administration, or executive support experience,
including direct support of an executive, leadership team, or Board of Directors.
– Demonstrated experience building, documenting, and improving administrative systems or SOPs — not
only following them.
– Ability to work independently with minimal supervision: manage a multi-month governance and
compliance calendar, exercise sound judgment on confidential matters, and escalate only true
exceptions.
– Demonstrated ability to handle confidential employment and donor records with discretion and sound
judgment.
– Meticulous attention to detail and accuracy, especially with data entry, financial documentation,
employment records, and Board records.
– Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting correspondence for executive
signature with minimal revision.
– Proficiency with Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Calendar) and Microsoft Office (Word,
Excel), and an interest in learning and using AI platforms.
– Experience training or directing others (staff, volunteers, or interns) on administrative processes.

Preferred Qualifications
– Experience with a constituent relationship management (CRM) system, such as Salesforce, including gift
entry and report building.
– Working knowledge of bookkeeping workflows or software (e.g., QuickBooks), expense management,
and month-end close.
– Experience supporting a financial calendar — invoice submission cycles, grant report documentation, or
annual audit preparation.
– Experience owning Board governance support (packets, minutes, compliance filings) at a nonprofit.
– Experience with human resources administration — personnel files, I-9 and employment-eligibility
documentation, or onboarding — in an organization of similar size.
– Experience administering user accounts and access in Google Workspace or a comparable environment.
– Experience working at a nonprofit or similar community organization with a large volunteer base.
– Understanding of food justice and the structural causes of food insecurity.
– Experience applying diversity, equity and inclusion and trauma-informed principles in a nonprofit,
community-based or human services setting

Personal Attributes
– Service orientation: takes satisfaction in making colleagues’ work easier and the organization run
smoothly.
– Trustworthy and discreet; understands that access to sensitive information is a responsibility.
– Proactive, self-directed, and comfortable working across every department in the organization.
– Problem solving mindset, collaborative with other team members.
– High level of personal responsibility and accountability to assigned tasks.
– Cordial and helpful communication style with staff, volunteers, Board members, donors, community
members, and partners.
– Commitment to Berkeley Food Network’s goals of ending food insecurity through community-centric
approaches.

Physical Requirements
This position is primarily located in an office environment within our West Berkeley warehouse facility. Able to perform the following duties with or without accommodation: – Sit / stand at a desk, conference room, or workstation for more than three (3) hours at a time. – Perform repetitive tasks, such as data entry, with accuracy. – Traverse the distance of the facility in performance of duties. – Occasionally lift and carry items up to 25 pounds (event supplies, mailings, office deliveries). – Ability to work in an occasionally loud warehouse environment. – Communicate in a clear speaking voice in person, and over audio or video-based communications applications (e.g., phone, Zoom).

Physical Requirements

This position is primarily located in an office environment within our West Berkeley warehouse facility. Able
to perform the following duties with or without accommodation:

– Sit / stand at a desk, conference room, or workstation for more than three (3) hours at a time.
– Perform repetitive tasks, such as data entry, with accuracy.
– Traverse the distance of the facility in performance of duties.
– Occasionally lift and carry items up to 25 pounds (event supplies, mailings, office deliveries).
– Ability to work in an occasionally loud warehouse environment.
– Communicate in a clear speaking voice in person, and over audio or video-based communications
applications (e.g., phone, Zoom).

Compensation & Benefits
The compensation for this position is $33.00/hour ($68,640 annualized). -Twenty-one (20) paid holidays, including annual closures the week of Fourth of July and the last week of the calendar year -Accrued paid leaves including up to ten (10) vacation days and up to 80 paid sick leave hours in your first year, depending on the number of hours worked -403(b) Retirement Plan with up to 3% matching -Medical/Dental/Vision Coverage: BFN pays 100% of employee premiums and 50% for qualifying dependent premiums for medical, dental and vision coverage on our Kaiser Gold base plan and optional buy-up to additional coverage. -Life, long-term disability, and employer assistance program (EAP) coverage at no cost. -Professional development opportunities

Compensation & Benefits

The compensation for this position is $33.00/hour ($68,640 annualized).

-Twenty-one (20) paid holidays, including annual closures the week of Fourth of July and the last week of the calendar year
-Accrued paid leaves including up to ten (10) vacation days and up to 80 paid sick leave hours in your first year, depending on the number of hours worked
-403(b) Retirement Plan with up to 3% matching
-Medical/Dental/Vision Coverage: BFN pays 100% of employee premiums and 50% for qualifying dependent premiums for medical, dental and vision coverage on our Kaiser Gold base plan and optional buy-up to additional coverage.
-Life, long-term disability, and employer assistance program (EAP) coverage at no cost.
-Professional development opportunities

Application Process
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. A candidate will ideally be available to start January, 2027. Please submit your resume and cover letter using BFN’s Hiring Portal. In your cover letter, please: – Introduce yourself and your relevant work experience. – Describe your experience in food assistance, food justice, or nonprofit organizations. – Share why you want to work at Berkeley Food Network. If you have any questions, please reach out to hiring@berkeleyfoodnetwork.org.

Application Process

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. A candidate will ideally be available to start January, 2027.

Please submit your resume and cover letter using BFN’s Hiring Portal.

In your cover letter, please:
– Introduce yourself and your relevant work experience.
– Describe your experience in food assistance, food justice, or nonprofit organizations.
– Share why you want to work at Berkeley Food Network.

If you have any questions, please reach out to hiring@berkeleyfoodnetwork.org.