Chief Operating Officer

Position: Chief Operating Officer

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Position Summary

Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina is seeking an experienced, highly organized and people-centered Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead the day-to-day management and operation of the organization. Reporting to the CEO, the COO will serve as the CEO’s principal deputy and Homeward Bound’s senior internal management leader, ensuring consistent, effective and accountable performance across departments.

The COO will supervise and support assigned Directors, strengthen the management and operational infrastructure around them, and help leaders succeed. This includes creating clear priorities and responsibilities; strengthening supervision and performance management; coordinating work across programs; improving data collection and reporting; removing organizational barriers; and providing additional leadership capacity for complex or cross-departmental work.

This role is suited to someone who enjoys management and execution. The successful candidate will move comfortably between organization-wide priorities and operational detail, asking whether teams are structured effectively, managers have what they need, agreed actions are being completed, performance information is visible, and emerging problems are addressed before they become organizational risks.

Working in close partnership with the CEO, the COO will translate strategy into consistent practice while giving Directors a senior partner who can help coordinate work, solve problems and improve services. This will also enable the CEO to devote greater capacity to strategy, organizational development, external relationships, advocacy, fundraising and Homeward Bound’s future direction.

Compensation: Starting at 100,000 to 125,000 annually with opportunity for bonus

Resume and Cover Letter are required for this position

• Required Bachelors Degree, preferred MBA
• Required 10 years of managerial experience

Qualifications and Experience

• Significant senior management experience, ideally within a complex nonprofit, human services, housing, healthcare or similarly mission-driven organization.
• Demonstrated experience managing, supporting and developing senior leaders.
• A strong track record of improving organizational performance, operational systems and management practice.
• Experience with program evaluation, performance measures and data-driven decision-making, including using data to improve program outcomes.
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to move comfortably between organization-wide issues and detailed operational matters.
• Strong judgment and the confidence to address difficult performance, staffing and organizational issues.
• Experience developing and implementing policies, procedures and accountability structures.
• A collaborative and flexible leadership style, with the ability to support and motivate others while making decisions and holding people accountable.
• Resilience, optimism and a deep commitment to Homeward Bound’s mission and to effective services for people experiencing homelessness.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership and Director Support

• Serve as the CEO’s principal deputy, senior internal management partner, thought partner and adviser.
• Provide direct supervision, coaching, practical support and accountability to assigned Directors.
• Help Directors translate organizational priorities into realistic departmental plans, with clear ownership, timelines and measures of success.
• Bring Program Directors together regularly to align practice, identify shared challenges, coordinate resources and reduce departmental silos.
• Support Directors with complex projects, service improvements and cross-departmental problems, removing organizational barriers where possible.
• Create clear routes for Directors to escalate issues, obtain timely decisions and access the support they need.
• Establish a consistent rhythm of management, including regular 1:1s, team meetings, goal setting, performance reviews and follow-through.
• Act on behalf of the CEO on internal operational matters when appropriate.

Performance, Data and Accountability

• Establish practical systems for tracking delivery against organizational and departmental priorities.
• Coordinate organization-wide data gathering and reporting, reducing duplication and helping Directors use information to improve program outcomes.
• Work with Directors to define meaningful measures of service quality, outcomes and operational performance, and ensure results are regularly reviewed and acted upon.
• Develop a concise organizational performance dashboard for the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and Board.
• Ensure Executive Leadership Team actions are assigned, tracked and completed.
• Identify underperformance early and support leaders to develop and implement improvement plans.
• Build a culture in which expectations are clear, strong performance is recognized, and difficult issues are addressed appropriately and promptly.

People Leadership and Management Practice

• Set clear expectations for supervision and management practice at Director, Manager and supervisory levels.
• Ensure employees receive regular, meaningful supervision and annual performance evaluations.
• Support Directors with complex management, staffing and performance situations without absorbing routine decisions that belong within departments.
• Work closely with HR on onboarding, performance management, professional development, succession planning and organizational culture.
• Identify shared leadership and management development needs and coordinate appropriate training, tools and support.

Policies, Systems and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain a comprehensive, current framework of organizational policies, procedures and standard operating procedures, with clear ownership and review schedules.
• Increase consistency where organizational practices vary unnecessarily between departments.
• Strengthen documentation, record keeping, internal controls and management processes.
• Simplify organization-wide systems, reduce unnecessary administrative duplication and improve efficiency.

Program and Service Oversight

• Provide executive-level oversight of service and operational departments through their Directors.
• Ensure programs operate consistently with organizational values, contractual requirements and established models of practice.
• Support and hold Directors accountable for service quality, client outcomes, staffing, budgets and compliance within their areas.
• Ensure significant programmatic or operational risks are escalated appropriately and support Directors in resolving complex challenges.
• Promote continuous improvement, shared learning and consistency across programs.

Organizational Risk and Compliance

• Maintain oversight of key operational risks and ensure mitigating actions are identified, assigned and completed.
• Work with Finance, HR, Property, Programs and other leaders to strengthen compliance and organizational readiness.
• Ensure audit, monitoring and regulatory findings are addressed promptly and systematically.
• Identify recurring operational issues, address their underlying causes, and ensure significant incidents and safety concerns receive appropriate leadership attention.

Executive Leadership and Board Support

• Serve as an active member of the Executive Leadership Team.
• Work closely with the CEO and Finance Director to ensure operational decisions reflect organizational capacity and financial realities.
• Provide concise reporting to the CEO on organizational performance, risks, emerging issues and areas requiring intervention.
• Contribute to Board and committee reporting on operational performance and strategic implementation.
• Attend Board and Executive Committee meetings as appropriate and deputize for the CEO when requested.

** This job description does not list all of your job duties. Occasionally, your supervisor might request that you perform other reasonable duties in order to most effectively work towards Homeward Bound’s mission of ending homelessness.

Homeward Bound bases its human resource decisions on objective criteria without regard to any characteristic or condition protected by law. We are committed to a workplace that offers equal opportunity without discrimination based on race, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, disability, genetic information/medical history, military/veteran status, marital status, familial status, LGBTQIA status, or any characteristic or condition protected by law, but not specifically mentioned here.

Full Time Benefits Offered:

Benefits begin the first of the month following 30 days of employment.
• Medical: 100% employer-paid MedCost plan, including 100% mental health & lab coverage
• MercyMe Urgent Care: Employer-paid family membership (up to 4)
• Dental: 100% employer-paid Delta Dental
• Vision: Community Eye Care
• 15 Paid Holidays
• Vacation: 4 weeks paid vacation in your first year, increasing with tenure
• Sick Leave: 96 hours annually with unlimited rollover
• Life & Long-Term Disability: 100% employer-paid
• 401(k): Contribute from Day 1; employer match after 1 year
• Short-Term Disability, Accident & Critical Care coverage available
• Hybrid Work: 1 remote day per week
• Company-provided cell phone
• Medical & Dependent Care FSA
• YMCA membership discount
YMCA Market: Locally sourced groceries subsidized 50% by Homeward Bound
• BenefitMe employee shopping program
• BeneMoney loans up to $5,000 after 1 year
• Employer-paid CPR/AED/First Aid certification
?? 2026 mployer Top Employee Benefits Award Recipient