Chief Operating Officer

Re-imagining Migration

Job Description

Organization
 
Re-imagining Migration addresses one of our nation’s most challenging issues today: the ways that polarization, prejudice, and hatred between people of different identities, backgrounds, and perspectives are dividing and damaging our communities, our nation and our schools. In the current environment, children of immigrants are often targets of overlapping prejudices as both members of immigrant families and as young people of color. These factors impair their academic, social, and civic opportunities for success, and imperil the prospects for our shared democracy.
 
Our mission is to advance the education and well-being of immigrant-origin youth, decrease bias and hatred against young people of diverse origins, and help rising generations develop the critical understanding and empathy necessary to build and sustain welcoming and inclusive communities.
 
We achieve this by enriching our understanding of human migration, leveraging educators as pivotal agents of change, and empowering young people as civic agents—the life force of vibrant democratic societies.
 
Opportunity
 
Re-imagining Migration seeks a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to increase Re-imagining Migration’s operating capacity and strategy execution as the organization transitions from a small nonprofit organization to a more robust one with greater reach, resources and impact on immigrant origin youth, educators, schools and communities across the country and around the world.

This is a new position at the organization, requiring an experienced, mission focused, and process-oriented individual with experience executing on vision and strategy through day-to-day operations, financial oversight, and staff management. The COO will be the primary strategic and management partner to the Executive Director and will oversee and execute the operational functions of the organization. They will excel in managing finance and operations, including experience in developing an organization’s workflow, internal communications, and critical processes. The COO will maintain the highest professional standards, producing rigorous work products on a timely basis. 
 
Successful candidates will have a high degree of personal integrity, excellent management skills, strong interpersonal skills, and will be self-motivated. They will be highly collaborative, with an exceptional ability to listen and foster productive working relationships among staff, and earn the trust and confidence of everyone involved in the organization.
 
COO Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities for this position will include, but not be limited to:
 
Finance and Legal Compliance
  • Develop a risk management approach that is appropriate for the organization’s scale, mission, and exposures and that enables effective oversight by the board.
  • Carry out the fiduciary responsibilities of the organization and ensure compliance with all applicable rules, policies, procedures, laws, and regulations. Assume overall budget compliance responsibility for all functions and activities described above.
  • Assume overall contract compliance responsibility for all the functions and activities mentioned above.
  • Report to the Executive Director, as soon as identified, any deficiencies or other issues, whether current or anticipated, in any of the areas described above.
  • Assist the Executive Director in the development of management and reporting strategies and a set of management metrics to predict outcomes.
  • Ensure that employee benefits and compensation are aligned with the organization’s goals.
  • Assume additional responsibilities that are consistent with the position of COO, as assigned by the Executive Director.

Management and Operations
  • Assume overall responsibility for the day-to-day performance of staff.
  • Assist in the ongoing development of needs assessments and program quality assessment tools to identify next steps and areas of opportunity for the organization and support an ethic of continuous quality improvement for all programs and services.
  • Oversee the organization’s infrastructure requirements, including appropriate information technology and work environments.
  • Lead the development of a sustainable plan to support appropriate, professional development for employees.
 
Leadership and Organizational Development
  • Provide organizational leadership, support, coordination and communication throughout all operating areas of the organization.
  • Participate in board of director meetings, providing updates to and seeking feedback from board members on the organization’s operating performance and effectiveness.
  • Promote a culture of creative, high achievement and inspire open lines of communication.
  • Represent the agency at meetings, conferences, special events, etc. at the request of the Executive Director.
  • Assist the Executive Director in maintaining positive relationships with all peer, partner and other organizations, funding sources, government entities and representatives, and the public.
  • Work to promote and protect Re-imagining Migration’s status and reputation as an effective and responsible   organization and to ensure the efficacy of its programs.
  • Assist the Executive Director in achieving the organization’s growth and development goals in a timely fashion,    consistent with its evolving business plan and annual budgets.
  • Assist in the ongoing formulation of the agency’s overall promotional strategy and the development of associated marketing materials and initiatives.
 
Qualifications

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:
  • Enthusiasm for Re-imagining Migration’s mission and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that it is a high performing organization.
  • Seven or more years of operational and financial management experience in a nonprofit or for-profit organization.
  • Relevant graduate degree in management, public administration, education administration, or a related field.
  • Self-starter who takes initiative, using sound, independent judgment and discretion and seeks guidance and feedback where appropriate.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; highly organized with concern for detail and a commitment to rigor.
  • Demonstrated experience with scaling up organizational infrastructure.
  • Experience with creating and leading a diverse and energetic staff, including an ability to motivate individuals and foster team cohesiveness and spirit.
  • Knowledge of human resources and experience setting individual and team performance goals and evaluating their execution.
  • Knowledge of risk-management and the ability to develop effective risk-management strategies.
  • Familiarity with state-of-the-art organizational development tools.
  • Excellent verbal, written, analytical, and interpersonal skills.
  • Strong time management skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Professionalism, empathy, and the ability to work as part of a team, maintain a sense of humor, and interact with a diverse array of people from all walks of life.

Compensation: Re-Imagining Migration is prepared to offer a competitive salary as well as health and vacation benefits. Salary will be commensurate with experience.

Re-imagining Migration does not discriminate in employment or in any of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion or religious creed, disability or handicap, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
 
If you are interested in this position, please send a resume and cover letter to: pcaesar@stjamesstrategy.com