Senior Vice President, Play Operations

Who We Are:

KABOOM! is a national nonprofit dedicated to ending play space inequity so that every child has access to safe, joyful places to play. We partner with communities, municipalities, and funders to design and deliver playgrounds and play spaces that reflect community voice, advance equity, and strengthen neighborhoods.

What We Offer:

At KABOOM!, we believe in supporting your well-being, financial security, and professional growth. Our total rewards package includes:

• 403(b) retirement plan with up to 6% employer match
• Annual bonus eligibility based on team and individual performance
• Student Loan Assistance Program
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Life insurance, wellness resources, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Flexible and generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 12 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays
• Opportunities for professional development

About the Role:

The Senior Vice President (SVP), Play Operations is a mission-driven executive leader responsible for the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of KABOOM!'s national delivery portfolio. This role ensures the successful delivery of playgrounds and play spaces across the country through strong construction project leadership, deep municipal partnership experience, and a commitment enabling community-centered outcomes.

This leader serves as the operational backbone of KABOOM!'s field execution model, bringing discipline, visibility, and accountability to how work shows up in communities.

• Grounded in KABOOM!'s leadership competencies, the SVP, Play Operations leads with equity, collaborates across teams and sectors, empowers people & teams, and drives results that create lasting impact for children and communities.

The SVP is also responsible for strengthening operational rigor, standardization, and field excellence across all delivery functions to ensure consistency, quality, and scalability.

What You'll Do:

Lead with Mission, Equity, and Impact

• Champion KABOOM!'s commitment to ending play space inequity by embedding equity, inclusion, and community voice into all delivery strategies and construction practices.
• Ensure projects are delivered in ways that honor funder, KABOOM! and community priorities, cultural context, and long-term sustainability.
• Serve as a values-driven executive leader who models KABOOM!'s commitment to trust, accountability, and joyful impact.
• Translate equity commitments into operational practices and measurable delivery standards.

Strategic & Results-Oriented Leadership

• Set and execute a national delivery strategy that supports KABOOM!'s organizational goals, growth plans, and impact targets.
• Establish clear goals, metrics, and accountability systems to ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, on budget, and to quality standards.
• Use data, learning, and continuous improvement to strengthen delivery models and scale impact nationwide.

Construction & Delivery Excellence

• Oversee end-to-end delivery of playground and play space projects, including planning, design coordination, procurement, construction, and closeout.
• Ensure compliance with safety standards, risk management practices, and municipal permitting and contracting requirements.
• Bring deep construction leadership expertise to manage complex, multi-site projects across diverse geographies.
• Maintain visible presence in the field through regular site visits and direct engagement with on-the-ground teams and partners.

Community-Powered & Municipal Partnerships

• Build and sustain strong relationships with municipalities, school districts, parks departments, and other public-sector partners.
• Collaborate with community organizations and local leaders to support inclusive, community-powered build processes.
• Represent KABOOM! as a trusted partner with funders, corporate sponsors, and public agencies related to delivery and construction.

Collaborative & Enterprise Leadership

• Partner closely with peers across Development, National Partnerships, Data, Community Engagement, and Finance to ensure integrated planning and execution.
• Contribute as a member of the executive leadership team to organizational strategy, budgeting, and decision-making.
• Navigate complexity with a collaborative mindset, aligning teams around shared goals and outcomes.
• Act as a key bridge between strategy and execution - ensuring organizational commitments are operationally realistic and deliverable.

People Leadership & Culture Building

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, geographically distributed delivery organization.
• Foster a culture of ownership, learning, psychological safety, and accountability aligned with KABOOM!'s leadership expectations.
• Build leadership capacity, succession plans, and inclusive talent practices within the Delivery function.

Financial Stewardship & Operational Integrity

• Oversee delivery budgets, forecasting, and cost controls in partnership with Finance.
• Manage contractor, vendor, and supplier relationships with transparency and accountability.
• Identify and mitigate operational, financial, and safety risks across the delivery portfolio.

Qualifications & Experience Required

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in construction, capital project delivery, or large-scale program implementation. CCM licensure preferred.
• Executive-level experience leading complex, multi-site delivery operations.
• Demonstrated success working with municipalities or public-sector partners.
• Proven ability to lead senior leaders and distributed teams.
• Strong alignment with KABOOM!'s mission and equity-centered approach.

Preferred

• Experience delivering playgrounds, parks, or community-based public infrastructure.
• Background in nonprofit, mission-driven, or public-private partnership environments.
• Experience integrating community engagement into construction or delivery models.

Why This Role Matters

As SVP, Play Operations, you will lead the work that turns KABOOM!'s mission into physical spaces where children can thrive. Your leadership will directly shape how communities experience partnership, equity, and joy-one playspace at a time.

Other Position Details :

• This position is full-time, Hybrid (in-office presence required three days per week)
• Location: Bethesda, MD
• Salary: $160,000 - $182,069

Equal Opportunity Statement

Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of personal identity is integral to our success and we are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain fully inclusive workspaces. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.

Note: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

This job description does not constitute an employee agreement between the employer and the employee; this description is subject to change by the employer as the needs and requirements of the position change.