Chief Operating Officer

United States
Posted on  

Job Description

Homebase is a national nonprofit dedicated to the social problem of homelessness. Our mission is to end homelessness, prevent its recurrence, and decrease its effect on communities. We work at the local, state, and national levels to support our partners in designing systems and implementing responses to homelessness while fostering collaboration and collective impact in addressing its political and economic causes.

Over the past few years, Homebase has grown significantly in both impact and size. As our organization has become more complex, our interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) has laid the foundation for the internal infrastructure and team needed to support this exciting growth. With her retirement on the horizon, we are now seeking our next Chief Operating Officer to join our enthusiastic team and continue in this important work.

Our next COO will be a seasoned professional who will be a core member of the Executive Team. They will be responsible for the organization’s overall operations and administration. Guided by core values of equity and impact, they will have a dual focus: (1) leading the design and implementation of infrastructure and systems to support and enhance our current work, and (2) building for the future state and needs of Homebase operations.

This is a dynamic position for a collaborative leader at a flexible, fun, and supportive organization where mission animates everything. This position can be remote or based out of our San Francisco office, with the option for hybrid scheduling, and the COO will report to the Executive Director.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Homebase’s team of 75+ staff come from diverse backgrounds and bring a variety of life and professional experiences to the table. We are a collective of legal, policy, and subject matter experts who are also data geeks, skilled facilitators, and strategic thinkers and planners dedicated to addressing homelessness and its root causes.

With over three decades of experience in the homelessness response field and expertise that spans disciplines and geographies, Homebase works directly with communities to develop strengths-based, customized responses to their most pressing challenges. We partner with clients in the public, non-profit, and faith-based sectors to identify barriers and key resources, refine their ideas and goals, and design scalable solutions.

We believe that meaningful impact results from robust and intentional collaboration across sectors and systems, cultivation of passionate leaders, and skillful execution of policy and practice to achieve sustainable results. Our approach is focused and practical, but driven by an expansive, long-term vision of system integration and a comprehensive, coordinated response to homelessness and poverty.

Our work requires acknowledging and addressing the fact that people of color, especially Black and Indigenous people, experience homelessness at dramatically disproportionate rates. Recognizing that this is a result of systemic, intersectional inequities, we believe it is crucial as an organization to promote racial equity and anti-racism throughout our work. We are committed to ensuring equal opportunity and a workplace environment that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and fosters a sense of belonging for all those on our team.

Homebase is powered by knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and forward-thinking people committed to developing a culture of inclusion around our work. We recognize, develop, and empower talent and encourage diversity of thought. Your point of view, skillset and experience will only make us stronger, so if you are a seasoned professional eager to share innovative ideas and try new things, we want to hear from you.

OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPECTATIONS OF THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

The COO will be responsible for the Finance, HR, IT, contracts and other business operations functions within the organization. They will have the opportunity to lead in the following ways:

  • Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Executive Director, Board of Directors, Finance and Program Directors to develop and implement Homebase’s vision for impact, providing critical information, decision-making input, and actionable recommendations to all levels of the organization.
  • Ensure Homebase has the operations staffing, systems, infrastructure, and procedures in place to support organizational stability, sustainability, and program impact that is data-informed and mission-driven.
  • Lead the organization to continue its drive to integrate cutting edge technology, promote cybersecurity awareness, and create digital resiliency for both the organization and its staff.
  • Inspire, guide, and direct an enthusiastic and capable team of finance/operations direct and indirect reports in a manner that is consistent with Homebase’s values of anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
  • Oversee the continuing integration of key operational data systems and processes, including between Sage Intacct, Salesforce, and Paylocity; accelerate the development and distribution of organizational dashboards, and develop and foster adoption of Homebase-specific KPIs.
  • Develop and implement organizational strategies to provide deep support for the Homebase staff team, including providing administrative, directional, and philosophical oversight to the outsourced entity that manages Homebase’s human resources, benefits, and payroll.
  • Innovate and iterate to drive sustainability and growth with data rich forecasting, analysis, and systems evolution.
  • Assess organizational risks, recommend mitigations, and develop protections for what cannot be avoided.
  • Design and implement policies, procedures, and internal controls that align with Homebase’s values and legal obligations; ensure compliance across the organization to support Homebase in continuing to deliver excellent annual audits.
  • Support the Finance Director in successful completion of the annual audit, tax filing, and organizational budgeting processes.
  • Manage a $12M+ organizational budget with equal doses of flexibility, creativity, and strict adherence to best practices.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Homebase’s next COO will ideally bring the following attributes, skills, and experience:

  • At least five years’ experience as a Chief Operating Officer or other operational leadership position at a large or midsize nonprofit (8M+ budget), demonstrating a leadership style characterized by integrity, transparency, equity and inclusion, and commitment to excellence.
  • Passion for creative problem-solving and strategic systems building, including empowering a diverse team of direct reports and other Business and Operations Team staff to thrive in their roles.
  • A management style characterized by coaching and mentorship and developed through a trauma-informed lens.
  • Strong commitment to racial and economic justice, with the ability to apply a strong anti-oppression lens to policies and organizational practices that impact people’s day-to-day work.
  • Extensive experience with nonprofit finance, including tracking and reporting requirements associated with restricted revenue streams and government contracts.
  • Prior experience managing human resources, including creating personnel policies that are grounded in anti-racism, diversity, inclusion, belonging, staff well-being, and other organizational values.
  • Experience with Sage Intacct and Salesforce would be a significant plus.
  • Experience and demonstrated success in building relationships with foundations and procuring grants would also be a plus.