Operations Coordinator

Summary

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) is seeking an Operations Coordinator. This role is designed for a: (1) career-focused administrative/operations professional; or (2) entry-level early-career professional seeking exposure and experience within a high throughput Research and Quality business unit. The Administrative/Operations Coordinator will support cross-functional initiatives through strong organization, coordination, and project support, while gaining exposure to research operations, quality improvement, and program development.

For those with a desired research career pathway, with strong performance, this position offers the opportunity to expand responsibilities over time and grow into more advanced program management and research leadership roles within the business unit.

The Operations Coordinator reports to the Senior Manager, Research & Quality.

This is a hybrid role, in-person in Alexandria, VA, three days per week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday).

• Provide coordination and operational support across the Research and Quality Business Unit, serving as a flexible “utility player” who helps the team execute, organize, and build initiatives from early-stage planning through implementation.
• Support the development and rollout of new initiatives by assisting with planning, documentation, meeting coordination, and cross-team follow-up.
• Serve as a connector across work streams by helping teams stay aligned on deliverables, timelines, and communication.
• Build foundational program management and research support experience through active participation in business unit priorities.

• Provide day-to-day support for initiative development by organizing project materials, tracking action items, and maintaining clear documentation.
• Assist project leads in moving initiatives forward by coordinating timelines, meetings, and follow-ups.
• Support early-stage initiative planning by helping build project trackers, checklists, draft timelines, and stakeholder lists.
• Maintain shared resources to ensure continuity, transparency, and effective handoffs across the team.

• Schedule meetings, prepare agendas, take notes, and distribute action items and next steps.
• Maintain project trackers and support consistent updates to leadership and internal stakeholders.
• Support creation and maintenance of standardized templates, SOPs, and internal workflows.
• Lead subprojects as appropriate.

• Provide coordination support across Research & Quality
• Assist with onboarding and implementation logistics for new initiatives or stakeholder groups (materials, checklists, readiness steps).
• Support operational readiness by ensuring documentation is complete, organized, and accessible.

• Draft routine communications and internal updates as directed (meeting recaps, status summaries, action item lists).
• Support preparation of materials for leadership discussions, committees, and external meetings (slides, summaries, briefings).
• Provide responsive support to internal and external inquiries by routing requests appropriately and tracking follow-up needs.

• Maintain accurate records and documentation for business unit activities (decision logs, trackers, archived materials).
• Attend meetings such as the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting and Oto Forum and handle responsibilities as directed.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree (public health, health administration, business, biology, social science, or related field preferred). Experience in a not-for-profit, physician-based environment and/or committee support is a plus. (Experience may be considered in lieu of a degree).
• One to three years of experience in project coordination, administrative/operations support, healthcare operations, research support, quality improvement, or related role (internships and relevant professional experience may be considered).
• Demonstrated ability to support teams through strong organization, task tracking, meeting…