Chief Operating Officer

Organization:

Horizons for Homeless Children (HHC) is a vibrant community of professionals committed to changing the lives of young children and their families experiencing homelessness.  Through our work in a variety of positions, from teachers to van drivers to Playspace Programs directors and administration, the homeless children we serve are our priority.  Since the founding of HHC in 1988, we have systematically spread our work from locally in Boston to statewide, touching the lives of over 2,400 children every week, and in every family shelter in Massachusetts. 

Our three Community Children's Centers are Boston's only comprehensive, full-time early education and childcare centers specifically for young homeless children. All three centers are NAEYC accredited with trained, degreed teachers in each classroom. As part of our Playspace Programs, we recruit, train and place over 1,400 Playspace Activity Leader (PAL) volunteers a week in Playspaces (recreational and educational spaces) located in family shelters statewide. 

In addition to direct service, we advocate on behalf of young homeless children and their families with state and federal policy makers. We also share our best practices, cutting edge curricula, the Evaluation and Innovation Program and Family Partnership models, by providing training and technical assistance to related service providers nationwide. Annually, we host a national conference bringing together thought leaders, policy makers and experts in the field of child and family homelessness to share their practice and to network with each other in a collaborative spirit.  

Position:

Reporting to and working closely with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) will play a critical role on HHC's executive team, and will be an active voice in the organization's ongoing strategic visioning and planning. S/he will broaden HHC's influence on the lives of homeless children - and exert both local and national leadership -- by developing, implementing, and measuring the organization's Children's Community Centers' (CCC) early childhood programs, the Family Partnerships Program, the Evaluation and Innovation Program and the Training and Technical Assistance Program. Specifically, the COO will manage and mentor four directors responsible for the majority of HHC's staff (70+ people). By ensuring that HHC's teams and systems are aligned and that synergies are maximized between programs, as well as more broadly across HHC's other departments, the COO will instill and embody a positive performance culture.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an inspiring and accomplished leader who has deep knowledge of early education and/or disadvantaged children and families as well as a strong track record of leading and managing teams and a complex portfolio of interdependent programs.  

Responsibilities:

• Leadership, Strategy, and Program Innovation
  • In partnership with the CEO and the executive team, enhance and build HHC's credibility as a national thought leader in early education for homeless children
  • Provide inspiration and energy to the implementation of HHC's programmatic strategy, ensuring that the service delivery and operational team of 70+, and their budgets, are aligned and effective
  • Transparently communicate with the CEO and Board of Directors about financial, programmatic and impact performance against stated milestones and goals 
  • Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and strengthen internal communications with staff across early learning program sites; promote a multi-cultural work environment that supports program consistency, best practices and inclusion.
  • Strategically track trends and identify opportunities that promote programmatic growth and innovation
  • Provide thought leadership on measurement, evaluation and innovation, ensuring HHC is developing - and communicating -- a significant evidence-base
• Management and Operations
  • Translate the strategy into high quality service delivery with clear operational goals
  • In partnership with his/her direct reports:
    • Drive the use and refinement of HHC's cutting edge/evidence-based best practices in the organization's Center-based direct service work
    • Drive curricular and programmatic approaches that support critical early learning for vulnerable children
    • Support effective family engagement in Center-based programs and ensure a seamless integration of HHC's home visiting model
    • Glean best practices from other successful models nationally, and develop performance/impact measurement and accompanying data collection systems
    • Develop the HHC Training and Technical Assistance Program into a high impact, powerful nationwide model for providers of early education to homeless children
  • Organizationally, model and reinforce effective decision-making processes and use data as a real management tool to assess impact on the children served and how the organization is progressing toward its ultimate goal; refine and adjust program models, and interdependencies, accordingly
• People and Culture
  • Recruit and mentor high impact teams; personally drive and instill a high-performing and empowered culture
  • Assess current and future human capital needs on an ongoing basis
  • As a model for cultural competency, support a highly diverse employee base as it partners with the children and families HHC serves
  • Create and implement succession plans, and foster staff development through forward-thinking professional development and coaching

Qualifications:

• B.A. a minimum, ideally with an advanced degree in a related field ( Early Childhood Development, Education, Social work)
• Deep passion for - and track record of -- supporting disadvantaged children and families. 
• 10+ years of overall professional experience, with a significant track record of managing:
  • Strategic plans and budgets for major programs ($7M+ in budget)
  • A high quality, multi-site early education or child/family-focused portfolio of direct service programs
• Management and organizational leadership skills with a demonstrated ability to:
  • Enable effective decision-making, results orientation and clarity in a fast-moving environment
  • Analyze operational performance in order to set clear priorities, delegate and guide investment in people, program and systems
  • Improve and innovate programs
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Highly effective and collaborative team leader who supports a positive performance culture; personal characteristics include: integrity, optimism, and high energy

To Apply:

Horizons for Homeless Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position. The Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit organization, serves diverse organizations and is committed to building high-performing teams that mirror the communities we serve. Interested candidates can apply to: horizonsCOO@bridgespan.org.