Operations Manager

ABOUT LIGHTEN LightEn is an expanding global educational foundation, dedicated to the evolution of individual and collective consciousness. LightEn supports many forms of spiritual education. It is non-denominational and serves to help humanity embody its highest potential. LightEn's intention is that, through gifting various forms of spiritual education around the world, we begin to usher in new paradigms. LightEn currently does this through three core pathways: (1) Content: curating and creating spiritual educational content, freely available to all; (2) Grantmaking: supporting individuals and organisations whose work and wisdom aligns with LightEn's vision; and (3) Centres: offering experiential programmes for spiritual and personal growth, fostering soul-infused action. ROLE OVERVIEW The Operations Manager plays a pivotal role in supporting LightEn's operational infrastructure, ensuring that systems, processes, and ways of working align in support of the organisation's mission and vision. Reporting to the Global COO, this role combines operational support, project management, and continuous process improvement to create efficient, effective, and sustainable operations across the organisation. Working most closely with colleagues across Finance, People & Culture, Legal and IT, the Operations Manager will be a central point of coordination, supporting cross-functional projects, comprehensive reporting, and designing and implementing operational processes. To be successful in this role, the Operations Manager will need to build strong relationships and collaborate closely with colleagues across the LightEn team. The Operations Manager calls for someone who enjoys building structure from complexity, steering projects to successful completion, and creating systems that enable teams to perform at their best. The successful candidate will bring strong project management capabilities and practical experience working alongside functions such as finance, HR, legal, administration, or IT. The Operations Manager will also be a skilled communicator and able to make sense of data in a compelling and creative way and use visual storytelling to support effective decision making. They will also approach work with a sense of being in service to the mission and the team. This role is ideal for someone who is highly organised, detail-oriented, proactive, and aligned with LightEn's mission and vision. This is an opportunity to be part of a truly mission-driven team, where everyone knows they can show up as their whole, authentic self, and where service underpins every effort, idea, and interaction. Overview of Responsibilities The Operations Manager will need to be flexible and adaptable to successfully support the organisation's evolving needs. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following: Operational Effectiveness and Team Support

• Serve as a first point of contact for routine queries, escalating more complex matters as appropriate.
• Partner with Finance, People & Culture, IT, Legal, and other functions to strengthen operational practices and improve cross-functional collaboration.
• Manage initiatives that enhance organisational effectiveness and efficiency in support of LightEn's growth and ongoing evolution.
• Develop, document and maintain policies, procedures and processes, and lead change-management efforts to support successful implementation and buy-in.
• Proactively identify and share insights and analysis with the COO on opportunities for improvement and make recommendations on practical, actionable solutions to improve organisational performance.
• Liaise with the Publishing, Programming & Partnerships team to track requirements and ensure they receive sound guidance and operational support.
• Evaluate, implement, and optimise systems, tools, and workflows that support organisational priorities. Project Management
• Manage and collaborate on cross-functional projects from planning through execution, ensuring the need and objectives are clear and timelines and deliverables are achieved.
• Monitor and update the progress of Operations team projects in Airtable to support progress on org-wide priorities.
• Prepare, format and edit reports and presentations for the COO.
• Support special projects and organisational priorities as assigned by the COO.
• Coordinate and manage vendors, contracts, and service providers as required. Risk & Compliance
• Coordinate across the Operations team to maintain organisational records and filing systems, ensuring documentation is accurate, accessible, secure and compliant with internal policies.
• Closely collaborate with the COO to monitor organisational risks and compliance requirements, ensuring appropriate controls, processes, and documentation are in place.
• Proactively maintain the risk register, ensuring quarterly reviews are scheduled with the senior management team and that the Board of Trustees completes an annual review.
• Coordinate across LightEn to ensure risk is being managed in each area of the organisation and regular updates are provided.
• Collaborate across the Operations team to maintain and update the compliance register on a quarterly basis.
• Support the COO with researching relevant topics and propose solutions for operational needs as they arise. Skills & Qualities
• Authentic resonance with LightEn's mission and vision.
• At least 5 years of related experience.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build positive relationships across teams.
• Professional, trustworthy and able to manage confidential information with discretion.
• Strong expertise in project management, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Experience identifying process improvements and creating organisational systems to meet evolving needs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to navigate complex situations with care and discretion.
• Highly collaborative approach to work, sharing knowledge and tools effectively across teams.
• Experience using Microsoft Office & project management tools (Microsoft Planner, Miro) or equivalents.
• Experience using Salesforce, Airtable or other Information Management Systems is a plus.
• Creative, open-minded, and solution oriented.
• Reliable, proactive, and able to both work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to thrive within a fluid, start-up environment. BENEFITS OF THE ROLE
• A competitive salary (commensurate with skills and experience)
• Generous company pension (10% non-contributory)
• Hybrid working
• Medical insurance, life assurance, 25 days holiday
• Cycle to work and eyecare schemes LOCATION LightEn is currently hybrid, with onsite working regularly out of the Hampstead office.