Chief Operating Officer of Vida Verde: Educational Equity in the Outdoors!

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is the right-hand to our Executive Director. With your experience and skills, you’ll help lead our team of high-performing, passionate individuals to be efficient, productive, and effective. The ideal candidate is from the Vida Verde community or has extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, perhaps having worked their way up to an executive role. Experience in education and/or in the outdoor space is a bonus. We are looking for a unique mix of operations and Teams/HR management expertise, plus a commitment to the mission, values, and established procedures and systems of this social justice organization. We have our eyes open for a COO who has strong leadership skills and the ability to approach their role with a creative point of view.  

MISSION STATEMENT: Vida Verde is a nonprofit that promotes educational equity by providing free, overnight, environmental learning experiences for students who don’t otherwise get the opportunity.

Objectives of this role

● Collaborate with the Co-Founders (Executive Director & Director of Facilities and Capital Projects) in driving organizational vision and operational strategy

● Translate strategy into actionable steps for growth, implementing organization-wide goal setting, performance management, and annual operations planning

● Oversee nonprofit operations and employee support, building a highly inclusive culture that ensures team members can thrive and organizational outcomes are met

● HR: Ensure effective recruiting, onboarding, professional development, performance management, and retention

● Help create or revise company policies as needed and adhere to governmental business requirements, ensuring compliance and taking action when necessary

Responsibilities

● Build and maintain trusting relationships with Co-Founders (ED & DFC), and co-lead, hand in hand with them. 

● Report to & consult with the ED, DFC weekly  

● Build and maintain trusting relationships with entire staff team, as well as with key donors, community members, school partners and peer organizations.

● Analyze internal operations and identify areas for operational enhancement, including systems and use of technology for organizational efficiency

● Directly oversee operations, HR, and partner with ED to ensure that department heads are meeting/adhering to their budget goals

● Provide ongoing whole-staff training on all things operational or HR-related if/when needed

● Monitor capital investments per policy, employee pay rates & benefits disbursements

● Monitor employee engagement, and company DEIJ with tracking software and propose/lead PD & meetings to improve based on data. 

Required skills and qualifications

● Five or more years of experience in nonprofit/business leadership positions

● High-functioning professional with personal integrity

● Enjoyment and facility working with team dynamics, team health, personnel management

● Ability to diagnose problems quickly and foresee potential issues

● Creative problem solver, utilizing past experience and sector references

● Comfortable with both group presentations and individual conversations

Preferred skills and qualifications

● Bilingual

● Experience with fundraising, nonprofits, education work, outdoor/environmental work,

● People of color, women and individuals from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply

Compensation

Annual salary $90k-$102k dependent on experience. 

Eligible for retirement benefits (Vida Verde matches up to 5% of your salary) after nine months of employment. V.V.’s contributions are applied retroactively upon completion of 9 months of work, and are vested over a five-year period. Vida Verde doubles the matching 2:1 after 5 years. 

Eligible for coverage by the organization’s medical, dental, and vision insurance plans. V.V. contributes $200 monthly to a plan of your choosing from several available. 

Paid sick leave and paid time off. 

Secluded rural setting. Use of sites’ facilities: hot tub, trail, creek, etc. 

Pro Deals (deep discounts on products from: Smartwool, Patagonia, Chaco, and others.) 

ACCESS THE FULL JOB POSTING HERE

How to apply:

“Priority” application due date: 10.21.2022

Application Procedure: Send Letter of Interest, Resume, 3 References and any other materials you wish by EMAIL ONLY to: Laura Sears at Laura@Vveducation.org, Shawn Sears at shawn@Vveducation.org, and Paula Alves at paula@Vveducation.org.

ACCESS THE FULL JOB POSTING HERE

Org website: www.vveducation.org             

Position Open until filled.