Operations Consultant
Description
The operations consultant will oversee the operations of Our City Action Buffalo on a contractual, part-time basis. The consultant’s responsibilities include streamlining communication, coordinating events, and implementing the organization’s overall strategic plan and quarterly priorities.
The operations consultant should have strong project management skills, natural ability to multitask, background in logistical and administrative support, as well as event planning.
This role requires the ability to be self-directed, flexible, and collaborative.
The operations consultant should be comfortable speaking to members of the community, city officials and elected leaders, foundations and potential donors, and other key organizational stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Oversight: Manage the overall operations to ensure organizational effectiveness and city-wide impact.
Bottom line items pertaining to the physical space of the organization, including the office and USPS mailboxes. They will manage the relationship with OCAB's financial institution (Good Neighbors Credit Union) and help to maintain OCAB’s website as well.
Ensure contractors, vendors, and other expenses are paid out in a timely manner.
Check the info account for electronic mail and effectively communicate with the appropriate party/parties in the organization.
Facilitate flow of information from one body to another; Operations consultant should be willing to use Discord and facilitate communication between various stakeholders.
Budget Management: Consult on the operational budgets, ensuring resource allocation aligns with organizational goals and objectives.
Leadership: Effectively communicate with members, supporters, donors, media, and other organizational stakeholders, fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture.
A shared leadership model will be held along with the Board of Directors, committee chairs, and communications consultant.
Infrastructure Building and Maintenance: Continue to build out systems that support the organization’s important work. This includes compliance with all federal, state, and local laws with regard to taxes, election law, and other non-profit rules and regulations. The operations consultant will also advise the Board of Directors on best practices and ways to create, manage, and evaluate old and new organizational infrastructure.
Policies and Procedures: Lead the annual review and board update of the policies and procedures handbook. The intended goal is to ensure that the handbook remains current, accurately reflects the organization’s current state, complies with all relevant regulations, and effectively supports OCAB’s governance in a formalized way.
Reporting: Report monthly to the Board of Directors about the overall well-being and progress on programmatic priorities. The operations consultant should also be available to attend quarterly meetings, All-Committee meetings, and others as required.
Not all meetings will take place within traditional work hours of 9am to 5pm.
All-Committee meetings
Board meetings
New Member Orientations
Quarterly retreats
Application and Contract Information
Based on the description above, qualified consultants are asked to submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a proposal (no more than 2 pages) based on an annual contract of up to but no more than $15,000 or quarterly payments of approximately $3,750.
Estimated weekly hours of work expected is no less than 5 hours and no more than 10 hours. The final number of hours of work and when the hours are worked is at the discretion of the consultant.
Please email the requested items to info@ourcityactionbuffalo.com or PO Box 610, ℅ OCAB Hiring Committeee, Buffalo, NY 14213.
Proposals are due to the OCAB Hiring Committee no later than October 31th, 2025.
For inquiries about the consulting contracts or items related to the organization, please contact OCAB Board President Jillian Nowak, Esq. at (716) 348-0578 or email at info@ourcityactionbuffalo.com with the subject line: Operations Consultant RFP Response.
First round screening calls will begin at the end of October; second round interviews are expected to begin in early November and will continue until the position is filled. If no candidate is selected by January 1st, the RFP process will open back up and proposals will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.