Business Operations Associate

Description

Reports To: Senior Manager, Innovation & Impact

Location: Maryland (Hybrid)

Employment Status: Part-Time, Non-Exempt

Schedule: Approximately 20–25 hours per week

Starting salary: $20/hr.

About AfriThrive

AfriThrive is a nonprofit organization advancing food security, health equity, and community well-being through culturally relevant food access, sustainable agriculture, Food as Medicine, youth development, and community partnerships. As AfriThrive continues to grow, we are strengthening the organizational systems, processes, and infrastructure needed to operate effectively, implement our strategy, and maximize community impact.

Position Summary

The Business Operations Associate supports AfriThrive's organizational effectiveness through business operations, strategic planning support, project coordination, process improvement, and implementation of priority organizational initiatives. Working across departments and under the guidance of senior leadership, the Associate supports the translation of organizational priorities into actionable plans, tracks projects and deliverables, assists with improving workflows and operating systems, and supports selected special projects and organizational events.

This position is well suited for a highly organized, resourceful professional who enjoys bringing structure to complex projects, solving operational problems, coordinating across teams, and helping an organization move priorities from planning to execution.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Planning & Implementation Support – 25%

• Support AfriThrive's strategic planning process, including coordination of meetings, timelines, stakeholder engagement, research, documentation, and project deliverables.
• Assist with translating strategic priorities into annual goals, workplans, milestones, and implementation activities.
• Track progress on selected organizational priorities and follow-up with responsible staff on agreed actions and deliverables.
• Support quarterly and annual planning and organizational review processes.
• Prepare planning materials, presentations, briefing documents, and progress updates for leadership.

2. Business Operations & Process Improvement – 25%

• Support the development, documentation, and improvement of organizational workflows, processes, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Help identify operational bottlenecks and opportunities to improve efficiency, coordination, and accountability.
• Support implementation and adoption of organizational systems, tools, and operating practices.• Support coordination of cross-department operational activities requiring shared timelines, responsibilities, and follow-through.
• Maintain organized documentation for key business processes, projects, and organizational systems.

3. Strategic Initiatives & Special Projects – 25%

• Support and coordinate assigned organizational initiatives and special projects under the direction of the CEO, Senior Manager, or other designated project lead.
• Assist in developing and maintaining project plans, timelines, task assignments, milestones, and tracking tools.
• Support coordination with internal and external stakeholders involved in assigned projects.
• Conduct research and benchmarking to support organizational initiatives and leadership decision-making.
• Track project progress, flag emerging risks or delays, and support timely follow-up.
• Prepare project updates, briefing materials, documentation, and other materials to support project implementation and completion.

4. Organizational Events & Cross-Functional Coordination – 15%

• Support coordination of selected organization-wide events and special initiatives that require cross-functional project management.
• Assist with developing and maintaining event workplans, timelines, budgets, logistics plans, vendor coordination, and internal staff assignments.
• Work collaboratively with Development, Communications, Community Engagement, Programs, and other teams based on their respective responsibilities.
• Support event implementation and post-event follow-up and evaluation.
• Support timely and well-organized implementation of major organizational events and initiatives are delivered on schedule and within approved plans and budgets.

5. Leadership & Organizational Support – 10%

• Prepare presentations, reports, meeting materials, project briefs, and other leadership documents.
• Support leadership planning sessions, retreats, and selected cross-functional meetings.
• Maintain action trackers and follow up on agreed organizational commitments.
• Assist with organizational research and special assignments related to growth, operational effectiveness, and organizational capacity.
• Perform other related duties consistent with the purpose and scope of the position.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Public Administration, Operations, Project Management, Nonprofit Management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Prior internship, volunteer, academic, or professional experience in business operations, project coordination, organizational administration, nonprofit management, research, or a related area preferred.
• Strong organizational and project coordination skills.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments, deadlines, and priorities with appropriate guidance and supervision.
• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office and collaborative workplace technology.
• Ability to work independently on assigned responsibilities while collaborating effectively across departments.
• Strong attention to detail and consistent follow-through.

Preferred

• Experience working in a nonprofit, mission-driven, or growing organization.
• Experience supporting strategic planning or organizational improvement projects.
• Experience developing workflows, SOPs, project plans, or operational systems.
• Familiarity with project management platforms such as Wrike, Asana, or Monday.com.
• Experience coordinating organizational events or cross-functional initiatives.
• Familiarity with CRM and business systems such as Salesforce.
• Interest in technology, AI, and tools that improve organizational productivity.

What Success Looks Like

• During the first year, the Business Operations Associate will contribute to:
• Effective coordination and timely completion of assigned strategic planning activities and deliverables.
• Effective support for the implementation and tracking of priority organizational initiatives.
• Improved workflows and documented operating procedures for selected organizational processes.
• Effective support and coordination of assigned special projects from planning through completion.
• Well-organized execution of selected organization-wide events and initiatives.
• Improved cross-department coordination, project visibility, and follow-through.
• Timely and high-quality project documentation, reports, presentations, and leadership materials.
• Demonstrated growth in the ability to independently coordinate projects and organizational initiatives.

Why Join AfriThrive?

This position provides an opportunity to work across multiple areas of a growing nonprofit organization and contribute directly to how AfriThrive plans, operates, and scales its impact. The Business Operations Associate will gain exposure to strategic planning, organizational operations, project management, systems improvement, special initiatives, and nonprofit leadership while helping strengthen the infrastructure behind AfriThrive's mission.