Operations Associate — Heterodox Academy

Position Title: Operations Associate

Start Date: February 15, 2026

Location: Hybrid; New York City Office 3 times a week

Pay: $75-85k

Position Type: Regular, full-time, exempt

About the Organization: Heterodox Academy (HxA) fosters a culture of open inquiry on college campuses, where the pursuit of truth requires three essential conditions: the free exchange of ideas, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. After a widespread surge of appreciation for the importance of these conditions, HxA now has the opportunity to equip its members, member communities, and college and university partners with research, data, ideas, practical resources, and training resources that can allow them to build cultures of open inquiry on campus in alignment with HxA’s Open Inquiry U Reform Agenda.

Position Summary: HxA seeks an organized, energetic, versatile, and welcoming Operations Associate to provide in-person support to colleagues and guests at our office in midtown Manhattan, New York City; to coordinate services, payments, and shipments in support of remote colleagues and members around the world; and to assist with on-demand shipping requests from team members and members. Reporting to the Operations Manager and collaborating with leaders and staff across the organization, this role is central to the success of a fast-growing organization and has the potential for career growth. This is a hybrid position with an expectation of being in the office at least 3 times a week and limited travel throughout the year.

This position is wide-ranging, flexible, and collaborative. HxA understands that not every candidate will be equally skilled or experienced in every area. If you feel qualified for the role, but your skills and experience are not a 100% fit for every detail below, we encourage you to apply anyway!

Specific duties include:

Operational Support

Working closely with the Operations Manager, manage and maintain internal systems that enable other team members to perform and succeed in their daily activities.
Maintain established internal systems for reporting and knowledge management through checklists and routines to keep all information systems up to date, including Google Drive, Slack, Asana, Handbooks, and various process documentation.
Manage employee accounts on shared software tools and platforms.
Manage relationships with external vendors providing operational services.
Monitor general HxA email inboxes.
Support the administration of in-person and off-site events and conferences.
Other duties as assigned.

Office Support

Serve as on-site office staff, two days per week, at HxA’s midtown office.
Welcome visitors, guests, and donors with warmth and hospitality.
Maintain HxA’s NYC office, including inventory, restocking and ordering supplies, and receiving and sending out packages.
Serve as the main point of contact for office staff and guests, including visiting academic scholars (“Fellows”) working at HxA’s Segal Center for Academic Pluralism.
Support Fellows and team members with administrative and office needs.
Oversee and supervise summer interns within the HxA office, providing guidance and support, and report progress and performance to the Operations Manager.

Financial Management

Assist with day-to-day financial tasks.
Perform tasks for monthly reconciliation, such as tracking receipts, invoices, Amazon sales, donations, and more.
Process payment and reimbursement requests from HxA staff, guests, featured speakers, and members, including the volunteer leaders of 82+ Campus Community groups.
Engage with vendors and contractors to receive and process invoices in a timely fashion.
Communicate with HxA accountants and financial consultants as needed.
Assist with grants and reporting in coordination with financial consultants and the Advancement Team.

Human Resources

Assist the Operations Manager with the hiring, recruitment, and onboarding processes of new employees.
Manage the offboarding process for departing employees, including technology on and offboarding.
Other duties as assigned.
Develop and maintain the onboarding process, including formal introductions to HxA departments, staff, IT tools, HxA systems, etc.

Travel Support

Assist in tracking business expenses for the team in compliance with the organization’s fiscal policies.
Arrange scheduling and travel for HxA visitors, including guest speakers, podcast guests, and remote staff attending team meetings and retreats.

IT Support

Assist in software management and requests.
Interface with tech support consultants, troubleshoot technical issues, and triage tech requests made by team members.

Other duties as assigned by the Operations Manager.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred, although an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be considered;
At least 2 years of related operations experience required;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate with a wide range of people from a wide range of personal and professional backgrounds;
Exceptional time management and project management skills with the ability to meet goals and deadlines while prioritizing amongst multiple competing responsibilities;
Service-oriented team player; consistently displays a positive “can-do” attitude;
Keen attention to detail;
Exceptional problem-solving skills;
Ability to prioritize tasks that may be delegated simultaneously by the Operations Manager and other team members;
Demonstrates a sense of urgency when given new responsibilities and tasks;
Interest in technology, including AI and automations;
Welcoming personality and good customer service;
Ability to exercise good judgment and thoughtful decision-making;
Demonstrated fluency with the Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite for Business, HubSpot (or similar database); familiarity with Asana.
Familiarity with office equipment, including strong facilities with computers, computer software, and online business management tools;
Prior work in the academic world and/or a non-profit organization is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions: You would be a good fit for our team if the following attributes describe you:

Team player. We are a small team that values collaboration, supporting each other, and engaging with each other. You enjoy being a team player, display an optimistic attitude, can recognize and celebrate wins of all sizes, are open to constructive and supportive feedback, and demonstrate a commitment to consistently improving both your own performance and that of your team.
Political tolerance and flexibility. We don’t care what your politics are, but you must be able to respect and advocate for the inclusion of diverse people with diverse perspectives, including progressive, conservative, and libertarian ideas and scholars.
Excellent organizational and process skills, including the ability to effectively track the status of ongoing projects and find needed documents and information quickly. Ability to take direction, receive feedback and constructive criticism, and share constructive feedback with colleagues. Ability to independently organize, plan, prioritize, and carry out responsibilities, establish processes for self and others, and to finish tasks by established deadlines.
Excellent interpersonal skills, including personal integrity, professionalism, empathy, resourcefulness, partnership, tact, proactive communication, willingness to seek and receive feedback, and a commitment to high standards of work quality and maintaining confidentiality.
Excellent flexibility and adaptability. By the very nature of our work and the ever-changing landscape of higher-ed, our team must be able to be flexible and adaptable as the world and our work change.
Persistent and creative problem-solver and opportunity-seeker. The willingness/ability to anticipate problems, seek out information, and show persistence in finding solutions. We are a young organization with incredible potential to create positive change on college campuses. We seek an entrepreneurial colleague who can help us realize our potential.
Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to write clearly and powerfully; to communicate internally with your colleagues, and the world writ large; to edit and proofread for correct spelling and grammar; and to ensure high-quality, high-impact outputs.

This full-time, at-will position has a target starting date of February 15. Occasional evening or weekend hours may be needed to support special events, programs, or in unusual circumstances. While HxA offers a flexible work schedule, full-time employees are still expected to work 40 hours per week.

To Apply: Submit an original cover letter and resume via this form.

The final salary offer will be determined based on the candidate's experience, qualifications, and other relevant factors. The stated range reflects the anticipated lower and higher bounds of the possible salary.

HxA also provides strong benefits, including contributions to medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; employer contributions to retirement; paid time off; and professional development opportunities.

Heterodox Academy is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.