Operations Manager, Marketing

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values diversity. We firmly believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices, working together, increases our capacity to serve our visitors and fulfill our mission. We welcome people from all walks of life into our team and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

Priority deadline for applications is August 18th, 2026. Due to the volume of incoming applications, the role may be closed earlier than August 18th, 2026

Job Summary:

Under limited supervision, manage, coordinate, and provide leadership on Monterey Bay Aquarium's marketing operations strategy. Work closely with Marketing leadership to organize a portfolio of work and contribute to developing a marketing operations strategy that executes on annual objectives and adheres to project schedules, budget constraints, and quality standards. Maintain systems and tools within the Marketing division that impact project intake, management, and cross-functional collaboration. Guided by Strategy and Operations, enforce cross-divisional workflows and processes that promote efficiency, collaboration, and communication. Manage a selection of cross-divisional medium to large, complex projects from concept development through completion to produce outstanding, public-facing work. Foster collaborative relationships with stakeholders at all levels and across divisions. Perform other duties as required.

Core Activities:

• Contribute to project prioritization, team strategy development, annual and quarterly planning, and resource allocation by collaborating frequently with Marketing leadership and Strategy and Operations.
• Document the division’s portfolio of work and report regularly on progress, milestones, and KPIs.
• Facilitate collaborations between leadership and the Marketing team, ensuring clarity and alignment on priorities and goals.
• Monitor and track expenses in collaboration with Finance, Marketing, and Strategy and Operations, to report regularly on budget status and progress (e.g. estimate versus spend).
• Make recommendations to account for budgets and cost-effective use of resources, and optimal investments.
• Identify growth opportunities, market trends, competitive insights, and potential risks at all stages of work to inform marketing strategy and operations. Develop and implement mitigation tactics to guarantee successful outcomes even amid complexity and ambiguity.
• Develop new (or refine existing) processes, standards, and procedures to be adopted by the marketing team to manage and deliver projects on time, within budget, and in fulfillment of their goals.
• Champion documentation, training, and other resources to reinforce consistent practices, norms, and expectations among Marketing team members and maximize team productivity and effectiveness.
• Communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally about marketing projects to individual team members, Marketing teams, and other departments to meet deadlines and uphold quality standards.
• Lead key marketing cross-functional project meetings across multiple departments and divisions, managing overall project communication and coordination.
• Develop and manage key marketing projects (briefs, scope, and creative approach) and project plans (deliverables, schedules, responsibility charts) for medium to large cross-functional marketing projects at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
• Maintain and configure tools for project management (e.g., Asana) and annual planning (e.g., Airtable) and provide guidance and training to team members on standard operating procedures.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience in a related field (e.g., Marketing, Communications, Project Management)
• Minimum 5 years experience in Marketing, Communications, or Project Management
• Minimum of four years experience managing multiple and competing priorities, proactive task setting, tracking and communication to stakeholders
• Minimum of four years experience convening working groups from multiple disciplines or departments and leading the team to achieve project success
• Deep or mastery level knowledge of project management and collaborative design processes
• Comfort using Asana, Airtable, or similar project management tools
• Working knowledge of multiple creative disciplines, including brand strategy, design, and content creation
• Leadership qualities with strong team building, communication, facilitation, and active listening skills required
• Ability to build and coordinate large project teams with varying expertise from design through launch, including marketing content and design (e.g., website projects and online content, print publications, advertising and promotion campaigns, social media and email marketing  campaigns, and earned media and communications efforts)
• Experience preparing and managing large project budgets ($100k+)
• Proven ability to work effectively and efficiently under multiple, competing deadlines
• Experience leading teams and stakeholders to adopt new processes and procedures
• Ability to bring clarity to ambiguous environments and drive a team forward
• Ability to communicate effectively, diplomatically, honestly, and sensitively with all levels of management and staff
• Proven ability to understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details
• Demonstrated initiative, flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving
• Ability to work within, and maintain Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Core Values

Physical Requirements to Perform Essential Job Functions:

• Typical office equipment
• Constant sitting, standing, walking, bending
• Occasional unassisted lifting up to 50 lbs
• Typical office environment, main aquarium and exhibits, occasional offsite events

Annual Compensation Range:

$77,700- $96,000 annually. Starting rate will vary based on previous experience and relevant skills/knowledge set.