Assistant Executive Director/COO

Our mission-critical association is seeking an Assistant Executive Director (AED) that will serve as the Chief Operations Officer (COO) responsible for the internal operations and management of the “core” functions needed to provide vital services to our members who serve in mission-critical positions. Candidates should be action-oriented, entrepreneurial, flexible, an outstanding communicator, and have an innovative approach to operational management and strategy. The candidate should have the ability to lead and build the capabilities of a driven, bright, diverse team, and have the personal qualities of passion, humility, integrity, a positive attitude, and the ability to self-direct.

Reporting to the CEO/Executive Director, the AED/COO will serve alongside the AED/Chief Programs Officer and will provide a strong on-site leadership presence of all day-to-day operations and direct oversight of Business Operations (finance, human resources, administrative services), Membership and Governance, Communications and Marketing, and Conferences and Events. The association outsources the duties of a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) that reports to the CEO/Executive Director and advises the association Treasurer through a contract with a major accounting firm. As part of the CFO contract, in lieu of an internal finance department, the firm provides financial oversight and accounting services through a finance manager (controller) and staff accountants that are employed by the firm. As the COO, a significant duty of the position will be oversight of daily finance and budget management through constant collaboration with the association’s outsourced finance and accounting firm.

The AED/COO must have leadership skills that demonstrate both knowledge and accountability and a proven track record of exceeding goals and a bottom-line orientation; evidence of the ability to consistently make good decisions through a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; high level of business acumen, including successful P&L management and the ability to balance the delivery of programs against the realities of a budget; problem solving, project management, and creative resourcefulness.

The AED/COO must demonstrate proven ability to think strategically, anticipate future consequences and trends, and incorporate them into the organizational operations to effectively build organization and staff capacity, developing a top-notch workforce and the processes that ensure the organization runs smoothly. To do so, the AED/COO must have an exceptional capacity for managing and leading people; a team builder who has experience in scaling up organizations; ability to connect staff both on an individual level and in large groups; capacity to enforce accountability, cultivate entrepreneurship, and learn the strengths and weaknesses of the team so as to put people in a position to succeed.

To be successful, the AED/COO must embrace change, be comfortable facing challenges, enjoy a fast-paced work environment, and possess broad experience as an experienced manager of people who is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The successful AED/COO candidate must not be afraid to act as necessary even when limited information is available; not be afraid to take charge of a situation; and not be afraid to make critical decisions and overcome resistance to unpopular decisions when necessary. Lastly, the successful AED/COO candidate must demonstrate critical thinking skills that transcend traditional business norms; documented success in building and managing high-performance business units; and compelling evidence of success in leading numerous complex matters and/or programs simultaneously.

Candidates must possess an undergraduate degree in business administration, operations or communications, or a related field with a concentration in leadership, operations and strategy or finance; 5-years’ experience in a senior management position with management of 10 or more FTE employees/contractors and direct oversight of mid-level management staff; and documented experience managing a budget and/or program portfolio of $5 million or greater.

Our members are on the frontline 24/7/365. Is serving in our organization easy? No. Is it meaningful and can you make a critical difference? Absolutely! If you are an accomplished, rising, executive with the qualifications and experience we outlined above, we invite you to apply for this exciting and rewarding opportunity with a resume and thoughtful cover letter outlining your reason for seeking this opportunity. In addition, please profile your current position and provide information on any direct experience you have providing management and oversight of FTE employees working from multiple worksites and/or remote virtual offices and include a summary of your experience and success in systems development, process re-engineering or organization transformation where you served as project lead.

Work Environment: The AED/COO position is considered “site-essential/office-based” and will be assigned to the Association’s headquarters and will supervise “site-essential/office-based” and “site-not-essential/remote-based” employees. The AED may travel approximately 15% of the time.

Public Health Compliance: The Association requires all employees, regardless of remote work status, to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. All employees are required to comply with our vaccination policy, report your vaccination status, and provide proof of vaccination. Compliance with the policy does allow for exceptions, but those exceptions will only be granted in circumstances related to medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs and may require weekly testing and appropriate protective masking.