Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
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$ 186220 - 232780
1 Vacancy
Job Description
To be considered for this role please reach out to HERD FREED HARTZ Executive Search Partners
Fred Pabst 206.299.2140
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Chief Operations Officer (COO) will play a pivotal role in advancing Northwest Harvests mission of Growing food justice through collective action by providing dynamic strategic and operational leadership across the organization. This executive position is a key partner to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the broader management team responsible for driving organizational success shaping operational excellence and fostering alignment with Northwest Harvests values and goals.
Reporting directly to the CEO the COO will oversee critical operational functions including Finance IT Programs Supply Chain and Strategic Planning. They will lead the implementation of strategies aimed at ending hunger while optimizing operational performance strengthening crossdepartmental collaboration and ensuring efficiency across all functions. A key focus will be creating and nurturing a culture of functional excellence continuous improvement and adaptability in a fastpaced evolving environment.
They will also be instrumental in operationalizing Northwest Harvests antiracist principles embedding agile practices within the organization. They will lead organizational transformation efforts enhancing accountability ensuring transparency and improving resource allocation processes. By embedding a digitalfirst mindset the COO will facilitate innovation and improve the organizations ability to collaborate and engage across networks.
As a strategic leader the COO will guide the development communication and monitoring of the organizations strategy ensuring alignment between strategic goals and the broader mission. They will also lead highpriority projects as directed by the CEO and act as a key liaison for crossfunctional collaboration particularly in systems work and operations strategy.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate a profound commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with a proven track record of advancing DEI initiatives within complex organizations. They will be a strong team builder skilled in cultivating highperformance teams that are aligned with Northwest Harvests mission vision and values.
The successful incumbent will bring a commitment to operationalize Northwest Harvests AntiRacist principles by modeling these values in their leadership centering racial equity in decisionmaking and continuously learning and unlearning behaviors within themselves that perpetuate systemic inequities. They will thoughtfully guide the organization in reflecting on its position within the broader food system advancing efforts toward a more just and equitable food system for all communities across Washington state. Additionally they will foster inclusive spaces where diverse perspectives shape outcomes practice courageous humility through ongoing learning and intentionally share power to elevate leadership across the organization.
Schedule: This position requires active engagement and being onsite 80% of the time and allows for occasional remote work.
Travel: Be responsive and adaptive to opportunities both within and beyond Washington State including occasional travel to Eastern and Central WA as well as outofstate trips.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Operational Planning
- Align the organizations operations with the overall strategy to end hunger in Washington State.
- Develop and implement operational policies procedures and systems that support organizational goals and objectives
- Develop and interpret operational metrics that provide key performance information trends and data analysis to support in identifying areas for improvement and inform the decisionmaking process
Leadership
- Manage teams support and encourage cross functional collaboration develop staff and set clear goals
- Ensure effective leadership and management of operational departments including Strategic initiatives; IT; Supply Chain; and Finance
- Provide strategic leadership as a member of the Management Team to promote and implement process improvement collaboration and integration across the organization
- Develop implement monitor and improve key performance indicators related to financial systems processes structures impact and outcomes
- Remain current on practices laws trends opportunities and risks as they relate to finance and IT capabilities and related functions
- Facilitate internal change processes for system improvements new tools and changes in policy or process
Program Delivery Oversight and Evaluation
- Manage and support existing programmatic initiatives to yield results that reduce hunger in alignment with Northwest Harvests strategy work. Ensure that our work is completed on time executed within budget and that there are clear definitions of roles and delegation of responsibilities
- Work with the staff who implement programmatic strategic initiatives to continue to refine implementation of initiatives while further developing Northwest Harvests next iteration of hunger reducing work. Identify opportunities to improve programmatic effectiveness and sustainability
- Advocate for local state and national systems policy and practice that center the experiences of black indigenous and people of color
Strategy and Planning
- Drive the organizations longterm strategy and planning by identifying key growth opportunities and initiatives to drive and achieve impact
- Provide strategic recommendations to the CEO the management team and members of the leadership team
- Oversee quarterly learning and reflection process
- Develop and utilize forwardlooking predictive models and activitybased financial analyses to provide insight into the organizations operations and business plans
- Engage other members of the leadership team to facilitate crossdepartment collaboration that ensures all organizational activity positively supports Northwest Harvests evolving strategy operational delivery and data needs
Operational Leadership of Information Technology Functions
- Provide strategy and planning for IT including IT governance and implementation enterprise architecture and skills and assessment planning
- Ensure a strategy is in place for electronic records storage collaboration platforms and remote employee access while meeting regulatory and confidentiality requirements for sensitive records
- Ensure a roadmap for technologys contribution to ending hunger is in place for the organization
Finance
- Lead the Financial function of the organization with strong accountability and full transparency
- Develop a finance model and direct all strategic finance activities including financial planning forecasting and budgeting in conjunction with the CEO. This includes reviewing and monitoring progress or changes and communicating them to the CEO as well as the Board when necessary
- Analyze and present financial reports in an accurate and timely manner
- Ensure all necessary business policies and accounting practices including the organizations overall policy and procedure manual related to finance are practiced
EQUITY AND INCLUSION
Demonstrate the initiative to learn and enhance skills that promote antiracism cultural competency and an understanding of oppression and its impact.
Participate in intentional learning efforts including events relating to understanding and dismantling institutional racism and building cultural competency.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Internal: Frequent contact with leadership and staff. Communicate daily to ask questions receive and provide information discuss issues explain or interpret organizational policies and practices and provide direction and support leaders and staff in regard to operations issues.
External: Regular contact with stakeholders vendors and professional associates and networks.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
A combination of the reallife experience education and training listed below which provides an equivalent background to perform the work of this position.
Successful completion of a background check is required.
Knowledge of:
- Deep understanding of and commitment to Northwest Harvests mission
- Proven skills in the management of Finance & operations
- Strong financial and business acumen with a track record of driving business growth through operational execution
- Strong capacity for fundraising and connecting with sources of financing
- Proven track record of generating financial support for specific programs
- Strong management and organizational skills and an ability to work in a team
- Intermediate to advanced knowledge with Microsoft Office applications; particularly Word Excel PPT and Outlook Teams and Zoom and ability to work efficiently and effectively with other organizational platforms such as ADP SharePoint Microsoft Dynamics NAV systems.
Ability To:
- Understand individuals who have experienced poverty or food insecurity
- Leadership:
- As an adaptive servant leader practice collaborative persuasive and transformative leadership styles and lead through influence rather than relying solely on directline authority
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff and leadership to ensure a high degree of mutual accountability
- Navigate and lead through ambiguity while keeping team members engaged and encouraged
- Ask questions to understand the merits of different approaches and shift strategies in response to the demands of a situation
- Possess integrity maturity and ethical awareness
Ability to handle sensitive information and maintain strict confidentiality
- Problemsolve in a collaborative efficient and effective manner
- Analyze issues synthesize information make evidencebased decisions and learn from mistakes
- Cultivate and steward professional relationships with diverse constituencies
- Proven success in developing implementing and scaling processes procedures and systems in a fastpaced growthoriented business
- Demonstrated experience leading crossfunctional teams and developing highperforming collaborative team environments
- Highly organized with excellent analytical skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadlinedriven environment
- Manage inspire and motivate a team within a collaborative working environment
- Resourceful with the ability to solve problems in an efficient and calm manner
- Flair for cultivating and stewarding professional relationships with a diverse constituency
- Equity and Connectedness:
- Adopt the PACI (purpose driven antiracist connected and interwoven) model and practice the Six Agreements
- Support equity and inclusion for members of historically marginalized groups including racial and ethnic minorities LGBTQIA populations and people living with disabilities
- Communication:
- Communicate effectively verbally and in writing
- Listen and ask questions in order to understand
- Communicate complex finance concepts and issues and applicable legal requirements policies and procedures to staff and leaders
- Excellent communication negotiation and presentation skills with the ability to influence and build relationships across the organization
- Resourceful with the ability to solve problems in an efficient and calm manner
- Demonstrated experience in fundraising leadership and evidence of genuine success in the role
- Demonstrated experience working in small highly energized teams with large and longterm vision
- Demonstrated experience of overseeing software installations and managing relationships with software vendors knowledge of accounting and reporting software
- Demonstrated ability to establish and lead the financial function of the organization with strong accountability and full transparency
EDUCATION AND TRAINING:
Bachelors degree in administration finance or a related field or an equal combination of education and relevant work experience with a personal orientation as a lifelong learner.
EXPERIENCE:
Minimum of ten (10) years of overall experience in senior management preferably as a COO or VP of Operations to include a broad understanding of operations five (5) in mid/senior level financial and operations management and leadership principles
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Non Profit experience is desired
- The ideal candidate has experience of final responsibility for the quality and content of all financial data reporting and audit coordination for either a division or significant program area and has preferably overseen the operations function previously
- Ability to speak additional language(s) is desired but not required
DISCLAIMER:
The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain or to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties responsibilities qualifications and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. As an adaptive organization responsibilities can and will change in alignment with greater efficiencies and mission metrics.
BENEFITS AND OTHER COMPENSATION:
Northwest Harvest offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package this includes but is not limited to; medical/dental/ vision/ insurance long term disability insurance Life/AD&D insurance Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 401(k) retirement plan Vacation and Sick leave 8 paid holidays; New Years Day Martin Luther King Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day Floating holidays for you to use should you observe a holiday not outlined in Northwest Harvests current observed holidays or at your discretion and birthday holiday. Employees are eligible to participate in payroll deducted supplemental benefits i.e. Flexible Spending accountHRA and DCE various AFLAC and New York Life plans.
Required Experience:
Chief
Employment Type
Full-Time
