Chief Operating Officer

Job Overview
Accountable for the management, coordination, and leadership of all programming ensuring safety, high quality and fidelity to organizational values and treatment philosophy. The Chief Operating Officer ensures Ellipsis provides an appropriate and positive living environment for youth in shelter or residential care, as well as appropriate support for community-based services.

This role ensures goals and systems are successfully implemented and oversees the Residential Program Directors and their staff as they carry out the objectives of their individual programs, providing leadership and oversight to ensure Ellipsis delivers the best individual Service Plan for each youth.

The Chief Operating Officer provides operational leadership, education, coaching, and problem solving across the organization and to identified community partners.

Responsibilities

Strategy

● Contributes to the growth of the organization as a member of the executive leadership team

● Participates in the definition of the organization's strategic plan, in conjunction with the Board of Directors and other senior leaders

● Discerns and articulates the strategy of the organization's programs in response to the overall strategic plan and drives accountability to organizational strategy, goals and youth outcomes

● Defines success, sets goals, and ensures accountability of key performance indicators to increase impact

People Leadership, Culture and Performance

● Establishes organization wide strategies to recruit, develop, and retain high performing staff in alignment with youth outcomes and organizational values

● Leads talent acquisition, onboarding, and offboarding strategy in collaboration with the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer to ensure consistency, readiness and cultural fit

● Supports a culture of continuous learning by assessing organizational wide training needs, and, in collaboration with other leaders, developing an associated plan in alignment with organizational goals

● Develops systems for reward and recognition across the organization to ensure a culture that recognizes and appreciates high performance and positive youth impact

● Leads performance management efforts, including goal setting, annual performance evaluations, corrective action, and coaching for supervisors and leaders

● Plays an active role in employee relations, engagement efforts, and when needed supports investigations or resolution of concerns

● Provides coaching and development support to Program Directors and emerging leaders; ensures leaders are equipped with tools for staff supervision, coaching, and professional growth

● Identifies and supports high-potential staff for leadership advancement and succession planning

Operational Leadership

● In collaboration with other leaders, develops and documents organization wide philosophies, policies and procedures to sustain safe, effective and impactful programs

● Responsible for planning, implementation and ensuring fidelity to policies and procedures, incorporating evidence-based and promising practices, across all programs

● Ensures operational safety and regulatory compliance across all sites

● Builds operational systems and processes so results are repeatable, sustainable and scalable

● Responsible for effective communication and change management within areas of oversight, in conjunction with CEO and Engagement Director to align with broader organizational messaging

● Optimizes use of technology across the organization and programs to ensure operational efficiency and thorough, accurate data capture

● Evaluates opportunities for standardization and leads cross-functional integration across service lines to ensure a unified approach to service delivery and outcomes

● Chairs Incident Review Team weekly to ensure thorough review of critical incidents and continuous learning

● Reviews aggregate monthly trends in significant incidents, critical incidents and youth grievances to identify patterns and lead systemic improvements

Crisis Prevention and Intervention

● Helps Program Directors develop broader operational, staff, and youth crisis and behavior management training and techniques

● Ensures training and coaching of crisis techniques to staff

● Acts as a point of escalation for logistical response in immediate crisis situations

● Is subject to 24-hour emergency call and on occasion will return to Ellipsis facilities to handle emergency situations.

Program Leadership

● Oversees development and implementation of annual program goals, outcomes, and key performance indicators aligned with strategic priorities

● Implements systems to monitor utilization, staff-to-youth ratios, critical incidents, and operational metrics in real-time

● Works with the Chief Quality and Compliance Officer, to ensure programmatic compliance with licensing, accreditation, and funder requirements (e.g., HHS, Medicaid, DIA, CARF).

● Champions continuous quality improvement efforts in partnership with the Chief Quality and Compliance Officer ensuring data informed decision making and accountability to quality improvement plans

● Accountable for ensuring all program facilities and supplies are operating as expected and reported and followed up on when not

Food Services Oversight

● Oversees kitchen administration, inventory management, food safety and preparation, and other aspects of food service operations to ensure children receive nutritious and nurturing meals

Financial Management

● Accountable for program budgets and ensures program's financial position within areas of oversight are operating in accordance with the approved budget.

● Accountable for program adherence to the service delivery and reporting expectations of public contracts and private grants

● Participates in identified contract negotiations and ensures operational readiness to meet new or revised contract deliverables

● Supports grant writing and reporting functions by supplying operational insights and data analyses

Employee Development

● Manages performance of the leaders and individual contributors within the Residential Program teams. Works with team members to establish performance goals and hold them accountable for their performance, including annual performance management, ongoing development, and corrective action where needed

● Creates a culture that values employee feedback through engaging with staff and implementing improvements that improve safety, efficiency, or outcomes while balancing the financial constraints of the organization

● Builds an effective, mission-driven, and positive culture, evidenced by a committed and engaged team

Requirements

● Bachelor's or master's degree in human services, health administration, or related field, such as social work, sociology, psychology, or equivalent work experience

● At least 5+ years of related experience in child welfare services and/or operations management

● At least 5+ years of direct leadership experience, with at least 2+ years of leading senior team members and/or multiple service teams

● Demonstrated performance as a leader, including the ability to build and motivate high-performing teams through good judgement, common sense, and the capacity for growth

● Evidence of emotional stability and maturity, with demonstrated capability of working with and establishing relationships with youth who have problem behaviors or emotional difficulties

● Critical thinker and problem solver who demonstrates decision-making and time-management skills

● Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

● Able to work independently, with minimal oversight, and with high ethical standards

● Able to deal tactfully with youth, family members, visitors, government agency representatives and the general public

● Able to provide positive role modeling for residents in areas of communication, decision-making, and problem solving

● Willing to make decisions based on what's best for kids and families

● Willing to participate in all scheduled meetings, trainings and supervision sessions as requested

● Intermediate computer skills including experience working in Microsoft Windows and Office and Google products

● Clear criminal and child abuse background checks

● Acceptable driving record

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending