Operations Manager

Job Title: Operations Manager

Status: Part-Time, Nonexempt; Work From Home In-Person as Needed

Location: Bay Area, with a preference given to Oakland / East Bay candidates

Hours: 15-20 hours per week as needed

Pay: Hourly fee depending on experience with non-for-profit finance/governance experience;

Benefits: Offered after 3 months of employment

Reports to: CEO

Starts: Q2 2025

Sozo Impact Inc. is a dynamic not-for-profit contemporary arts agency and incubator at the intersection of innovation, social impact, and culture. 

Our practice is collective. We are human-focused, and values-centered. SOZO was founded and is led by women with sheer determination to amplify the cultural benefits generated by diverse artists. We are shaping a future—and building a community of culture makers, business leaders, and philanthropists—where the success and well-being of our creative ecosystems are inevitable.

We seek a skilled part-time Operations Manager to oversee essential operational functions, streamline systems, and support our team and organizational development. The Operations Manager will play a critical role in ensuring efficient and compliant operations across finance, human resources, legal, insurance, governance, and daily operational tasks, enabling the growth of Sozo’s programs and initiatives in service of Sozo’s mission to cultivate and amplify artists as leaders in society and drive culture change.

The ideal candidate has a genuine passion for logistics and operations and an interest to grow with SOZO in the long term, into a possible full time operational leadership role. Training will be provided depending on experience level.

Responsibilities include the following. May perform related duties as assigned, within your scope of practice.

• Manage day-to-day financial duties, including employee expenses, accounts receivable and payable, and vendor registrations.
• Serve as the primary accounting contact for artists, organizations, partners, and vendors.
• Coordinate with bookkeeping teams to prepare, analyze, and present financial reports.
• Act as the primary point of contact for bookkeeping and accounting teams
• Oversee 1099 preparations, workers' compensation reporting and audits for CA and NY, 990 filings and annual audit, in tandem with our bookkeeping team
• Develop and manage a growing fiscal sponsorship program, oversee monthly accounting reconciliation and communication with sponsees.
• Prepare board meeting financial reports and other documents
• Manage organizational insurance policies and needs, including workers' compensation and production insurance.
• Maintain and update artists, vendor, and contractor agreement boilerplates, liaising with attorneys as needed.
• Manage all 501c(3) filing requirements, ensuring compliance with local, state (CA & NY), federal, and IRS regulations.
• Oversee compliance with 501c(3) requirements, including the bylaws, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower, and document retention policies.
• Manage and oversee the effective, accurate and timely use of Airtable, Google for Nonprofits, Slack, Spark and other existing platforms, ensuring efficient and collaborative workflows across the organization.
• Implement, manage and oversee effective use of technology and productivity tools, such as AI, 
• Facilitate team meetings, and assist with organizing and advancing team training, retreats, and other online and in-person gatherings.
• Develop a deep knowledge of the employee handbook, CA and NY labor regulations and updates, and SOZO’s organizational culture.
• Serve as the general HR admin contact for employees and HR consultant.
• Process payroll bi-monthly; maintain HR platforms such as Gusto and PeopleKeep.
• Manage and maintain HR policies, including the employee handbook and benefits programs (e.g., 401k)
• Manage PTO requests, sick days, Wellness Days, and staff benefits and ensure accuracy according to organizational needs and policies.
• Create, implement and maintain onboarding and offboarding processes for employees and contractors.

Qualifications

• A passion for operations and logistics, with a true desire for career growth in these areas rather than artistic or creative careers (i.e. if you feel like you have to compromise your soul to look at spreadsheets, but you’ve done it because you’re good at it, or because you temporarily need the cash, respectfully please don’t apply!)
• Proven experience in nonprofit operations, finance, and/or administrative roles
• Quick, meticulous, tenacious, and discerning 
• A people person; understands and navigates nuances in written and verbal communication
• Solutions oriented
• A great ease and efficiency with working independently, and in a virtual office environment. You are the type of person who likes to have a clean desk 
• Savvy with technology and familiarity with platforms like Xero, Bill, Airtable, Gusto, Slack, Spark and AI tools
• Understanding of HR processes, including payroll, benefits, and onboarding
• Ability to manage–and unphased by–multiple changing priorities and deadlines
• Detail-oriented, highly organized and enjoys tying up loose ends
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Shared values
• A desire to grow with the organization and contribute to its mission