Regional Chief Operating Officer

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By joining the American Red Cross you will touch millions of lives every year and experience the greatness of the human spirit at its best. Are you ready to be part of the world's largest humanitarian network?

Join us—Where your Career is a Force for Good!

Job Description:

Why Choose Us?

Joining The American Red Cross is like nothing else – it’s as much something you feel as something you do. You become a vital part of the world’s largest humanitarian network. Joining a team of welcoming individuals who are exceptional, yet unassuming. Diverse, yet uncompromising in unity. You grow your career within a movement that matters, where success is measured in people helped, communities made whole, and individuals equipped to never stop changing lives and situations for the better.

When you choose to be a force for good, you’ll have mentors who empower your growth along a purposeful career path. You align your life’s work with an ongoing mission that’s bigger than all of us. As you care for others, you’re cared for with competitive compensation and benefits. You join a community that respects who you are away from work as much as what you do while at work.

Where Your Career is a Force for Good!

Where Your Career is a Force for Good

The American Red Cross is seeking a Regional Chief Operating Officer (COO) to serve as a key member of the Wisconsin Region senior leadership team. This role partners closely with the Regional CEO to drive execution of strategy, ensure operational excellence, and build a high-performing, mission-ready organization.

Based in Milwaukee, this hybrid role provides strategic and operational leadership across a complex, two-state region , where mission is delivered across 5 chapters. The COO ensures that the systems, people, and infrastructure are aligned to deliver the Red Cross mission with excellence, equity, and efficiency.

Why This Role Matters

This role ensures that the Red Cross is ready every day , with the people, infrastructure, and systems required to respond to crises, support communities, and deliver on its mission.

The Regional COO plays a critical role in shaping how the mission comes to life operationally , enabling teams across the region to do their best work and serve those in need.

What You Need to Know

The Regional COO is responsible for translating strategy into execution across all operational and administrative functions. This includes oversight of facilities, fleet, financial management, workplace operations, compliance, and cross-functional integration.

The leadership team at the American Red Cross of Wisconsin includes Chapter Executive Directors who drive geographic presence and lead Chapter Teams, and Department Leaders (Regional Disaster Officer, Chief Fund Development Officer, Regional Volunteer Services Officer, and Communications Director) who drive streamlined mission delivery regionwide and manage people.

This COO role is both strategic and deeply operational , requiring the ability to lead through complexity, navigate ambiguity, and deliver results through others.

The COO:

• Leads a high-performing operations team while influencing leaders across all lines of service

• Ensures the region operates with readiness, resilience, and fiscal discipline

• Serves as a connector across mission delivery, corporate services, and community partners

• Models and drives a culture grounded in collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and innovation

Where Your Career is a Force for Good

Strategic Leadership & Execution

• Partner with the Regional CEO and leadership team to operationalize regional strategy , drive priorities, and ensure accountability across initiatives

• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner , helping navigate complex organizational challenges and opportunities

• Drive regional planning processes, track progress, and ensure alignment to enterprise priorities

Operational Excellence & Infrastructure

• Oversee all aspects of regional operations including facilities, fleet, safety, and continuity planning

• Ensure operational readiness and internal emergency preparedness , including maintenance, compliance, and COOP planning

• Drive performance against key operational metrics, including:

• Timely completion of work orders, maintenance, and service requests

• Completion of facility assessments and regulatory compliance activities

• Lead large-scale operational projects (e.g., real estate transitions, site expansions, infrastructure modernization)

People, Culture & Volunteer Workforce

• Collaboratively build and sustain a highly engaged, inclusive workforce of employees and volunteers

• Coach and develop leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation

• Drive workforce outcomes aligned to national goals, including:

• Volunteer and employee experience measures (e.g., engagement, satisfaction)

• Growth in representing the communities we serve

Financial Stewardship & Resource Management

• Lead regional financial operations , including budgeting, forecasting, and expense management

• Ensure strong stewardship of donor resources and alignment to financial targets

• Oversee facilities and fleet budgets, ensuring efficient use of resources and long-term sustainability

• Monitor and communicate financial performance to leadership and board stakeholders

Cross-Functional Integration & Partnerships

• Serve as the primary liaison to corporate functions (HR, Finance, IT, Risk, Legal, Real Estate, Facilities) to ensure seamless regional execution

• Partner across mission delivery lines (Disaster Cycle Services, Biomedical, Training Services, etc.) to enable integrated service delivery

• Build strong relationships internally and externally, navigating complex dynamics and aligning diverse stakeholders

Success Measures

Success in this role is defined by measurable outcomes that reflect organizational health, operational performance, and mission readiness , including:

• Workforce Experience

• Improvement in employee and volunteer engagement metrics

• Capacity & Readiness

• Achievement of volunteer workforce targets

• Completion of operational and facility performance targets (maintenance, assessments, compliance)

• Financial Stewardship

• Achievement of regional expense and budget targets

• Effective management of facilities and fleet resources

What You Need to Succeed

Education: Bachelor's degree required.

Experience: Minimum 10 years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.

Management Experience: 7 years of management experience.

Preferred skills:

• Proven ability to lead complex, multi-site operations and deliver results through influence

• Strong financial, operational, and project management acumen

• Exceptional collaboration, communication, and relationship-building skills

• Ability to navigate ambiguity, solve complex problems, and drive change

• Deep commitment to mission, equity, and service to community

Skills & Abilities: Ability to work on a team. Ability to plan, prioritize and organize work to maximize team performance and meet customer expectations. Excellent organizational skills and ability to work with attention to detail. Strong project management skills. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to create and maintain collaborative work relationships within the organization and with external stakeholders. Refined critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving skills and the ability to establish and adjust to current and emerging priorities and negotiate multiple complex activities.

Travel: Travel is required throughout the Region (25-35%). Some out-of-region travel may also be required.

*Combination of candidate’s education and general experience satisfies requirements so long as the total years equate to description’s minimum education and general experience years combined (Management experience cannot be substituted).

​This job will be posted for a minimum of five business days and extended if the applicant pool needs to be expanded. This role is not eligible for relocation assistance.

Benefit For You

We take care of you, while you take care of others. As a mission-based organization, we believe our team needs great support to do great work. Our comprehensive benefits help you in balancing home and work. With our resources and perks, you have amazing possibilities at the American Red Cross to advance the learn.

• Medical, Dental Vision plans

• Health Spending Accounts & Flexible Spending Accounts

• PTO: Starting at 15 days a year; based on FLSA status and tenure

• Holidays: 11 paid holidays comprised of six core holidays and five floating holidays

• 401K with 6% match

• Paid Family Leave

• Employee Assistance

• Disability and Insurance: Short + Long Term

• Service Awards and recognition

Physical Requirements: Physical requirements are those present in normal office environment conditions. Operational flexibility is required to meet sudden and unpredictable needs. Ability to use a personal computer, applicable software, and office equipment for sustained periods of time. May include sitting for long periods of time, driving a vehicle, and working under challenging conditions.

*LI-POST

Apply now! Joining our team will provide you with the opportunity to

make your career a force for good!

The American Red Cross is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, San Diego Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and any other applicable state and local laws.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency that brings people together through service, and its partners — the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps Alums, National Peace Corps Association, and the Service Year Alliance — launched Employers of National Service to connect national service alumni with opportunities in the workforce. American Red Cross is proud to be an EONS ( partner and share our employment opportunities with the network of organizations.

Interested in Volunteering? Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday ( to learn more, including our most-needed volunteer positions.

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