How to apply for Operations and Finance Manager

About National Council for Occupational Safety and Health

National COSH is a national non-profit that builds worker power to demand safe, healthy jobs free from exploitation. It is a network of 25 grassroots worker organizations and a broad community of Black, Brown, immigrant, and low-wage workers, unions, and worker advocates. This role supports a growing national movement for worker safety and justice.

About the role

The Operations and Finance Manager is a senior leader who partners closely with the Executive Director. The role manages day-to-day operations, organizational workflow, complex national event planning, and financial management, reporting, and compliance. It is mission-critical to ensuring the organization has the financial strength and operational backbone to support its network.

A typical day

A typical day might include reviewing financial reports and compliance tasks, coordinating with external HR and accounting partners, and improving operational workflows for the national team. You might also plan logistics for an upcoming national event or meet with the Executive Director to align on budget and operational priorities. Because the role is remote, much of the work happens through virtual meetings and shared systems.

Who National Council for Occupational Safety and Health is looking for

• Has experience managing operations and finance in a non-profit or mission-driven organization, including budgeting, reporting, and compliance.
• Is highly organized and proactive, with a track record of building systems and bringing clarity to complex workflows.
• Has led complex national event planning and execution, ideally for a distributed or remote team.
• Can work with external HR and accounting partners and is comfortable with remote work and national coordination.

Tips for this application

• Read National COSH's website and recent campaigns to understand its worker safety and justice work, then connect your operations and finance experience to that context.
• Highlight specific examples of building or improving financial and operational systems, including tools or processes you implemented.
• Describe your experience planning and executing complex national events, including scale, budget, and coordination across multiple locations.
• Mention any experience working with external HR and accounting partners, and how you managed those relationships.
• Address your ability to work remotely and collaborate with a distributed national team, since the role is remote (US).

What to cover in your cover letter

Explain why you want to support a worker justice movement and how your operations and finance skills fit. Give concrete examples of financial management, reporting, and compliance work you have done. Describe a complex national event you planned and executed, including your role and results. Show how you build systems and bring clarity to complexity, as the job description emphasizes this.

Research before applying

• Review National COSH's website, mission, and network of 25 grassroots worker organizations to understand its structure and work.
• Look up recent National COSH campaigns, reports, or press releases on worker safety and justice to speak to current priorities.
• Research the Executive Director and senior team to understand leadership style and organizational direction.
• Find any public financial information or annual reports to understand the organization's budget size and funding sources.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you have managed day-to-day operations and financial reporting in a non-profit, including compliance and working with external accounting partners.
• Your approach to building or improving operational systems and workflows for a distributed team.
• A detailed example of planning and executing a complex national event, including challenges and how you handled them.
• How you would partner with the Executive Director to ensure the organization has the financial strength and operational backbone for growth.
• How you prioritize and manage multiple operational and finance tasks in a remote, mission-driven environment.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic cover letter that does not mention National COSH, worker justice, or the specific operations and finance responsibilities.
• Focusing only on finance and ignoring operations, event planning, and workflow management, which are core parts of the role.
• Failing to show experience with remote work or national coordination, since the role is remote and involves a national network.