Chief Operating Officer

Position: Chief Operating Officer

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Position Summary

Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina is seeking an experienced highly organized and people-centered Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead the day-to-day management and operation of the organization. Reporting to the CEO the COO will serve as the CEOs principal deputy and Homeward Bounds senior internal management leader ensuring consistent effective and accountable performance across departments.

The COO will supervise and support assigned Directors strengthen the management and operational infrastructure around them and help leaders succeed. This includes creating clear priorities and responsibilities; strengthening supervision and performance management; coordinating work across programs; improving data collection and reporting; removing organizational barriers; and providing additional leadership capacity for complex or cross-departmental work.

This role is suited to someone who enjoys management and execution. The successful candidate will move comfortably between organization-wide priorities and operational detail asking whether teams are structured effectively managers have what they need agreed actions are being completed performance information is visible and emerging problems are addressed before they become organizational risks.

Working in close partnership with the CEO the COO will translate strategy into consistent practice while giving Directors a senior partner who can help coordinate work solve problems and improve services. This will also enable the CEO to devote greater capacity to strategy organizational development external relationships advocacy fundraising and Homeward Bounds future direction.

Compensation: Starting at 100000 to 125000 annually with opportunity for bonus

Resume and Cover Letter are required for this position. Please email Cover Letter to .

• Required Bachelors Degree preferred MBA
• Required 10 years of managerial experience

Qualifications and Experience

• Significant senior management experience ideally within a complex nonprofit human services housing healthcare or similarly mission-driven organization.
• Demonstrated experience managing supporting and developing senior leaders.
• A strong track record of improving organizational performance operational systems and management practice.
• Experience with program evaluation performance measures and data-driven decision-making including using data to improve program outcomes.
• Exceptional organizational skills attention to detail and written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to move comfortably between organization-wide issues and detailed operational matters.
• Strong judgment and the confidence to address difficult performance staffing and organizational issues.
• Experience developing and implementing policies procedures and accountability structures.
• A collaborative and flexible leadership style with the ability to support and motivate others while making decisions and holding people accountable.
• Resilience optimism and a deep commitment to Homeward Bounds mission and to effective services for people experiencing homelessness.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership and Director Support

• Serve as the CEOs principal deputy senior internal management partner thought partner and adviser.
• Provide direct supervision coaching practical support and accountability to assigned Directors.
• Help Directors translate organizational priorities into realistic departmental plans with clear ownership timelines and measures of success.
• Bring Program Directors together regularly to align practice identify shared challenges coordinate resources and reduce departmental silos.
• Support Directors with complex projects service improvements and cross-departmental problems removing organizational barriers where possible.
• Create clear routes for Directors to escalate issues obtain timely decisions and access the support they need.
• Establish a consistent rhythm of management including regular 1:1s team meetings goal setting performance reviews and follow-through.
• Act on behalf of the CEO on internal operational matters when appropriate.

Performance Data and Accountability

• Establish practical systems for tracking delivery against organizational and departmental priorities.
• Coordinate organization-wide data gathering and reporting reducing duplication and helping Directors use information to improve program outcomes.
• Work with Directors to define meaningful measures of service quality outcomes and operational performance and ensure results are regularly reviewed and acted upon.
• Develop a concise organizational performance dashboard for the CEO Executive Leadership Team and Board.
• Ensure Executive Leadership Team actions are assigned tracked and completed.
• Identify underperformance early and support leaders to develop and implement improvement plans.
• Build a culture in which expectations are clear strong performance is recognized and difficult issues are addressed appropriately and promptly.

People Leadership and Management Practice

• Set clear expectations for supervision and management practice at Director Manager and supervisory levels.
• Ensure employees receive regular meaningful supervision and annual performance evaluations.
• Support Directors with complex management staffing and performance situations without absorbing routine decisions that belong within departments.
• Work closely with HR on onboarding performance management professional development succession planning and organizational culture.
• Identify shared leadership and management development needs and coordinate appropriate training tools and support.

Policies Systems and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain a comprehensive current framework of organizational policies procedures and standard operating procedures with clear ownership and review schedules.
• Increase consistency where organizational practices vary unnecessarily between departments.
• Strengthen documentation record keeping internal controls and management processes.
• Simplify organization-wide systems reduce unnecessary administrative duplication and improve efficiency.

Program and Service Oversight

• Provide executive-level oversight of service and operational departments through their Directors.
• Ensure programs operate consistently with organizational values contractual requirements and established models of practice.
• Support and hold Directors accountable for service quality client outcomes staffing budgets and compliance within their areas.
• Ensure significant programmatic or operational risks are escalated appropriately and support Directors in resolving complex challenges.
• Promote continuous improvement shared learning and consistency across programs.

Organizational Risk and Compliance

• Maintain oversight of key operational risks and ensure mitigating actions are identified assigned and completed.
• Work with Finance HR Property Programs and other leaders to strengthen compliance and organizational readiness.
• Ensure audit monitoring and regulatory findings are addressed promptly and systematically.
• Identify recurring operational issues address their underlying causes and ensure significant incidents and safety concerns receive appropriate leadership attention.

Executive Leadership and Board Support

• Serve as an active member of the Executive Leadership Team.
• Work closely with the CEO and Finance Director to ensure operational decisions reflect organizational capacity and financial realities.
• Provide concise reporting to the CEO on organizational performance risks emerging issues and areas requiring intervention.
• Contribute to Board and committee reporting on operational performance and strategic implementation.
• Attend Board and Executive Committee meetings as appropriate and deputize for the CEO when requested.

** This job description does not list all of your job duties. Occasionally your supervisor might request that you perform other reasonable duties in order to most effectively work towards Homeward Bounds mission of ending homelessness.

Homeward Bound bases its human resource decisions on objective criteria without regard to any characteristic or condition protected by law. We are committed to a workplace that offers equal opportunity without discrimination based on race color national origin citizenship sex pregnancy sexual orientation gender identity or expression age religion disability genetic information/medical history military/veteran status marital status familial status LGBTQIA status or any characteristic or condition protected by law but not specifically mentioned here.

Full Time Benefits Offered:

Benefits begin the first of the month following 30 days of employment.
Medical: 100% employer-paid MedCost plan including 100% mental health & lab coverage
MercyMe Urgent Care: Employer-paid family membership (up to 4)
Dental: 100% employer-paid Delta Dental
Vision: Community Eye Care
15 Paid Holidays
Vacation: 4 weeks paid vacation in your first year increasing with tenure
Sick Leave: 96 hours annually with unlimited rollover
Life & Long-Term Disability: 100% employer-paid
401(k): Contribute from Day 1; employer match after 1 year
Short-Term Disability Accident & Critical Care coverage available
Hybrid Work: 1 remote day per week
Company-provided cell phone
Medical & Dependent Care FSA
YMCA membership discount
YMCA Market: Locally sourced groceries subsidized 50% by Homeward Bound
BenefitMe employee shopping program
BeneMoney loans up to $5000 after 1 year
Employer-paid CPR/AED/First Aid certification
2026 mployer Top Employee Benefits Award Recipient

Required Experience:

Chief