Business Operations Manager

Portland or Bend, Oregon // Hybrid In-Office + Remote

Foghorn Labs is a digital-first marketing agency focused on developing outstanding integrated campaigns for outdoor and active lifestyle brands. Our team’s passion for the outdoors extends beyond the office walls; we use our client’s products on a daily basis to enhance the activities we love. Delivering measurable results to long-term brand partners while maintaining a healthy work-life balance is our north star. Sound like a good direction for your career? 

If you are an operations-minded professional looking to expand your skillset while making a positive impact on a growing list of socially-responsible brands, this could be the opportunity you’ve been searching for. So, what makes a successful candidate? In short, a self-motivated and driven team player who understands what makes a business run like a Swiss clock. In order to be successful at Foghorn, you’ll need to be comfortable navigating internal dashboards and spreadsheets, taking on new projects and managing them to completion, prioritizing a dynamic range of projects and tasks, and exercising discretion with confidential employee and company information. Last, but not least, it’s important that you share our love of outdoor activities, no matter how simple or extreme.

As a Business Operations Manager, you will work alongside Founder and Account Management team to analyze business processes for areas of improvement or automation, monitor internal resource allocation to help determine when to bring on new employees and/or brand partners, cultivate and nurture a positive, healthy and productive company culture, and manage relationships with bookkeeping, HR, and facilities contractors as well as projects that help the organization be more productive and profitable. This newly-created role will have an immense impact on Foghorn’s growing team, brand partners, and overall business success. 

Primary Responsibilities

Agency Operations

• Work alongside management to coordinate agency-wide policy updates. Identify vendors to streamline various processes and pipelines when scaling becomes necessary.
• Lead internal development projects related to process documentation, content development, website improvements, and agency-wide training.
• Support Account Managers to ensure onboarding has been effective and complete for new clients as well as scope increases for existing managed clients.  
• Monitor resource utilization and allocation across current clients, identifying gaps and anticipating ways to better focus the team’s resources. 
• Procure office equipment for new and existing team members, ensuring they have everything the need to be productive in the office as well as working from home.
• Assess technology needs and scale where appropriate, including the vetting and onboarding of SaaS tools, managing licenses for team members.

Financial Operations

• Track progress towards Foghorn company goals (revenue and OKRs) on a monthly to quarterly basis, escalating key items to the team and supporting where appropriate. 
• Compare internal time-tracking reports to client scope of work and associated monthly retainers to identify gaps and areas of opportunity. 
• Compose a month-end billing summary that consists of changes to recurring templates for Account Managers to review prior to sending. 
• Deposit checks from the handful of clients who are not on ACH payments (1x/month).
• Review outstanding invoices monthly and escalate concerns about accounts that are in danger of becoming overdue. 
• Communicate with Foghorn’s bookkeeper and CPA as needed for questions related to payroll, billing, or expense reports. 
• Manage vendor setup for technology platforms and new client engagements as needed. 
• Identify ways to streamline or automate current processes in order to minimize manual or repetitive work.  

People Operations

• Work with leadership and HR consultants to support the cultivation of an inclusive, creative culture that values work-life balance.
• Contribute to Foghorn’s recruitment, hiring and onboarding processes. Help with the marketing of available positions, support with candidate screening and communication through the recruitment process, and manage the onboarding of new team members in partnership with other members of the Foghorn team.
• Oversee the use of safe, shared office spaces, including leading our quarterly internal safety committee meetings and managing outcomes. 
• Address action items in our internal HR management platform (Gusto) related to employee benefits, compliance, and renewals.
• Manage the evolution and distribution of Foghorn’s Employee Handbook as the team grows and policies evolve. 
• Help plan quarterly team off-sites and client events to facilitate team building and enhance company culture.

Experience & Qualifications

• BA/BS degree, ideally in business, communications, or sociology. BA/BS requirement waived for candidates with equivalent practical experience.
• 4 or more years of combined experience, excluding internships, in business operations, project management, human resources, and corporate communications. 
• At least one year of experience in a customer-facing role that involved customer service and/or sales. This experience does not necessarily need to come from a role in technology; It can be from a role in retail, food service, hospitality, or travel/tourism.
• Excellent project management and communication skills, with demonstrated experience creating or contributing to the creation of organizational processes and policies while communicating effectively both up and down an organization.
• Demonstrated experience exercising discretion with sensitive client and employee information.
• Strong attention to detail and a proven ability to project manage and juggle multiple tasks under deadlines.
• Passionate about supporting purpose-driven brands in the outdoor, active lifestyle, and health & wellness industries.
• Plays well with others.

Job Details 

This is a full-time position based out of either Foghorn’s main office in NE Portland’s historic Alberta Arts district, or at our new Bend office located in NW Crossing. Relocation will not be offered. All positions at Foghorn Labs are Hybrid in nature, with the expectation that full-time employees come into the office as needed for meetings (2 to 3 days per week), with the remainder of work performed from home or remotely. 

Career Path

Potential promotion paths from this position include, but are not limited to:

• Digital Marketing Manager
• Digital Marketing Analyst
• Head of Operations

Benefits

• Flexible work schedule in a casual, creative, and welcoming work environment that promotes a healthy work-life balance. 
• Impact the success of leading, socially-conscious brands in the outdoor, active lifestyle, and health & wellness arenas.
• Develop a wide range of highly marketable skills within a fast-paced, dynamic industry.
• Opportunities for professional growth within a profitable, progressive company that’s 100% employee-owned.
• Connect with a deep digital marketing and outdoor industry network.
• Paid time off and personal days to take care of your physical and mental well-being. Accrual rate increases with tenure. 
• Full medical, dental, and vision benefits (Regence Gold) in addition to 401(k) matching.
• Home office internet reimbursement and fully paid Verizon mobile phone plan. 
• Access to awesome client gear like eBikes, iSUPs, plus “pro-deals” galore!

How to Apply 

Send a brief cover letter highlighting why you would be a great fit for this role along with your resume to work@foghornlabs.com. Unsolicited emails will get Rick Rolled. 

Foghorn Labs prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Our team is committed to merit-based opportunities without prejudice towards anyone based on their race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability.