Vice President of Operations and Risk Management

Job Description

Location: Remote, anchored to either our Boston, MA, or Washington, DC, office. The Vice President works remotely day-to-day but is expected to maintain a regular, established presence at one of these offices and to come in as needed, with the specific rhythm set in coordination with the CEO.

Candidates must reside within commuting distance of Boston or DC. Candidates based in the New York area who can readily travel to either office by train are also encouraged to apply.

Employment type: Full-time, exempt

Department: Executive Office

Compensation: USD 235,000 to USD 250,000 per year

Reports to: President and CEO; dotted-line relationship to the Executive Vice President – Sr. Advisor to the President and CEO

Direct reports: CFO, Senior Director, Technology & Information Management (TIM), Head of People, Culture and Human Resources (PCHR)

Key collaborations: Oxfam America’s Senior Leadership Team; leaders across Finance, TIM, PCHR, and other operational functions; Oxfam International and affiliate teams; the Board and relevant Board committees; and external advisors, auditors, vendors, and consultants.

Job Description

Purpose of the position

The Vice President, Operations and Risk Management (VP O&RM) provides strategic and operational leadership for Oxfam America’s Operations and Risk Management division, including Finance, Technology and Information Management (TIM), and People, Culture and Human Resources (PCHR). As a member of the executive leadership team, the VP ensures that Oxfam America’s operational systems, infrastructure, people processes, financial stewardship (including grants management), risk management, compliance, and shared services are integrated, effective, agile, and aligned with organizational priorities and values. The VP leads and integrates the division’s functions and senior leaders as a single high-performing team for harmonized operational support, with a clear understanding of how interconnected and interdependent these functions are.

The VP represents Oxfam America with operational leaders across the Oxfam confederation to support and influence the ongoing priority of harmonizing and streamlining shared systems. The VP builds alignment and advances improvement and accountability through influence, negotiation, strong relationships, diplomacy, and sound judgment.

Why this role

You will lead a team of experienced senior functional leaders, each with deep specialist expertise, and report directly to the President and CEO. Your work is to set shared priorities, streamline, harmonize, and integrate Finance, Technology, People, Culture and Human Resources, and the other support functions, and strengthen the quality of service that staff and leaders experience from the support functions. The result is a more effective, resilient organization with high-functioning, smooth, and effective operational support for staff.

What success looks like

• Oxfam America divisions and teams are supported by a coherent, streamlined operating model with clear accountabilities and strong cross-functional service.
• Finance, TIM, PCHR, Risk, and other support functions operate as an integrated and responsive operational backbone.
• Core systems and processes are continuously modernized, documented, secure, cost-effective, and automated where appropriate.
• Operational risks have clear oversight, effective governance, and timely escalation.
• Shared services and operational functions are regularly reviewed and improved for effectiveness, efficiency, and organizational coherence.
• Leadership practices, talent mapping, and succession planning are strengthened and embedded as sustainable organizational practices.
• Leaders and staff experience internal operations as responsive, timely, transparent, enabling, and aligned with Oxfam America’s mission and values.

Primary responsibilities

1. Operational Efficiency and Effectiveness

• Provide executive leadership for internal operations and shared services, ensuring functions are integrated, responsive, cost-effective, adaptive, adequately resourced, as lean as appropriate, and aligned with organizational priorities. The VP sets direction and integrates the work of senior functional leaders, who retain day-to-day responsibility for their specialist areas.
• Establish, manage and guide clear operating rhythms, decision pathways, service expectations, controls, and cross-functional processes that enable consistent execution.
• Drive continuous improvement through process simplification, automation, shared services, strategic outsourcing, and effective use of AI, data, and technology, identifying and delivering incremental improvements within constrained systems rather than only maintaining them.
• Ensure business continuity and operational resilience, including effective management of significant organizational, systems, facilities, and confederation-related transitions.

2. People, Culture and Human Resources

• Oversee the continued development and institutionalization of PCHR in the division following its transition period, ensuring an adaptive, supportive operating model with clear roles, capabilities, accountabilities, and service expectations.
• Ensure consistent, transparent, and well-documented employee lifecycle practices, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, professional development, retention, promotion, and offboarding.
• Oversee modernization of people policies, systems, and processes, including the Employee Handbook and implementation of relevant learnings from staff feedback and organizational assessments.
• Partner with the President and CEO, Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff, Senior Leadership Team, and Board leadership on organizational health, leadership effectiveness, talent mapping, succession planning, and workplace culture.
• In partnership with the Executive Vice President, support constructive and transparent labor-management relations and effective union engagement.

3. Technology and Information Management

• Provide executive oversight of technology strategy, infrastructure, service delivery, data governance, cybersecurity, digital risk, and vendor and outsourcing models.
• Advance modernization and integration of operational platforms and business systems, with emphasis on usability, automation, data quality, scalability, and confederation-wide harmonization.
• Ensure technology investments are aligned with organizational strategy, risk, cost, staff experience, and measurable business value.
• Strengthen cybersecurity governance, information security, incident preparedness, and coordination with Oxfam International and affiliates.

4. Financial Stewardship and Operational Finance

• Provide executive-level operational oversight of Finance, financial systems, and grants management, partnering with the CFO and President and CEO to support strong stewardship, planning, controls, reporting, and decision-making. The CFO leads Finance day to day, including technical finance, accounting, and fiduciary reporting; the VP provides executive oversight and ensures the department’s intra- and cross-division integration and harmonization.
• Ensure finance operations and systems are efficient, appropriately structured, supported, and fit for purpose.
• Oversee the strengthening and streamlining of cross-functional processes and practices involving grants management, payroll, procurement, contracting, and vendors, for effective, high-quality shared services.
• Use financial and operational data to identify risks, cost drivers, performance gaps, and opportunities for improved efficiency and resource allocation.
• Represent Oxfam America, in coordination with the President and CEO and CFO, in relevant confederation operational forums.

5. Operational Risk, Compliance and Resilience

• Oversee regular review, monitoring and updating of Oxfam America’s operational risk management framework, ensuring material operational, legal, financial, people, technology, security, and reputational risks are refreshed, tracked in the risk register, assessed, mitigated, and appropriately escalated.
• Oversee key compliance and control areas, including sanctions and anti-terrorism financing requirements, cybersecurity and digital risk, insurance, legal risk, internal controls, and other organizational compliance obligations.
• Partner with executive leadership, the Board, Audit Committee, external advisors, and internal leaders to maintain effective risk reporting, governance, and accountability.
• Promote an approach to risk management that enables responsible action and innovation while maintaining appropriate safeguards and controls.

6. Facilities and Shared Services

• Oversee facilities and workplace operations to ensure safe, streamlined, cost-effective support for Oxfam America’s hybrid operating model.
• Develop shared administrative services where they improve consistency, staff experience, and organizational efficiency.
• Ensure vendors and outsourced services are managed through clear performance expectations, appropriate controls, and disciplined contract management.

7. Executive Leadership and Governance

• Partner with the President and CEO, Executive Vice President, and Senior Leadership Team on enterprise-wide priorities, planning, and execution.
• Lead through influence across organizational boundaries, building alignment and translating strategic direction into effective implementation. Within the confederation, use technical expertise, diplomacy, and credibility to influence system-wide improvements.
• Build strong cross-division collaboration, and provide clear reporting and recommendations to executive and Board leadership on operations, finance, technology, people, and risk matters within the role’s remit.
• Lead, coach, develop, and hold the CFO, Senior Director of TIM, and Head of HR accountable for results, while building the leadership capacity, collaboration, and performance of teams across the Operations and Risk Management division.
• Represent Oxfam America with Oxfam International and affiliate counterparts, as well as external partners, advisors, auditors, and vendors.

Expectations for the position

• Executive Leadership and Judgment: Lead with integrity, political acumen, accountability, emotional intelligence, stewardship, and sound judgment.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build strong relationships across technical and non-technical functions and foster shared accountability, transparency, and effective teamwork.
• Continuous Learning and Innovation: Maintain current knowledge of evolving operating models, technologies, risk and compliance practices, and digital tools; champion simplification, automation, integration, and optimization.
• Equity and Inclusion: Integrate Oxfam’s commitments to gender justice, anti-racism, feminist and decolonial principles, and inclusive practices into operational leadership and decision-making.
• Safeguarding: Uphold Oxfam’s safeguarding standards and promote systems and management practices that support a safe, respectful, accountable, and inclusive workplace.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Required qualifications: education and experience

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience, including substantial senior or executive leadership responsibility for complex organizational operations, enterprise-wide systems, and experienced functional leaders; nonprofit, international, or similarly mission-driven experience strongly valued. Equivalent combinations of experience will be considered.

Required qualifications: experience and core competencies

• Demonstrated executive leadership of multiple operational support functions, with depth in one or more relevant disciplines and the judgment to lead senior specialists across finance, people operations, technology, facilities, and risk in support of Oxfam America’s mission and as part of a global confederation. A track record of integrating functions, setting shared priorities, and holding leaders accountable for results is essential. The role requires enterprise-level fluency and sound judgment across these functions, rather than specialist credentials in every discipline.
• A demonstrated record of improving enterprise-wide operating models, structures, and cross-functional processes, and overseeing the cost-effective implementation of organizational change in support of mission and strategy.
• Experience establishing or overseeing risk, control, compliance, and business-continuity practices, working effectively with functional experts and external advisors.
• Strong financial fluency, including working knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, financial controls, reporting, audits, and grants or restricted funding, sufficient to partner effectively with and provide strategic support and oversight of a CFO.
• Demonstrated success managing senior leaders and multidisciplinary teams and establishing accountability and service standards across diverse functions.
• Experience partnering with Presidents/CEOs, executive teams, and Boards, and clearly communicating complex operational, financial, technology, people, and risk matters.
• Ability to operate independently, build strong cross-division relationships, lead through ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and combine strategic thinking with operational depth.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Executive presence and credibility: the stature, judgment, and executive oversight that instill confidence in the President and CEO, the executive team, the Board, and confederation peers, and the willingness to challenge proposals constructively when needed.

Preferred qualifications

• Deep specialist expertise in one or more of the division’s functions (finance, human resources/people operations, technology, or risk management).
• Experience in an international NGO, federated or confederated organization, or organization operating across multiple legal, financial, and regulatory contexts.
• Experience with enterprise resource planning transformation, cloud migration, cybersecurity and data governance, AI-enabled process improvement, and technology outsourcing.
• Experience with grants management, sanctions/OFAC or anti-terrorism financing controls, safeguarding, or comparable risk frameworks relevant to international nonprofits.

Additional Information

Our selection process includes multiple interviews and may include additional assessments.

Oxfam America is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all qualified applicants and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities upon request.

Safeguarding & Conduct

Oxfam America is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace for all. We have zero tolerance for any form of sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, discrimination, or misconduct. All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory references and appropriate pre-employment checks in line with Oxfam America's Safeguarding Policy. As a participant in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), we may request information from previous employers regarding findings or investigations related to SEAH-related misconduct.

E-Verify

We are an E-Verify employer. For more information:

• E-Verify Participation Poster: English / Spanish
• E-Verify Right to Work Poster: English | Spanish

Additional Information

Oxfam America is a Gender Just organization and an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all qualified applicants and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities upon request.

Safeguarding & Conduct
Oxfam America is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace for all. We have zero tolerance for any form of sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, discrimination, or misconduct. All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory references and appropriate pre‑employment checks in line with Oxfam America’s Safeguarding Policy. As a participant in the Inter‑Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), we may request information from previous employers regarding findings or investigations related to SEAH‑related misconduct.

Recruitment Fraud Warning
Oxfam America never requests payment, bank information, or personal financial details from candidates at any stage of the recruitment process.

E‑Verify
We are an E‑Verify employer.

For more information:

• E-Verify Participation Poster: English / Spanish
• E-Verify Right to Work Poster: English | Spanish

Compensation: 235000 to 250000 (USD) (YEARLY)