Marketing Operations Manager

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) is looking for an exempt, full-time Marketing Operations Manager who finds a way to turn possibility into process through the structure, systems, practices, and details that make a high-performing team unstoppable. This is a chance for a sharp, self-starting operator to lead with shared impact—building and owning infrastructure that helps a growing marketing team move fast, spend wisely and be ready for whatever comes next.

About the NFF: The National Forest Foundation, chartered by Congress in 1990, is the official national partner to the US Forest Service (USFS). In recent years, the Foundation has grown significantly in organizational capacity, revenue, and programmatic impact. Today, the NFF works with people, partners, and communities across the country to restore forests and watersheds; make forests more resilient to wildfire; and ensure accessible and sustainable opportunities for recreation in our National Forests. NFF leads with impact, deploying roughly 90% of its expenses towards projects and programs across the country’s 193-million-acre National Forest System. NFF is forward-thinking and innovative, with ambitious strategies and goals building toward a bold future: a world where caring for our forests is second nature.

Position Function: The Marketing Operations Manager reports to the Director of Content & Campaigns and manages everything behind the scenes that powers the NFF marketing team: contracts, budgets, technology and workflows that turn strategy into efficient, effective, measurable and reportable action. This is a high-trust, high-impact role for an experienced operator who respects every voice, thrives on solving complex problems, anticipates needs before they become bottlenecks, and brings the judgment to make smart trade-offs under real constraints.

The right person uncovers opportunities to move better, faster and more efficiently in all aspects of marketing. They respect every voice, build trusted partnerships across the organization, bring strategic and systems thinking to everyday decisions, and lead with curiosity, a “find a way” mindset and the kind of steady, inclusive judgment that makes the whole marketing team more efficient and effective, all with an eye toward serving future generations who will benefit from the resources provided by National Forests.

Position Duties and Responsibilities: The Marketing Operations Manager will:

Financial Operations & Vendor Management

• Own the full vendor contract lifecycle: integrate diversity and inclusion considerations when prospecting new partners; negotiate terms, timelines, and deliverables; mitigate potential risk and resolve issues before they escalate
• Lead annual budget planning and recurring budget review cycles; build compliant budgets and track spending against approved plans
• Monitor marketing expenditures, proactively flag variances, and deliver clear, data-backed budget status reporting to team leaders
• Design and track vendor and spending performance metrics; ensure accurate data capture and reporting across contract and budget systems
• Oversee invoice processing and payment operations, resolving discrepancies and maintaining accurate internal tracking

Systems & Technology Operations

• Proactively identify recurring friction points across the team, design and implement scalable solutions; build and maintain standard operating procedures for team workflows
• Translate organizational and marketing strategy into operational roadmaps and lead the evaluation, selection and integration of new systems, apps, and technology that bring efficiency to marketing operations at scale
• Own continuous improvement and change management for new tools and workflows, delivering clear communication, driving adoption and reinforcing new ways of working
• Lead exploration, implementation, and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that improve operational efficiency and marketing effectiveness

Cross-Functional Initiatives & Collaboration

• Serve as the marketing team’s key liaison with Finance, IT and People & Culture, aligning marketing participation with cross-team priorities and cross-functional working groups
• Serve as project manager for projects as assigned, including those initiated by outside partners, USFS, and others, to ensure the right people, systems, and support are in place to drive project success
• Orchestrate annual marketing strategic planning and routine strategic plan check-ins, align budgets to organizational priorities and outcomes
• Create, evolve, and automate reporting systems that align internal reporting with reporting to the board, committees, and partners, turning complex information into easily accessible, clear, actionable narratives
• Identify and implement professional development, team building and technology fluency programming for marketing team, and lead logistics planning and implementation for team meetings, retreats and project-related travel
• Serve as a trusted steward of sensitive and confidential information, exercising sound judgment and protecting data integrity

Education and Qualifications: NFF expects the Marketing Operations Manager to bring the following education and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or equivalent professional experience
• 4+ years of experience in marketing operations, program management or business operations, ideally within a national or multi-site organization
• Proven track record negotiating vendor contracts and managing budgets of significant scope and complexity
• Proficiency with Asana, Canto, AI (Generative, Agentic, and emerging functionality), and the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook); experience with marketing operations platforms strongly preferred
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or similar certification preferred, not required
• UX or Human Centered Design experience preferred, not required
• Must be authorized to work in the United States

Abilities and Skills: NFF expects the Marketing Operations Manager to bring the following proven abilities and skills:

• Strategic and systems thinker who connects day-to-day operations to bigger-picture team and organizational goals
• Skilled negotiator and relationship-builder who manages vendor and cross-functional partnerships with confidence and diplomacy
• Sees possibility in process: a resourceful, proactive, and decisive problem-solver who thrives on ambiguity and complexity
• Self-starter who takes ownership of their own role and works collaboratively to co-create and implement systems, workflows, and implementations that “stick”
• Trustworthy with confidential information; leads with integrity, transparency, and sound judgment
• Clear, compelling communicator who translates complex data into narratives that inform decisions at every level
• Inclusive leader who builds trust across team(s)
• Change-ready, leading adoption of new tools and processes with patience and steady follow-through
• Analytical mindset with a bias toward data-informed decisions and continuous improvement
• Deeply curious, leads with empathy, brings a growth mindset to all they do

Location: This is a remote/work-from-home position open to candidates in the lower 48 states. Reliable internet access and a dedicated workspace are required. Occasional travel for team gatherings may be expected.

Compensation: NFF offers a competitive compensation and benefits package that reflects our total rewards strategy. The salary range for this position is $95,000 with the ability to grow to $118,750 based on performance over time. Starting salary within this range is determined by a combination of experience, internal equity with comparable roles, and organizational budget, and is assessed annually as part of NFF's compensation review process.

Benefits: NFF is proud to offer our staff:

Health and Wellness

• Medical and dental insurance paid at 75% by the organization for you and any dependents
• Vision insurance paid 50% by the organization for you and any dependents
• Health savings account (HSA) with employer contributions, predicated on coverage type
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA)
• Employee assistance program (EAP) at no cost

Financial Wellbeing

• 403(b) retirement plan with a 5% employer match after one (1) year of service
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance at no cost
• Basic life and AD&D insurance at no cost, with voluntary life insurance options

Flexibility and Time Off

• Employees start with 35 days of annual leave, sick leave, personal leave and holidays
• Family & medical leave for up to sixteen (16) weeks with up to four (4) weeks paid

Personal Development

• Training & Development Programs
• Professional development reimbursement up to $1,000 per year

Journey of a Lifetime

• The opportunity to support an incredible mission and travel to / work in spectacular locations

To Apply: Applications must include both a cover letter and resume. Incomplete packages will not be considered. Applications may be reviewed on a rolling basis. This posting will close on October 7th, or earlier if filled. Please visit our careers site to apply online.

The National Forest Foundation is an equal opportunity employer — meaning we provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable law. Further, we prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, and termination. We strive to foster a work environment where every individual is respected, valued, and treated fairly. This statement reflects our unwavering dedication to fairness, respect, and equality in employment practices and sets the foundation for a positive work environment.