Chief Operating Officer

Scion Executive Search has been retained to conduct an immediate search for the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of WomenHeart , a national nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of women living with or at risk for heart disease while championing equity in heart health outcomes. This is a full-time, remote position, with preference given to candidates located on the East Coast.

About Womenheart

Since 1999, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease has been the nation's only patient-centered organization solely dedicated to advancing women's heart health through support, education, advocacy, and community. Founded by women living with heart disease, WomenHeart has built a powerful national network that connects patients, caregivers, clinicians, and advocates around a shared mission: helping women live longer, healthier lives while addressing persistent inequities in cardiovascular care and outcomes.

Over the past 25 years, WomenHeart has become a leading voice in women's cardiovascular health, establishing the only national network of patient support groups, training more than 1,000 women heart disease survivors as community educators in partnership with Mayo Clinic, launching impactful advocacy and health equity initiatives, and reaching hundreds of thousands of women through educational programs such as the Red Bag of Courage®.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a mission-driven organization at a defining moment in its evolution. As WomenHeart enters its next phase of growth, the Chief Operating Officer will play a critical role in strengthening organizational effectiveness, expanding national impact, and advancing a vision in which every woman has equitable access to the support, education, and care needed to thrive.

Position Overview

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a key member of WomenHeart's executive leadership team and a strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer. As the organization enters its next phase of growth and national influence, the COO will play a pivotal role in translating vision into action, strengthening organizational capacity, and driving operational excellence across the enterprise.

Serving as WomenHeart's senior operational leader and chief integrator, the COO will align people, processes, resources, and priorities to advance the organization's mission and achieve measurable impact.

The COO will ensure that strategic and operational decisions are informed by meaningful data, organizational realities, and long-term sustainability considerations. This leader will be adept at synthesizing complex organizational, financial, programmatic, fundraising, and volunteer engagement information into actionable insights that support executive leadership and Board decision-making.

The COO will strengthen organizational effectiveness, foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, and build the systems, infrastructure, and leadership practices necessary to support a growing national organization powered by staff, volunteers, advocates, and partners.

Success in this role will require an accomplished leader who can build alignment across diverse stakeholder groups, lead through influence, and cultivate strong partnerships in support of WomenHeart's mission. The ideal candidate will bring experience scaling organizational capacity and navigating periods of growth, complexity, and transformation. While not directly responsible for fundraising, the COO will play a critical leadership role in creating the operational foundation necessary to support sustainable revenue growth, program expansion, and long-term organizational success.

Responsibilities

Execution & Organizational Performance

• Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to develop and execute the organization's strategic and annual operating plans, budget, and organizational priorities.
• Translate strategic goals into actionable operational plans, measurable objectives, key performance indicators (KPIs), and cross-functional accountability structures.
• Establish and oversee organizational performance management systems, including dashboards, reporting processes, and metrics that track program impact, fundraising effectiveness, volunteer engagement, financial performance, and organizational health.
• Provide the CEO, leadership team, and Board with data-driven insights and recommendations that inform strategic decision-making and organizational priorities.
• Drive a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence across the organization.
• Develop and maintain enterprise risk management practices, including identifying organizational risks and implementing mitigation strategies to support long-term success.
• Ensure organizational communications, messaging, and stakeholder engagement efforts align with strategic priorities and mission objectives.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Lead, coach, and develop functional leaders across programs, operations, communications, and future areas of organizational growth.
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration, ensuring alignment around organizational priorities, resource allocation, decision-making, and execution.
• Clarify roles, responsibilities, and accountability structures to improve organizational effectiveness and accelerate results.
• Identify and address barriers to execution, collaboration, and performance while promoting a high-performing, mission-driven culture.

Operations, Infrastructure & Organizational Effectiveness

• Provide executive oversight of operational systems, processes, technology, and administrative infrastructure to ensure organizational effectiveness, scalability, and mission impact.
• Lead and develop operational staff while establishing clear goals, performance expectations, and accountability measures.
• Oversee financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, financial performance monitoring, audit coordination, cash flow visibility, and compliance with regulatory, board, and funder requirements.
• Serve as the organization's senior human resources leader, overseeing talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, compensation administration, compliance, professional development, and culture initiatives.
• Continuously evaluate and improve organizational systems, workflows, and infrastructure to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and long-term sustainability.
• Partner closely with development leadership to ensure fundraising strategies are supported by strong operational systems, reporting, forecasting, and performance measurement.

Strategic Partnership with the CEO & Board

• Serve as the CEO's primary partner on organizational execution, operational performance, and strategic implementation.
• Provide regular visibility into organizational progress, emerging opportunities, operational challenges, and recommended solutions.
• Drive follow-through on key organizational priorities and executive commitments.
• Partner with the CEO and Board to strengthen governance processes, prepare board materials, and support strategic oversight and decision-making.

Organizational Growth & Scaling

• Partner with the CEO to develop and implement a multi-year operational roadmap that strengthens infrastructure, talent, technology, systems, and organizational capacity.
• Build and enhance the structures, processes, and operating systems necessary to support program growth, advocacy efforts, fundraising success, communications, and national impact.
• Represent WomenHeart in strategic partnerships and collaborative initiatives, serving as a senior leader responsible for successful implementation and execution.
• Advance organizational readiness for growth by strengthening governance, decision-making, accountability, and operational excellence as WomenHeart expands its reach and influence.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience, including senior operations, general management, or enterprise leadership roles within nonprofit, healthcare, public health, advocacy, or similarly mission-driven organizations.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational growth, change, and operational excellence, with the ability to translate strategy into execution and deliver measurable results in complex environments.
• Strong experience using data, financial information, performance metrics, and organizational insights to drive decision-making, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to build alignment across diverse stakeholders, lead through influence, develop high-performing teams, and foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and mission-driven impact.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, systems orientation, judgment, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into actionable recommendations for executive leadership and Boards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience serving as a COO or in a comparable senior enterprise leadership role.
• Experience within a national nonprofit, healthcare, patient advocacy, membership, or volunteer-driven organization.
• Experience partnering closely with CEOs and Boards and supporting fundraising effectiveness through operational leadership.
• Experience leveraging technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve organizational effectiveness and scalability.

Compensation And Benefits

This full-time, remote executive leadership opportunity offers a competitive salary of $140,000-$160,000 , commensurate with experience, and a comprehensive benefits package. While preference is given to candidates in the Washington, DC area, exceptional remote candidates with experience supporting growing nonprofit organizations and the ability to travel regularly will be considered. WomenHeart offers 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, and disability coverage for employees , a 401(k) with employer contributions , generous paid time off and holidays, a wellness benefit, and a monthly remote work stipend.