Kansas Bar Association - Operations Specialist

Title: Operations Specialist
Job Classification: Full-time, Exempt
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM (37.5 work week) with the ability to work occasional nights and weekends.
Reporting Relationship: Reports to Executive Director
Travel Schedule: Ability to travel regionally with the possibility of overnight stays.
Workplace Attire: Business Casual
Salary Range: $50,000 – $55,000
Location: Topeka, KS

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITIES
The Kansas Bar Association is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented Operations Specialist to support the executive director and assist with specialized functions such as payroll, benefits, HR, accounting, communications, and membership. The ideal candidate is customer- and service-minded, is an enthusiastic self-starter, and exercises superb judgment. This role handles a significant amount of sensitive information and therefore a high degree of discretion and confidentiality is required.

PRIMARY DUTIES:
Payroll, Benefits, HR, Operations

• Manages employee onboarding, employee offboarding, and benefits coordination.
• Administers employee benefits programs, including health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans, retirement plan, and employee assistance plan.
• Serves as the primary liaison with benefit providers, negotiating plan changes, resolving employee inquiries, and ensuring optimal plan utilization.
• Assists the Executive Director with the development of operational best practices.
• Oversees payroll functions and the collection, review, verification, approval, and processing of timesheets, ensuring compliance with KBA policies and legal requirements.
• Maintains comprehensive payroll, benefit, and HR records and ensures compliance with federal and state employment laws, including wage and hour regulations.
• Leads HR projects and administration, serving as the liaison between the organization and external HR consultant.
• Receives and routes incoming mail.

Accounting

• Oversees budget updates, ensuring financial statements reflect accurate and current budget activity.
• Reviews and codes invoices, assesses budget allocations, and approves expenditures within assigned authority.
• Coordinates and prepares materials for finance committee meetings, including financial presentations and reports.
• Acts as point of contact for staff budget inquiries, providing guidance on budgetary compliance and available funding/resources.

Executive and Board Support

• Manages and maintains Executive Director and Board Member schedules and exercises discretion in scheduling high-level meetings based on organizational priorities.
• Serves as primary contact for executive communications, screening and prioritizing phone calls, emails, and other correspondence on behalf of the Executive Director.
• Communicates with Board Members as needed and provides support on governance, documentation, and compliance matters.
• Drafts, reviews, and revises reports, presentations, and other critical organizational documents.
• Prepares Board meetings packets, including agendas and minutes, noting any key follow-up actions.
• Records minutes during board meetings.

Membership/Communications

• Coordinates membership and communications projects, serving as the liaison between the organization and external membership and communications consultants.
• Monitors and reports on membership trends, revenue impact, and renewal performance to the Executive Director.
• Develops and maintains relationships with members and ensures a high level of customer service.
• Independently analyzes and resolves complex member inquiries, providing strategic solutions and expert guidance on member concerns and grievances.
• Manages staff requests for various membership lists and communications materials.

PRIMARY SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in business administration or related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in an assistant role or similar; experience with payroll and benefits is preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience working in databases, CRM systems, or relationship management platforms.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams). Familiarity with Adobe and QuickBooks helpful.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize tasks.
• Demonstrates excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills to work effectively with diverse groups of internal and external stakeholders.
• Self-motivated, self-directed team player with a high level of professionalism and emotional intelligence.
• Maintains a high level of professional integrity, upholding confidentiality standards even when faced with challenging situations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Frequent periods of sitting, standing, or bending.
• Must be able to lift or move objects up to 30 lbs.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES Additional duties and responsibilities may be added to this job description at any time. The job description does not state or imply that these are the only activities to be performed by the employee(s) holding this position. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related responsibilities as requested by their supervisor.

BENEFITS: The Kansas Bar Association offers a generous benefits package including a 37.5-hour work week; paid time off including time off during the holiday season; company-paid employee life, medical, dental, and vision insurance; access to EAP program; short- and long-term disability, and annual employer discretionary contribution plus employee voluntary contribution option to 401(k) retirement plan.

HOW TO APPLY: Please submit a resume with a cover letter detailing how qualifications are met, and three professional references. Incomplete applications may not be considered. Send application packet to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..