Operations Associate, Science Projects

Gordon and Betty Moore established the foundation to create positive outcomes for future generations. Guided by this vision and the Statement of Founders' Intent , the foundation fosters path-breaking environmental conservation, scientific discovery, and preservation of the special character of the San Francisco Bay Area. We strive to make significant and durable impacts on the world.

Together, we work to honor the vision of our founders and serve as stewards of the resources they have entrusted to us. We establish specific strategies based on advice from experts, identify partners who share our goals and measure results along the way. We build relationships and fund work in areas where we hope to make significant impacts; and we know that working together expands our ability to drive meaningful change.

The Opportunity The foundation is seeking an Operations Associate to join our Science Projects team within the Science Program. The foundation’s Science Program fosters pathbreaking scientific discovery and a vibrant ecosystem for science. Our Science Projects team aims to identify and support researchers in various scientific fields that can drive significant advances.

Operations Associates at the foundation provide operational and administrative support for program staff. In this role, you will provide support to the Science Program, with primary focus on Science Projects, across the full grant lifecycle from development through management, by coordinating day-to-day operations, strengthening team processes, and supporting financial and grantmaking workflows. You will also contribute to budget management, monitoring and evaluation, and the team's planning efforts.

This role suits a collaborative, detail-oriented professional who enjoys bringing structure to complex work, anticipating needs, and enabling others to do their best work. The position blends team operations, grantmaking support, financial coordination, project management, and process improvement to keep people, information, and priorities aligned as the program advances its goals. This Operations Associate reports to the Program Officer that oversees Science Projects, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Science Program Manager on operational and financial management.

The role also involves close collaboration with others in the Science Program and across the foundation. This role is based in Palo Alto, California, at the foundation’s main office. We operate under a hybrid work model that combines flexibility with meaningful in-person collaboration.

Staff are required to work and reside within a reasonable driving distance of the Palo Alto office, and this role will work onsite in Palo Alto a minimum of four days each month. Additional on-site presence is required during the weeks of the May, August, and November board meetings and periodically throughout the year as business needs require.

What You’Ll Do

Team Operations Develop and implement processes, timelines, analyses, and templates to support and enhance team operations, in particular regard to grant submissions, internal deadlines, team deliverables, spending, and management of active grants. Use good judgment, with understanding of context, to identify priorities and strengthen team operations.

Responsibilities

are clear, and deadlines are met. Facilitate team coordination, work plans, internal functional relationships, knowledge management, and tracking and accountability of action items. Track operating budget and grantmaking allocations, ensuring informed financial decisions of the Program Officer and regular coordination with the Program Manager.

Exercise judgment within defined internal grant procedures and practices to determine appropriate courses of action. Serve as key internal contact for the team, solving problems and consulting with Grants Administration and Program Manager as needed.