Job Description

About BNI  

Established in 1985, BNI is the world’s largest business referral network. With over 300,000 small-to medium-size business members in nearly 11,000 chapters across 76+ countries, we are a global company with local footprints. Our proven approach provides members with a structured, positive, and professional referral program that enables them to sharpen their business skills, develop meaningful, long-term relationships, and experience business growth.

Visit BNI.com to learn how BNI has impacted the lives of our members and how it can help you achieve your business goals.

Position Summary:

Reporting into the National Director (“ND”), the Director of Operations will act as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the ND, who is the individual responsible for leading operations across BNI Italy. They will drive strategic transformation and operational excellence to enable a learning culture where collaboration, innovation, agility and future-thinking thrive.

BNI offers numerous professional and leadership development opportunities and is a place for driven, hard-working, and talented individuals to grow and further their careers in a global and local organization committed to making a difference.

We are looking for a result driven, energetic and focused leader with the ability to improve the bottom-line.

Role & Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the ND and management team to ensure that all operational, administrative and compliance functions are properly executed in accordance with best practices
• Lead the administrative support and day-to-day operations of BNI Italy including managing the administrative team, owning the relationships with the national and global support team, overseeing customer and field leader support
• Lead the transformation of production towards operational excellence through continuous improvements
• Ensure the efficiency of the National Office team to meet current and future needs from operational, financial, team development, strategic and data-driven perspectives
• Ensure compliance with applicable employment laws and the application of company practices and policies, in collaboration with Human Resources department
• Ensure, in partnership with other departments, the achievement of the overall objectives for BNI Italy
• Oversee the planning and coordination of the annual National Conference for BNI Italy
• Oversee the implementation of globally provided services as they become available to BNI Italy
• Support the building and management of a strong, talented National Office team in Milan
• The role requires the full-time presence at the workplace in Milan

Qualifications

Minimum Experience & Education:

• At least 5 years’ experience in operations and/or organizational development
• MBA or EMBA from competitive program
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, communications, or any related field
• Track record of leading operational excellence
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities
• Ability to act as a change agent and lead others through change
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Proven project management skills
• Ability to collaborate across the organization to drive projects forward
• Fluency in English and Italian, both spoken and written
• Availability for travel domestically and sometimes internationally (up to 10% of the year)
• Proficiency in MS Office (MS Excel and MS Outlook, in particular)
• Strong marketing background

Preferred skills and qualifications (not required):

• Basic bookkeeping experience (accounting and budgeting)
• Experience in developing internal systems
• Experience in BNI or similar networking organizations
• Experience in sales
• Experience in franchise

This is a full-time role based in-office at BNI in Milan, Italy. Background check and references may be required. This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

BNI’s wonderful culture based on Givers Gain® is lived out every day by our team and over 300,000 members globally.

Learn more at www.bni.com.

An equal opportunity employer.

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