Chief Operating Officer

Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a strategic, mission-driven leader responsible for translating the Agency’s mission and strategy into effective, efficient, and sustainable operations. The COO ensures the Agency has the people, systems, infrastructure, technology, data, financial health, and organizational capacity needed to provide high-quality services to clients and community while fostering a strong and supportive organizational culture.

As a member of the executive leadership team and key thought partner to the CEO, the COO provides strategic oversight of Finance, Human Resources, Data Services, Information Technology, Facilities & Security, and agency-wide projects and strategic initiatives. The COO aligns people, resources, and operations with organizational priorities and creates the conditions for staff to do their best work and for JFS to achieve meaningful, sustainable impact.

The COO brings both strategic discipline, sound judgment, and a strong sense of purpose to the work. They are committed to JFS’s mission and passionate about helping lead a Jewish human services agency. They will ensure organizational priorities are clear, coordinated, and translate into measurable results while cultivating a culture of collaboration, accountability, learning, belonging, trust, and care.

The role requires strong data-informed decision-making, financial and operational acumen, systems thinking, project leadership, and a passion for mission-driven human services work. Equally important is the ability to lead with empathy, curiosity, and integrity; listen to the experiences of staff and stakeholders; and use those insights to strengthen systems, decision-making, and outcomes.

A central focus of the role is thoughtfully leveraging data, technology, and performance metrics to strengthen organizational effectiveness and improve service delivery. The COO champions thoughtful innovation while ensuring that technology and data are used responsibly, ethically, and in ways that strengthen the human connection at the center of human services.

The COO leads implementation of the strategic plan and other cross-agency initiatives, establishing the structures, accountability, and processes needed to move priorities from strategy to action. They develop systems for measuring organizational performance, learning from results, and continuously improving how JFS operates.

The COO represents the Agency in the absence of the CEO and serves as an ambassador for JFS’s mission, values, and commitment to staff and community.

JFS operates in a hybrid work environment, with a combination of in-office and remote work. Regular travel between Seattle, Kent, and Eastside office locations is expected.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Organizational Strategy, Operations & Performance:

• Provide leadership and oversight of day-to-day Agency operations and ensure effective coordination across organizational functions.
• Partner with the CEO and executive team to develop and execute organizational strategy, annual priorities, and operational plans.
• Translate strategic priorities into measurable objectives, performance indicators, timelines, and accountability structures.
• Establish systems, dashboards, and reporting processes that provide leadership with a clear view of organizational performance, capacity, risks, and opportunities.
• Analyze trends across staffing, finances, programs, services, and outcomes to inform decisions and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Lead efforts to improve processes and workflows, making them more efficient and effective. Work closely with Agency leadership to strengthen cross-departmental collaboration.
• Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, continuous improvement, and data-informed decision-making.
• Serve as Lead to designated Board committees and internal working groups.
• Partner with CPO to align service delivery, resources, and operational priorities with Agency goals.

Finance & Resource Management:

• Partner with the CEO, CFO, CDO, and Board to maintain the Agency’s financial health, sustainability, and responsible stewardship of resources.
• Oversee annual operating plans and budgets and ensure financial resources are aligned with strategic priorities.
• Strengthen budget ownership and financial accountability across departments.
• Use financial information, modeling, and analysis to inform operational decisions, resource allocation, growth, and long-term planning.
• Ensure financial and operational risks are identified, monitored, and appropriately managed.
• Oversee the Agency’s insurance coverage and risk exposure to ensure appropriate levels of coverage, renewals, and coordinate with brokers, carriers, and legal counsel.

Data, Technology & Data-Driven Leadership

• Provide strategic oversight of Information Technology and Data Services and ensure technology and data strategies are aligned with Agency priorities, operational needs, and strategic goals.
• Partner with the Director of Data Services and Information Technology Director to ensure data and technology are managed as core organizational assets and that leaders have timely, accurate, secure, and actionable information to support strategic and operational decision-making.
• Oversee agency-wide dashboards, scorecards, reporting systems, and performance measures; establish consistent reporting rhythms for the executive team and the Board.
• Strengthen organizational capacity and data literacy so leaders and managers can effectively interpret and use data.
• Connect financial, workforce, and service data to identify trends, measure outcomes, and improve organizational performance.
• Partner with IT and Data Services leadership and agency leaders to strengthen technology adoption, data capabilities, digital tools, and organizational readiness for technology and data-driven change.

People & Organizational Culture

• Partner with Chief People and Culture Officer to strengthen recruitment, retention, compensation, benefits, performance management, employee engagement, professional development, and workforce planning.
• Foster an organizational culture grounded in respect, belonging, accountability, learning, collaboration, and employee well-being.
• Support directors and supervisors in building high-performing, collaborative, and accountable teams.

Facilities, Security, Risk Management

• Collaborate with Director of Facilities and Security to ensure Agency work sites are safe, accessible, and secure and provide support for emergency preparedness, workplace safety, business continuity, and continuity of essential operations.
• Oversee the Agency’s risk management approach, ensuring operational, facilities, technology, data, financial, legal, regulatory, and organizational risks are identified, assessed, prioritized, and appropriately mitigated.
• Ensure appropriate policies, procedures, and controls are in place to protect people, assets, information, and Agency operations.

Agency-Wide Project Management & Strategic Initiatives

• Provide oversight of agency-wide project management and establish a consistent approach to planning and managing major strategic and operational initiatives.
• Ensure significant projects have clearly defined objectives, ownership, scope, milestones, resources, budgets, risks, and measures of success and that those objectives and measures of success are achieved.
• Maintain visibility into the Agency’s portfolio of strategic initiatives and collaborate with the Executive Team to prioritize investments based on strategic value, organizational capacity, financial impact, risk, and expected outcomes.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and ensure successful transition of completed initiatives into sustainable operations.

Executive Leadership & Board Partnership

• Serve as a member of the executive team and contribute to organization-wide strategy and decision-making.
• Promote open communication and transparency resulting in optimal information flow throughout the organization.
• Lead monthly Management Team meetings and staff key board committees, including Governance and Analytics; participate in additional board committees.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This COO supervises six positions:

• Chief Financial Officer
• Chief People and Culture Officer
• Director of Facilities and Security
• Director of Information Technology
• Director of Data Services
• Project Manager

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Professional Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive management experience, including at least 5 years in senior leadership with broad responsibility for organizational operations and administration.
• Experience leading multiple organizational functions in a complex environment; experience in human services, healthcare, behavioral health, or mission-driven organizations is preferred. Experience working within a Jewish organization is a plus.
• Demonstrated success translating organizational strategy into operational plans, measurable goals, and results.
• Strong financial management experience, including budgeting, resource allocation, and long-term financial planning.
• Demonstrated ability to use data, performance metrics, and technology to inform decisions and improve organizational outcomes.
• Experience leading significant organizational change, transformation, or continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience successfully managing organization-wide projects and cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience developing or implementing dashboards, performance measurement systems, or other tools for organizational accountability.
• Demonstrated understanding of technology and emerging AI capabilities and their potential application to organizational effectiveness.
• Experience working effectively in a hybrid and/or multi-site environment.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic and systems thinker who can connect mission, people, resources, operations, and outcomes.
• Collaborative and proactive leader who serves as an effective thought partner to the CEO and executive team.
• Ability to translate vision and strategy into clear priorities, action, accountability, and measurable results.
• Strong analytical, financial, and problem-solving skills, with sound judgment and the ability to make informed decisions in complex situations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through change, build trust, and work effectively across diverse teams and perspectives.
• Innovative and resourceful, with the ability to evaluate new approaches and take calculated risks in support of organizational improvement.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, both verbal and written.
• High level of integrity, humility, empathy, accountability, and commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to the mission and values of JFS; familiarity with Jewish community and culture preferred.

Technical Skills

• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency with project and workflow management tools such as Asana or similar platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and effectively leverage evolving technology, analytics, automation, and AI tools.

EDUCATION:

• Master’s Degree preferred; Bachelor’s Degree required.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

COMPENSATION:

The compensation range for the role is $208,000 to $250,000. We aim to hire new employees in the lower half of the range to allow for future compensation growth. We assess individual pay increases annually as part of our pay adjustment process. We also offer a competitive benefits package for all employees.

BENEFITS:

Jewish Family Service offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package including:

• 100% employer-paid premiums for employee medical, dental, life insurance, long-term disability, and employee assistance program.
• 15 annual vacation days increasing to 20 after 2 years, and generous paid sick time.
• Paid Federal and Jewish holidays.
• 5% employer contribution to 401k retirement plan (no employee contribution required).
• Additional benefits include: vision coverage and FSA enrollment.
• JFS values and provides opportunities for continued growth and learning for all team members.