Office Operations Specialist

Position Summary

The Office Operations Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of Vancouver headquarters, ensuring a well‑run, efficient, and professional workplace environment. Reporting to the Portfolio Director, Operations, this role oversees reception, event coordination, facilities support and provides general administrative support. In addition to ensuring operational efficiency, the Office Operations Specialist plays a key role in shaping high-quality workplace experience. As the primary on‑site presence, they ensure a welcoming environment for employees, visitors, and partners, support seamless internal meetings and events, and contribute to workplace improvement and change initiatives.

This role combines strong organizational capability with a proactive, service‑oriented approach and attention to detail.

• Delivers exemplary customer service to staff and visitors by welcoming guests, addressing inquiries, answering telephone calls, and disseminating information regarding building notices, services, and tenant events.
• Manages daily office operations such as reception, mail, meeting room scheduling, catering, cleanliness, and coordinates with property management and security for facility issues.
• Proactively enhances the workplace environment by maintaining an organized, polished, and welcoming physical office space, including thoughtful layout, visual presentation, and attention to detail in shared areas.
• Continuously seeks and implements opportunities to elevate the day‑to‑day employee experience by introducing thoughtful touches and initiatives that create a warm, engaging, and enjoyable workplace experience for staff and visitors.
• Manages inventory, document storage and retrieval, purchases supplies, and oversees confidential shredding, maintaining organized and efficient office systems.
• Plans office improvements, manages desk‑booking software and reporting, and ensures accurate space utilization data, providing insights to support effective space planning and workplace decisions.
• Serves as secretariat to the Health and Safety Committee, handling meetings, documentation, compliance, and supporting continuous improvement in workplace safety.
• Manages access settings such as security cards and entry codes, ensuring appropriate security protocols are maintained, and improved when needed.
• Provides office orientation for new employees and manages operational information on the corporate intranet.
• Ensures the physical workspace and workspace practices reflect the organization’s commitment to inclusion and belonging, creating an environment where employees and visitors feel respected, welcomed, and comfortable.

• Leads event logistics and hospitality, working with program leads to organize requirements, speakers, guest lists, themes, and track action items.
• Manages the vendor selection process for events, including evaluating vendor qualifications and maintaining an updated list of preferred vendors, supporting consistent service standards and cost effectiveness.
• Tracks and manages event budgets in collaboration with the signatory and budget holder.
• Collaborates with the communications team to prepare and distribute event and meeting materials, such as agendas and packages.

• Arranges corporate travel with preferred vendors, evaluates qualifications and costs yearly, ensures policy compliance, helps staff book trips, and keeps precise travel records. Suggests and implements improvements to travel booking processes.
• Manages petty cash and credit card reconciliation, ensuring accuracy and compliance with financial procedures.
• Arranges gifts as requested and approved through established processes.
• Contributes to the development, revision, and delivery of forms, policies, guidelines, training materials, internal presentations, and other staff resources, ensuring accessibility of internal resources.
• Prepares agendas, minutes, contracts, reports, briefing notes, and slide decks in line with Health Research BC guidelines.
• Provides executive support with calendar management, travel arrangements, and expense claims,…