Director, Council Operations

Overview:

International Justice Mission (IJM) is a global movement of Christians working to protect people in poverty from everyday violence—human trafficking, slavery, sexual violence, police abuse, and other brutalities that destroy lives and communities. IJM partners with local authorities in multiple countries to rescue victims, hold perpetrators accountable in court, restore survivors, and strengthen justice systems so they protect the vulnerable long after IJM leaves.

The Director, Council Operations (DCO), serves as one of the key architects of how this mission operates at scale. Reporting directly to the Global Operations Council Chair (GOCC/CFO), the DCO plays a pivotal role in the operational leadership and management of the IJM enterprise by shaping, managing, and continually enhancing IJM’s global operational ecosystem. The DCO steers the development of a unified Global Operations Structure, Strategy, Metrics, and Budget that measurably (1) supports the Program and Resources Pathways to achieve the 2030 Vision, (2) enables IJM to meet all financial stewardship, legal, fiduciary, and duty of care requirements, and (3) continually drives efficiency and effectiveness of global operations and support functions.

This role is designed for a builder and integrator who loves turning complexity into clarity and movement. In partnership with the GOCC and senior leaders, the DCO leads the Global Operations Council; orchestrates the Operations Pathway Portfolio; and leads a high-performing team that shapes how IJM plans, decides, measures, and improves.

This position is based in the Washington, DC area and is available to be hybrid (onsite Tuesdays & Thursdays). It reports to the Chief Financial Officer and is only available for candidates with the right to work in the US.

Responsibilities:

Leadership

Working closely with the GOCC, the DCO takes a central role in the operational leadership and management of IJM.

• Lead the development of processes, frameworks, training/communications, and measurements for cross-functional and enterprise-wide integration of Global Operations, establishing an effective, efficient, and continuously improving operational ecosystem.

• Lead the establishment and design of functional Communities of Practice that foster operational alignment, collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement.

• Collaborate with the GOCC to cultivate a healthy, thriving culture across Global Operations, reflecting IJM”s mission and values.

Enterprise Operational Ecosystem Management

The DCO is responsible for driving the effective integration, collaboration, and functioning of Global Operations within a clearly defined enterprise-wide operational ecosystem.

• Lead the Global Operations Council in developing an enterprise operational ecosystem aligning with IJM”s regional matrix operating model and enterprise strategy.

• Drive communications, training, and change management for embedding and implementing the functionality of the enterprise operational ecosystem across functions and regions.

• Develop and manage frameworks and processes for optimizing and continuously improving the operational structure, systems, and processes of Global Operations within the enterprise operational ecosystem.

• Develop and manage frameworks and processes for resolving issues/conflicts/confusion related to the enterprise operational ecosystem.

Global Operations Council/Division Management

In partnership with the GOCC, the DCO is responsible for the development and management of a Global Operations Structure, Strategy, Metrics, and Budget that measurably (1) support the Program and Resources Pathways to achieve the 2030 Vision, (2) enable the organization to meet all financial stewardship, legal, fiduciary, and duty of care requirements, and (3) continually drive efficiency and effectiveness of global operations and support functions.

• Lead the development and management of the Global Operations Structure, Strategy, Metrics, and Budget.

• Coordinate and manage work plans across Global Operations functions to ensure the right-sizing of operational activities to resources/capacity/capability.

• Provide management and administrative leadership of the Global Operations Council, establishing meeting rhythms, processes, and frameworks to support its operations.

• Develop and manage the framework for measuring, evaluating, and reporting on operational metrics that measure the effectiveness, efficiency, and customer experience of operational support functions across the IJM enterprise.

Qualifications:

• Graduate degree in business management, organizational development, law, or equivalent combination of bachelor’s degree and relevant work experience.

• Minimum of eight (8) years of experience in business operations, business systems, general management, and/or process design/development.

• Experience with not-for-profit leadership (management or board-level) strongly preferred.

• Functional knowledge and understanding of business operations (e.g. accounting, HR, IT systems, legal, etc.) and the interdependencies of operational functions.

• Preference for background in Human Centered Design and/or design thinking, especially in the context of process design/development.

Critical Qualities:

• Eager commitment to IJM”s Core Values: Christian, Professional and Bridge-Building.

• Mature Christian faith with proven ability to lead others in Christian spiritual formation.

• Collaborative, mission-first, servant leader with global Perspective.

• Superb written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to impact other’s behaviors, attitudes, opinions and choices, build consensus around a common purpose and deliver collaborative solutions; listen and empower, work through others.

• Capability to proactively build relationships and trust within the organization.

• Proven ability to absorb complexity and diverse viewpoints/perspectives, and to drive clear, simple, sustainable, and scalable solutions.

Application Process:

Upload Resume, Cover Letter & Statement of Faith* in one PDF document.

*What is a statement of faith?
A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how you see it as relevant to your involvement with IJM. The statement can either be incorporated into the cover letter or submitted as a separate document and should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current fellowship or place of worship.

What does IJM have to offer?

• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision benefits

• Monthly commuter and parking benefits in the DC metro area

• Retirement benefit options

• Paid leave starting at 23 days

• 12 holidays (plus early release the day prior)

• Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation

• Robust staff care resources

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidate’s value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes.

At IJM, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce through fair and equitable employment practices. IJM encourages people of any race, color, age, sex, marital status or political ideology to apply for employment. While we welcome everyone into this work, we truly believe that the work we are doing is God’s work, not our own, and practice spiritual disciplines together daily. That’s why we legally require under SEC. 2000e-1 [Section702] of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that all employees practice a mature orthodox Christian faith, as defined by the Apostles’ Creed.

IJM requires a background check, police clearance and thorough review of references with an employment offer and/or employment contract.