Business Operations Manager

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Business Operations Manager at UL Standards & Engagement. This is a hybrid opportunity based in Evanston, IL OR Washington, DC.

The Business Operations Manager will provide operational leadership and enterprise-level coordination to advance the mission of UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) to make the world safer, more secure, and sustainable. As a partner to senior leadership, the Manager, Business Operations will translate organizational strategy into actionable operational plans, drive cross-functional alignment, and ensure delivery of high priority initiatives. The Manager, Business Operations will leverage expertise to enable organizational effectiveness, operational excellence, and implement scalable solutions to drive continuous improvement.

UL Standards & Engagement:

At UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have created new safety standards and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

Build a safer, more secure, and sustainable future with us. Join us and work with our Standards teams who develop the standards required to put that knowledge into practice.

What you'll learn and achieve:

As the Business Operations Manager, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Lead execution of organizational priorities, high-impact initiatives, and enterprise level projects that advance strategic goals and align with critical focus areas.

• Serve as trusted thought partner to senior leaders, lead problem solving and decision making on complex issues and provide actionable solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.

• Oversee complex projects with cross functional scope. Plan and allocate resources effectively, monitor dependencies, resolve escalated issues and drive accountability for results. Support enterprise-level projects, ensuring strategic alignment.

• Build and maintain systems to drive operational excellence, and performance rigor. Embed continuous improvement, evaluate organizational processes, identify gaps, streamline workflows and implement best practices to maximize efficiency and impact.

• Design and implement enterprise frameworks and mechanisms to measure progress, track impact, and enhance organizational effectiveness.

• Enable cross-functional collaboration, coordinate with internal teams to align execution of critical projects, foster accountability and ensure goal achievement.

• Represent ULSE with external stakeholders and strategic partners, develop trust and credibility through effective communication. Support medium to large scale events, represent ULSE at meetings and external engagements, and occasionally promote the organization through public speaking or event participation.

• Develop and deliver high-quality communications including reports, proposals, briefings, presentations and talking points. Partner with leadership and contributors to prepare materials for internal leadership and Board of Directors meetings, driving informed decision making and effective engagement.

• Anticipate future organizational challenges and opportunities and ensure operational initiatives evolve in alignment with external trends, stakeholder expectations, and emerging challenges.

• Maintain continued awareness of industry trends and external context related to safety standards, offering insight to inform strategic decisions.

• Contribute to department initiatives as needed

What you'll experience working at UL Standards & Engagement: We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do.

• People: Our people make us special. You'll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today's global challenges require.

• Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what's on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You'll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.

• Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.

• Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.

• Total Rewards: All employees at UL Standards & Engagement are eligible for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What makes you a great fit:

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

• Expertise in translating strategic vision and organizational priorities into measurable outcomes, optimizing resources, and building systems that deliver operational efficiencies.

• Proven success leading complex, multi-stakeholder programs, and ensuring delivery of high impact results.

• Exceptional problem solving and analytical skills with ability to synthesize complex information into actionable insights.

• Exceptional leadership and influencing skills, with proven success building cross-functional alignment, strong partnerships, and fostering collaboration across teams with ability to build buy-in and commitment to organizational priorities and solutions with broad impact.

• Excellent writer, communicator and presenter able to articulate information effectively to diverse stakeholders and convey clear actionable messages.

• Strategic thinker able to innovate and adapt in a dynamic industry landscape.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Bachelor's degree required in business, public policy, management, or related field. Advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum 9 years of experience in business operations, project leadership, strategic planning and implementation or related work experience.

• Track record of achievement leading organizational change, large-scale cross-functional initiatives and driving results in complex organizations.

• Familiarity with project management software and collaboration platforms. Experience with Microsoft Office 365 - including Teams and PowerBI, Wrike, Asana, Monday and Google Workspace preferred.

About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summit of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.

Our affiliate, UL Solutions, stands alongside us in working for a safer and more sustainable world. UL Solutions conducts testing, verification and certification, and provides training and advisory services, along with data-driven reporting and decision-making tools, for customers around the world.

To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org.

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