Operations Manager, Commercial Growth Organization

RTI International (RTI) is both a global research institute and a leading international development organization based out of North Carolina. At RTI, you will find work you believe in, tackling some of the most complex global challenges of our time. Our mission is to impact the well being of 1 billion people by 2030 through science-based solutions in climate, education, health, and equity. Our staff promote meaningful change around the world helping people live healthier, more productive, and more independent lives.

If you are looking for an opportunity to make a real difference, RTI is the place for you. Join us in our commitment to teamwork, belonging, and the passion to change the world.

The role falls within the Growth Unit, which manages how RTI pursues, wins, and grows our project portfolio across U.S., state, local, and foreign governments, foundations, and the commercial sector in collaboration with technical staff across the organization.

RTI is recruiting for an experienced Operations Manager for our recently launched Commercial Growth Organization (CGO). The primary focus of this role is to support the smooth operation of designated core processes daily while coordinating a changing set of projects and initiatives, which may originate within or outside the CGO.

As the CGO transitions from "start up" to "scale up" mode, the Operations Manager will play an important role in supporting daily operations while contributing to the identification, design and implementation of process improvements to enhance efficiency and productivity. This role offers the opportunity to apply capabilities in operations management, project planning, cross-functional coordination, and organizational communications to make a meaningful contribution to the success of our fast-growing Commercial Growth business.

An exciting aspect of this position is the range of interaction involved, both within and outside the CGO team. You will work most closely with other members of the Commercial Business Development (BD) Enablement team, which is responsible for managing the core processes within the Commercial Business Development lifecycle. In addition, you will regularly interface with our Commercial Sector Leaders and Account Executives, representatives from our Public Growth team and our technical Solutions teams, and with other corporate functions such as Finance, Marketing, Corporate Communications, IT, and HR. This position is open to remote candidates as well as those who would prefer to be hybrid or on-site at our Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina campus. This role reports to the Head of Commercial Business Development.

Detailed responsibilities for this position include:

• Monitor the effectiveness of CGO operations; capture issues and risks; and escalate recommendations for resolutions and improvements. Coordinate the development and refinement of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Provide program/project coordination for both CGO-led and interdepartmental initiatives, including, but not limited to:
  • Continuous improvement of core CGO processes.
  • Systems updates and implementations.
  • Training, communications, and change management initiatives.
  • Cross-team coordination of CGO's periodic planning efforts and cyclical activities (e.g., sector strategy updates, and key account planning and management, etc.).
  • CGO planning and implementation of projects and initiatives originating from Corporate or other departments.
• Track and report on activities, deliverables and milestones for both CGO-led and interdepartmental projects and initiatives. Lead or coordinate selected priority CGO projects, as determined by CGO leadership.
• Coordinate and support the process for reporting progress to RTI leadership and the development of executive presentations and organizational updates. Coordinate the synthesis of inputs to presentations and other communications documents.
• Ensure standardization and continuous improvement of the processes for document management of MSAs, proposals, and SOWs.
• Lead Salesforce maintenance and updates for the CGO.
• Assist with financial and operational data analysis and reporting activities.
• Liaise with business partners from other functional areas and departments to ensure coordinated and aligned cross-functional operations.
  
  
• Provide day-to-day guidance and support to the CGO Operations Coordinator for assigned tasks, such as Sharepoint and portal management, and various Finance and Procurement processing activities.
• Support the triage of inbound leads from potential clients.

Required Minimum Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree and at least 8 years of relevant professional experience, or a Master's degree and at least 6 years of relevant experience.
• At least 4 years' demonstrable experience in an operations management role, or similar.
• To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status(e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications and Experience:

• Prior commercial (for-profit) sector experience.
• Experience with Business Development operations within the commercial sector (i.e., B2B sales).
• Program/Project Management certification, such as Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM).
• Experience in process improvement and/or change management.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Strong familiarity with business development processes and procedures.
• Must have strong verbal and written communication skills, highly professional presence, and ability to interact with stakeholders from across RTI.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, Sharepoint.
• Excellent knowledge and experience with CRM software, preferably Salesforce.
• Demonstrated skills and expertise in program/project management.

#LI-EP1