BioCrossroads - Chief Operating Officer (Indianapolis)

BioCrossroads Overview

BioCrossroads, an initiative of CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) is Indiana’s leading life sciences industry sector organization that brings together the state’s life science and healthcare industry leaders, world-class research organizations, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropy, and the public sector together to advance the sector within the BioHeartland Indiana.

BioHeartland Indiana is where biosciences solutions are invented, made, and moved. BioHeartland Indiana generates three times the national average in patents, is the nation’s leading exporter of life science products, and enjoys over $100B in economic impact from the biosciences. For over 25 years, BioCrossroads has played a key role in growing the life science economy in the BioHeartland Indiana.

Position Summary

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves as BioCrossroads’ senior operational leader, responsible for translating organizational strategy into execution by leading the organization’s operating model, aligning enterprise priorities, and ensuring effective disciplined execution across projects, partnerships, people, and resources.

Working closely with the President & CEO, the COO provides day-to-day leadership across BioCrossroads’ internal operations, leadership team execution, organizational performance, and resource alignment. While the President & CEO is responsible for establishing organizational direction, cultivating strategic relationships, advancing BioCrossroads' vision, and representing the organization across Indiana and the broader CICP ecosystem, the COO is responsible for operationalizing that vision and ensuring strategic priorities are effectively executed through clear operating plans, leadership accountability, resource alignment, and cross-functional coordination.

The COO leads BioCrossroads' internal operations, workforce development and communications and marketing teams, directly supervising functional leaders. Through coordination, coaching, performance management, and accountability, the COO drives operational excellence and ensures that organizational capacity, resources, and priorities remain aligned in service of BioCrossroads' statewide mission to advance Indiana’s life science sector through its strategic pillars of innovation/entrepreneurship, manufacturing expansion, workforce development, and thought leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Execution and Organizational Alignment
• Establish and manage the organizational operating rhythm, including planning, prioritization, accountability, performance review, and cross-functional decision-making.
• Translate strategic direction established by the President & CEO into actionable organizational plans, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Operationalize BioCrossroads’ strategic plan and annual operating priorities, monitoring progress and ensuring accountability across teams.
• Identify operational barriers and implement solutions that improve organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Support leadership team planning and execution processes to ensure priorities, projects, and resources remain coordinated and focused on organizational objectives.

Leadership Team Management and Coordination

• Directly supervise BioCrossroads’ operations, workforce development, and communications and marketing functional leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Provide operational leadership and coordination across Innovation and Catalyze Indiana, and other major organizational priorities to ensure work is aligned, resourced, and executive effectively.
• Provide coaching, guidance, and leadership support while empowering functional leaders to manage their respective areas of expertise and responsibility.
• Ensure effective coordination across all teams and other organizational functions.
• Facilitate leadership team planning, decision-making, and problem-solving processes that strengthen organizational effectiveness, clarify ownership, and ensure timely resolution of cross-functional issues.
• Monitor organizational performance across functional areas, helping leaders identify opportunities, address challenges, and remove barriers to success.
• Ensure leadership team members have the clarity, support, and resources necessary to successfully execute their responsibilities.

Organizational Planning and Resource Stewardship

• Develop and implement annual operating plans that support the strategic priorities established by the President & CEO and organizational leadership.
• Lead budget planning and resource allocation processes in partnership with CICP and BioCrossroads leadership, ensuring financial decisions align with strategic priorities, operating capacity, and funding commitments.
• Ensure grants, contracts, and strategic initiatives are effectively coordinated, staffed, and executed in alignment with organizational commitments and funding requirements.
• Partner with the President & CEO to support revenue planning, funding strategies and operations, and the operational implementation of grant- and partner-funded initiatives.
• Anticipate organizational risks, capacity contrstraints, and operating needs, and recommend actions to strengthen BioCrossroads’ long-term effectiveness and sustainability.

Project and Initiative Integration

• Coordinate activities across BioCrossroads’ major lines of work, ensuring initiatives are aligned with organizational priorities, partner needs, and strategic objectives.
• Ensure initiatives are prioritized and sequenced in alignment with organizational capacity and strategic direction.
• Establish processes that improve coordination, communication, and resource allocation across teams.
• Monitor organizational project portfolios and help leadership teams prioritize efforts based on impact and capacity.

Data, Performance, and Operational Excellence

• Ensure effective use of data to inform decision-making and demonstrate impact.
• Develop operational systems that support performance and long-term sustainability.
• Support the development of dashboards, reporting tools, and performance reviews that strengthen organizational accountability.

CICP and Ecosystem Coordination

• Partner with the President & CEO to engage CICP initiatives, identify opportunities for collaboration, and ensure effective engagement across the ecosystem.
• Ensure BioCrossroads’ work remains connected to the needs of Indiana's life science sector.
• Help ensure BioCrossroads’ initiatives complement and strengthen the broader CICP portfolio.

Governance and Organizational Stewardship

• Support Board of Directors engagement, planning, and reporting.
• Assist the President & CEO in organizational planning and governance activities.
• Ensure organizational commitments, grant requirements, and reporting obligations are fulfilled.
• Contribute to long-term organizational sustainability and growth.