Great mission, poor leadership - Center Operations Manager USO Employee Review

2.0
Mar 4, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

*Supports service members and their families by providing services, programs, and events. *Allowed creative freedom for innovative ideas *Cross-trained among many different categories such as program planning and management, marketing, social media, volunteer management, accounting, and administrative work *Worked with wonderful individuals who donated their time to support service members and their families.

Cons

*Work and life balance is almost non-existent *Salary position requires up to 88 hours per week *Salary does not align with the long list of responsibilities as well as the area *Lack of organization, focus, and professionalism *Information, marketing, programs, and events pushed from Corporate are typically last minute causing most staff members to scramble to successfully execute marketing and programs *Passive-aggressive management that causes staff members to feel unwelcomed and uncomfortable *Recognition is uncommon for staff members *Lack of proper training for new staff members *Learning curve is immense due to the number of responsibilities *Higher management does not retain fundamental information on policies and procedures, therefore, cannot train subordinates, complete tasks, and follow these policies and procedures *High expectations regarding volunteers, program numbers, facility foot traffic with a small budget *Difficult to move up within the organization

Explore other reviews about USO

5.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

~Professional Development Opportunities ~No experience needed to start ~Fun work environment ~Low stress job

Cons

~High turn around rate (military spouses) ~Potentially odd working hours

1.0
Jun 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- The mission is genuinely compelling. - Frontline staff, volunteers, and managers perform miracles with limited resources. - You will meet some of the most dedicated people you may ever encounter in your career. - Excellent place to develop skills in: change management, risk management, stakeholder management, emotional regulation, and archaeology; you will spend a surprising amount of time conducting excavations to determine why something exists and who promised it to a donor in 2018.

Cons

- HQ Culture: Imagine watching a group of people dismantle an airplane while simultaneously debating the best paint color for the replacement aircraft. - Leadership: Frequently expresses a desire for innovation, and has addressed this challenge through repeated reductions in operational capacity and institutional knowledge. - Talent Strategy: The organization appears committed to transforming itself into a modern, agile nonprofit while drawing heavily from leadership talent pools whose formative experience was gained in organizations that were not required to be either modern or agile. - Technology: Several systems are simultaneously mission critical, underfunded, being replaced, not being replaced, going away, and required forever. The status depends on which meeting you attended. - Operational Strategy: Announcements, initiatives, and reorganizations arrive with impressive speed. The supporting operational plans occasionally arrive later.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All