Chief Operating Officer

Zero2Hero Inc; Perth; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

zero2hero is seeking an exceptional COO to lead day-to-day operations, finance, systems and risk across a growing not-for-profit organisation in Western Australia. You’ll report to the CEO, develop and support managers, strengthen governance and processes, and scale impact while preserving the organisation’s heart and culture.

With a track record of turning strategy into action, you’ll build leadership capability, drive performance, and ensure child safety and wellbeing are central to every

Qualifications

• Senior operational leadership experience at COO/Director level.
• Experience leading large teams across functions.
• Proven ability to turn strategy into action with strong accountability.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operations including finance, systems and risk.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and cost discipline.
• Strengthen governance, compliance and WHS/frameworks.
• Develop managers and leadership within reporting lines.
• Ensure child safety and wellbeing are embedded in operations.
• Drive performance improvements while preserving heart and culture.

Skills

Operational leadership

Strategic planning

Team development

Governance

Not-for-profit experience

Job description

We’ve built something significant. Now we want to take it up a level. Or ten.

zero2hero is preparing for its next chapter, and we’re looking for an exceptional operational leader to help build it with us.

We want someone who genuinely loves running the day-to-day operations of an organisation, leading a team of superheroes and making good organisations work even better.

Someone who gets energy from turning strategy into action, bringing clarity to complexity, developing great leaders, sharpening systems and making sure the whole organisation performs.

We’re not looking for someone who wants to become a great COO.

We want someone who has already been there, done that and has the T-shirt to prove it.

Corporate ninja skills. Giant heart. Real impact.

The opportunity

For more than a decade, zero2hero has done incredible work with young people across Western Australia, impacting hundreds of thousands of lives along the way.

We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built. Now we’re building for the next stage.

This newly created COO role will add greater executive depth to zero2hero and take significant leadership responsibility for how the organisation runs day to day.

Reporting directly to the CEO, you’ll lead across operations, finance, systems, risk, compliance and organisational performance, while developing and supporting the managers and teams within your remit.

Clear mission. Clear mandate.

You’ll work closely with the CEO and broader leadership team to turn strategy into action and build the operational strength needed for zero2hero’s next chapter.

We’ve built something great. Now we want to scale it — thoughtfully, sustainably and without losing the heart of what makes us, us.

You love operations. And people.

You understand how organisations actually work; the numbers, systems, risks, opportunities and people. You bring structure without bureaucracy, set high standards, create clear accountability and give people the support they need to perform at their best.

You can see the forest and genuinely enjoy getting into the weeds.

You’re senior, but you’re not leading from the stands...; you’re on the field. You can lead an executive conversation in the morning and get into the detail that afternoon: Board papers, budgets, processes, contracts, people and systems.

We’re looking for a corporate ninja: commercially sharp, operationally brilliant, great with people and experienced enough to help build an organisation capable of significantly more.

What you’ll lead

Your remit will include:

Day-to-day organisational and operational performance.

Financial management, budgeting, forecasting and cost discipline.

Systems, processes and continuous improvement.

Risk, governance, compliance, WHS and organisational controls.

Leadership and development of managers and teams within your reporting line.

Organisational child-safety compliance and youth-program risk management.

Because we work with young people, child safety and wellbeing aren’t side responsibilities. They are fundamental to how we operate.

What we’re looking for

You’re a commercially minded, proven senior operator who knows how to bring rigour, accountability and high performance without drowning an organisation in red tape.

You’ll bring:

Significant senior operational leadership experience at COO, GM, Director of Operations or equivalent level.

A proven track record leading a substantial team, including managers and multiple functions.

Genuine operational, financial, systems and organisational accountability.

Demonstrated success improving systems, processes or organisational performance.

Strong judgement and the confidence to navigate complexity and make decisions.

The ability to challenge constructively and then get behind the agreed direction.

A willingness to roll up your sleeves when required.

Experience in the not-for-profit sector is valuable, but it isn’t essential. We’d equally welcome an exceptional commercial operator who wants to apply their experience somewhere it can have a very different kind of return.

We’re purpose-driven, but we don’t believe purpose and performance are opposites.

We expect to operate like a high-performing organisation because the young people we serve deserve nothing less.

We care deeply about our people, our culture and our impact.

And we believe high standards, strong accountability and a giant heart can absolutely coexist.

Every system you strengthen, leader you develop, process you improve and dollar you help us use more effectively creates greater capacity for us to change young lives.

That’s a pretty good return on investment.

zero2hero is committed to child safety and the wellbeing of young people. All appointments are subject to a current Working with Children Check and satisfactory Police Check.