Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Homeless Children’s Network

Position Title: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

SALARY: $200,000 – $220,000 (commensurate with experience)

SCHEDULE: Full-time position. Onsite/Hybrid

BENEFITS: Health, Dental, and Vision insurance; Commuter stipend

HOMELESS CHILDREN’S NETWORK MISSION STATEMENT

Homeless Children’s Network’s (HCN) mission is to decrease the trauma of homelessness and domestic violence for children, youth, and families; to empower families; and to increase the effectiveness of collaborative efforts among service providers to end homelessness and poverty. Since 1992, HCN has empowered San Francisco’s underserved and historically marginalized communities citywide toward a brighter future with love, wholeness, and healing.

About Homeless Children’s Network (HCN)

Since 1992, HCN has been San Francisco’s leading nonprofit agency for comprehensive early intervention and mental health support for underserved and historically marginalized children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness, housing instability, or living in intergenerational poverty. Our mobile therapeutic model is both accessible and scalable, enabling clinicians to meet clients directly in the community. As the hub of a Collaborative of 60+ service agencies and community‑based organizations, we serve over 2,500 clients each year, reaching those most reluctant to trust conventional mental health systems. Central to our work is our Afri‑centric mental health and wellness model. This community‑defined approach addresses health inequities and the persistent cycle of racism and trauma over generations. This model not only uplifts the Black/African American communities but also strengthens the behavioral health outcomes of all San Franciscans, fostering resilience, healing, and lasting change.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves as a key member of the executive leadership team and is responsible for driving operational excellence across the organization. This role partners closely with the CEO to translate strategic vision into actionable plans, ensuring effective execution, organizational alignment, and measurable impact.

The COO will oversee all internal operations, including finance, human resources, IT, compliance, and fundraising operations, while fostering a high‑performance, mission‑driven culture.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership Alignment

• Partner with the CEO to execute the organization’s strategic vision, ensuring that all strategic priorities, initiatives, and organizational direction initiated by the CEO are effectively operationalized across the organization.
• Implement and oversee the execution of strategic initiatives developed, organized, and directed by the CEO, ensuring alignment between organizational goals and day‑to‑day operations.
• Translate the CEO’s strategic vision, priorities, and decisions into clear operational plans, scalable systems, measurable goals, and organizational accountability.
• Develop and implement enterprise‑wide operational processes, systems, and continuous‑improvement initiatives to support the successful execution of the CEO’s strategic agenda.
• Serve as the organization’s senior operational leader, coordinating cross‑functional execution and ensuring departments remain aligned with the strategic direction established by the CEO.
• Advise the CEO on operational capacity, implementation strategies, risks, and resource needs to support successful execution of CEO‑led initiatives.
• Provide visible leadership in daily operations by removing barriers, facilitating timely decision‑making, and ensuring organizational responsiveness in support of the CEO’s priorities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement that advances the CEO’s strategic direction.

Operations & Organizational Performance Alignment

• Lead the development and execution of the organization’s annual operating plan and enterprise‑wide budget, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, financial sustainability, and operational efficiency.
• Establish and oversee integrated performance management frameworks, including KPIs, dashboards, and reporting systems that drive accountability, inform decision‑making, and provide real‑time visibility into organizational health.
• Ensure operational systems, resource allocation, and internal processes are optimized to deliver measurable, cost‑effective outcomes across all functions.

Executive Leadership & Organizational Alignment

• Provide strategic oversight and direct leadership to senior functional leaders across core operational areas, including Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Compliance, and Organizational Development.
• Drive alignment across departments by strengthening cross‑functional collaboration, breaking down silos, and ensuring consistency in the execution of organizational priorities.
• Build and develop leadership capacity by coaching senior leaders, reinforcing accountability structures, and embedding a culture of performance, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a key integrator across the organization, ensuring that systems, people, and processes are effectively coordinated to support scalable and sustainable growth.

Board & Stakeholder Engagement Alignment

• Partner closely with the CEO to support effective engagement with the Board of Directors, including preparing and presenting clear, data‑driven updates on organizational performance, operational priorities, and strategic progress.
• Serve as a key liaison to Board committees, ensuring alignment between governance expectations and operational execution, while maintaining transparency, accountability, and strong communication channels.
• Build and sustain strategic relationships with external stakeholders, including funders, community partners, and government agencies, positioning the organization as a credible, mission‑driven, and results‑oriented partner.
• Represent the organization in external forums, meetings, and convenings, effectively communicating organizational impact, operational strength, and future direction.
• Collaborate with leadership to identify, cultivate, and support funding and partnership opportunities that align with organizational strategy and long‑term sustainability.
• Ensure consistent, coordinated stakeholder communication by aligning internal operations, messaging, and reporting to reflect organizational priorities and performance.

Communication & Influence Alignment

• Demonstrates exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex operational, financial, and strategic information into clear, concise, and actionable insights tailored to diverse audiences.
• Effectively synthesizes and presents data, trends, and organizational performance metrics to executive leadership, the Board, and external stakeholders, enabling informed decision‑making and strategic alignment.
• Adapts communication style and messaging to engage a wide range of stakeholders from frontline staff to senior executives, Board members, funders, and external partners, ensuring clarity, consistency, and impact.
• Facilitates cross‑functional dialogue and alignment, navigating complex or sensitive topics with diplomacy, emotional intelligence, and a solutions‑oriented approach.
• Maintains a calm, composed, and confident presence under pressure, effectively managing high‑stakes situations, competing priorities, and rapidly changing environments.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field required.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in operations, organizational management, or a related function, with at least 5 years in a senior executive or enterprise‑level leadership role overseeing multiple functional areas.
• Leadership & Execution: Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high‑performing, cross‑functional teams; translate strategic vision into operational execution; and drive organizational performance through clear priorities, accountability structures, and disciplined follow‑through.
• Operational & Financial Acumen: Strong experience overseeing organizational operations, including budgeting, resource allocation, and performance management; ability to analyze complex data, identify trends, and drive data‑informed decision‑making.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and align stakeholders across all levels, including executive leadership, Board members, and external partners.
• Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving: Proven ability to think critically and strategically, navigate ambiguity, and develop innovative, scalable solutions to complex organizational challenges.
• Change Management & Organizational Effectiveness: Experience leading organizational change, improving systems and processes, and building infrastructure that supports growth, efficiency, and long‑term sustainability.
• Equity & Cultural Competence: Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive leadership, with the ability to effectively lead and engage diverse teams and communities.

HCN’s Community Culture

Of all the above important qualifications, bring the heartfelt quality of compassion, with exquisite cultural responsiveness as a primary guiding quality, not only of your professional life, but of what you hold dear.

Please bring a strong analysis of how race, ethnicity, culture, language, region, poverty, sexual and gender identity, age, education, opportunities, and resources, generationally made available or not, and systemic oppressions impact a person’s mental health.

Please share stories from your own life about how you have been a mover and shaker in transforming these systems.

Please accept that HCN is a vibrant community that has a legacy that is of interest to you, and is also prompted to grow steadily, and with the respect for what has been done well, central in the conversation.