Do you thrive when enabling people to do their best work?

We are searching for a Director of Operations.

hcma is a collective of passionate people with diverse backgrounds, expertise, and interests. We believe human connections are key to tackling the fundamental problems of our time, and strive to create solutions that ignite conversation and build compassionate communities.

We’re constantly learning, evolving, and approaching the world around us with a curious eye. As a result, we’ve grown into a complex ecosystem with varied and nuanced perspectives – they bring depth and character to our work, but demand strong connections and alignment to work cohesively as a large team.  Having recently gone through a period of rapid growth, we’re looking for a Director of Operations to help shore up our key business systems and processes to help ensure the firm and our people can thrive.

Who is the Director of Operations?

An executor who’ll work with the Partners, Associate Principals, Head of Strategy, Director of Architectural Service Delivery, and Director of Finance to turn ideas and vision into action. A people person who is excited to solve complex issues in creative and compassionate ways. Someone who thinks a little differently, who sees the big picture and excels at breaking it down into consistent tools, systems, and processes that connect us. Someone who brings a bit of fun to the more mundane sides of administration and enables our wider team to flourish without quashing the richness of individual voices. Someone who's at ease with shifting altitudes, looking at something through a high level, strategic lens at one moment, and then rolling up their sleeves and tackling something tactically the next.

What will you do?

Lead the firm's business operations

• Play a key role in the leadership of hcma through the effective management of our business operations;
• Work with our leadership team to actively create, manage, and evolve systems to help meet our performance goals related to people, finances, and business performance;
• Lead our tech strategy, including the relationship between hcma and our external IT providers.

Enhance operational processes

• Influence the development of, and support implementation of systems and processes for firm management functions including human resources, finance, and service delivery;
• Ensure firm wide processes are transparent, understandable, and adaptive to change as needed, with frequent reporting to the Partners;
• Convene and facilitate cross-functional conversations, creating space for a broad range of perspectives and input, synthesizing feedback and identifying a path to execution;
• Lead the implementation of interdisciplinary systems and processes, developing solutions that allow our individual service offerings and functions to shine while maintaining a consistent standard;
• Manage the firm's operating calendar, coordinating, and chairing various leadership meetings and firm wide initiatives and communications.

Be responsible for change management, operationalizing concepts and initiatives

• Lead change management collaboratively and transparently: behavioural and habit changes are key to the success of change at hcma;
• Ensure ways of working across different project types and disciplines are compatible and constructive;
• Ensure new systems and processes gain traction long-term,;
• Build strong relationships – getting to know people well is an integral part of the job;
• Track how things are going: ensure data is current and communicate it simply (love a visual dashboard more than a Word document? You have found your people!).

We’re looking for someone who…

• Is people-focused and open-minded, with a curious attitude;
• Understands the complexity that comes with being a collaborative and co-creative enterprise with clients, communities, consultants, and constructors;
• Contributes eagerly, learns continuously, and always looks for improvement;
• Understands inertia: doesn’t default to reinventing the wheel;
• Is able to identify and focus on priorities without letting perfection halt progress;
• Applies strategic thinking to all levels of planning and delivery; while being comfortable handling tactical details of implementation;
• Is flexible, proactive, patient, persistent and can see when a process needs to change along the way;
• Holds leadership qualities that bring out the best in people;
• Is an excellent communicator – spoken and written – with a knack for explaining complex issues in lay terms;
• Knows when to put pencils down, get out of office, and reflect on work in a different way.

What experience you might have...

• Handled the delivery of strategic operational change in a previous role;
• 10+ years’ experience in business operations, firm management, project delivery, or a related field (we’re flexible on the 10 years, as long as you can demonstrate you’re highly skilled in change management, implementation, and the ability to keep things running smoothly over the longer term);
• Previous experience at a professional services firm, creative firm, or business consultancy is a definite asset;
• Knowledge of operational concepts, practices, and procedures;
• Strong business acumen, analytical skills, and creative problem-solving are required;
• Proven experience identifying and analyzing complex and interlinked business issues;
• Experience managing teams and juggling different skillsets and personalities;
• Strong listening skills, with the ability to manage and de-escalate conflict and build consensus.

How to apply

If this opportunity in Vancouver excites you and you’d like to learn more, please reach out to us at careers@hcma.ca. We’d love to see your resume, and more importantly, know more about you – what you are passionate about and why hcma might be right for you.