Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Key Responsibilities

Team Performance and Culture

• Help drive progress on YWCA’s internal equity and belonging agenda, with a focus on sustainable change and continuous learning.
• Demonstrate and champion an inclusive culture that promotes the professional development of all staff across the network.
• Serve as a key thought leader and champion internally for YWCA’s culture, mission, and values
• Facilitate the ongoing development and management of a highly skilled professional staff; inspire a spirit of collaboration and cohesion; identify strategies to maintain high morale and facilitate unity around a common purpose; create an atmosphere that rewards initiative and cross-departmental collaboration.
• Lead efforts to unify people management functions under a shared services model that can be deployed in service to the network.
• Lead Finance, People and Culture, Operations and Real Estate teams.

Operations and Leadership

• Serve as a key champion for and implementor of the vision and goals outlined by the CEO and Board.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to execute YWCA’s strategic direction with an eye to its mission.
• Serve as advisor and deputy to the CEO, synthesizing and bringing the perspectives of the CEO and staff to key decisions, including where opinions diverge. Act decisively in the absence of consensus and provide clear directions.
• Lead teams to support change processes necessary to maximize organizational effectiveness.
• Ensure clear communications about priorities and resource allocation required to incorporate work on new opportunities.
• Ensure that key functions are operating in conjunction with one another to maximize impact.
• Drive knowledge management activities and processes to improve quality and efficiency of operations.

Fiscal Responsibility

• Oversee operating budget of $15M, working closely with finance team to ensure excellent fiscal stewardship and transparency.
• Improve budgeting processes to be more strategic and forecasting.
• Support outsourced investment firm in managing organizational assets.
• Support board leadership, including Finance Chair, Audit Chair, and Investment Chair.

Network Infrastructure & Engagement

• Coordinate the retirement plan in partnership with YWCA Retirement Fund.
• Facilitate network understanding of real estate best practices, including facilities usage, ownership, and maintenance to ensure those assets remain beneficial to the network.
• Increase transparency and education around the use of membership fees.
• Work with network leadership to drive collaboration, generate new ideas, and support the strategic direction of the organization.

Qualification & Requirements

Leadership Competencies & Personal Characteristics

Strategic Operator & Financial Leader

• Brings deep experience overseeing core business functions – finance, HR, IT, facilities, and compliance – with a strong track record in budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning. Offers the rigor and insight needed to build out systems, policies, and infrastructure that enable stability and growth, particularly in resource-constrained or evolving environments.

Executive Partner & Organizational Integrator

• Acts as a true partner to the CEO, capable of turning vision into execution and driving day-to-day operations with autonomy and trust. Thrives as a second-in-command, setting priorities and ensuring accountability across teams. Supports executive-level coordination, internal communication, and strategic pacing to help the organization function cohesively.

Calm, Focused Leader in Complexity

• Maintains clarity and composure in high-stakes moments, from navigating federal funding landscapes to responding to organizational crises. Demonstrates executive presence, political astuteness, and the judgment needed to manage complexity – internally with the Board and staff, and externally with partners like the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Builder & Change Agent

• Excels in environments that require structure, innovation, and adaptability. Brings a builder’s mindset to establish foundational tools, like standard operating procedures, employee handbooks, vendor systems, and event planning calendars, and leads teams through operational change with transparency, consistency, and care.

People-Centered & Equity-Grounded Manager

• Leads with empathy, humility, and accountability. Skilled at developing high-performing teams, supporting VP-level leaders, and helping others grow through change. Committed to racial and gender equity in both philosophy and practice, with experience operationalizing values in people, systems, and culture.

Mission-Aligned & Network-Savvy

• Deeply aligned with YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism and empower women. Brings a nuanced understanding of how national offices support and collaborate with affiliates in a federated network. Ideally brings experience navigating membership models, coalitions, or national-local dynamics, with strong relationship management skills across diverse stakeholders.

Benefits

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance