Chief Operating Officer

WesleyLife; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

WesleyLife in Des Moines, IA seeks a Chief Operating Officer to translate the organization’s mission into exceptional operational performance across communities for healthy living, home and community-based services. The COO will provide executive leadership to ensure quality, growth, regulatory excellence, and outstanding resident experiences.

This role partners with the President & CEO and the Board to drive strategic initiatives, scale best practices, and expand services while fostering a

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, or a related field is required.
• 10+ years of progressive senior leadership experience in health care, senior living, aging services, or similar complex organizations preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-site or multi-service operations.
• Proven ability to develop partnerships, support business growth, and lead organizational change.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgets, operating performance, growth planning, revenue management, and expense control.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to reside in or relocate to the greater Des Moines, Iowa area; valid driver’s license.
• Nursing Home Administrator licensure in Iowa, or ability to obtain licensure or reciprocity, preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across WesleyLife’s Communities for Healthy Living and home-and community-based services.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear operational priorities, goals, accountabilities, and execution plans.
• Lead operational performance across independent living, assisted living, memory care, and other services.
• Ensure consistent implementation of WesleyLife standards, regulatory requirements, and operating practices.
• Strengthen accountability systems that support quality outcomes, financial performance, and growth.
• Monitor KPIs and lead timely interventions to address performance gaps or risks.
• Partner with the President & CEO and Executive Circle to identify growth opportunities and new markets.
• Oversee budgets, forecasts, and performance improvement strategies.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Financial acumen

Executive communication

Cross-functional leadership

Change management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in healthcare or business administration

Nursing Home Administrator licensure in Iowa or eligible

Tools

Microsoft Office

Data dashboards

Healthcare IT familiarity

Job description

Position Summary

The Chief Operating Officer serves as a key enterprise executive responsible for translating WesleyLife’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities into exceptional operational performance across the organization. Reporting to the President & CEO, the COO provides executive leadership for WesleyLife’s Communities for Healthy Living, home and community-based services, and enterprise operational standards. This leader is accountable for advancing quality, growth, financial sustainability, regulatory excellence, customer and resident experience, team culture, and operational consistency across WesleyLife’s full continuum of services. The COO partners closely with the President & CEO, Executive Circle, Board of Directors, and operational leaders to strengthen performance, scale best practices, develop future-focused services, and ensure WesleyLife continues to lead with purpose, compassion, innovation, and measurable impact.

Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities

Enterprise Operational Leadership

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across WesleyLife’s Communities for Healthy Living and home-and community-based services.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear operational priorities, goals, accountabilities, and execution plans.
• Lead operational performance across independent living, assisted living, memory support, long-term care, transitional care, home health, hospice, personal services, community nutrition, transportation, and public health services.
• Ensure consistent implementation of WesleyLife standards, service expectations, regulatory requirements, and operating practices across all locations and service lines.
• Strengthen accountability systems that support quality outcomes, operational discipline, financial performance, and growth.
• Monitor key performance indicators and lead timely interventions to address performance gaps or emerging risks.

Growth, Innovation, and Business Development

• Partner with the President & CEO and Executive Circle to identify and advance new markets, services, partnerships, and growth opportunities.
• Lead operational planning for new programs, service lines, communities, and strategic initiatives.
• Support the development of innovative offerings that meet the evolving needs and preferences of current and future customers.
• Advance WesleyLife’s ability to serve older adults across a broader continuum of settings, including home, community, and residential environments.
• Build and strengthen relationships with hospitals, physicians, payers, community partners, and other stakeholders to support growth, access, census, care transitions, and revenue opportunities.
• Key partner in developing organizational growth and maximization plans, including products, services and geographic markets.

Customer, Resident, and Team Experience

• Lead the continued development of a consistent, differentiated WesleyLife experience across all services and locations.
• Champion hospitality, service excellence, person-centered practices, and meaningful engagement for residents, clients, families, and team members.
• Partner with leaders across service lines to create integrated pathways that help customers move seamlessly within and between WesleyLife services.
• Build a culture of trust, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and results.
• Coach and develop leaders to strengthen team engagement, performance, communication, organizational alignment, and thoughtful succession strategy.

Quality, Compliance, and Risk Management

• Ensure operations meet or exceed applicable local, state, and federal regulatory requirements.
• Provide executive oversight for quality, compliance, safety, clinical, and operational standards across WesleyLife services.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts using data, performance indicators, and best-practice operating models.
• Identify operational risks and ensure timely action plans are developed, implemented, and monitored.
• Promote a culture of regulatory readiness, ethical decision-making, transparency, and excellence.

Financial and Performance Accountability

• Provide executive leadership to achieve annual operating, census, revenue, margin, expense, and growth targets.
• Partner with finance and operational leaders to develop and monitor budgets, forecasts, business plans, and performance improvement strategies.
• Ensure effective operational work plans and strategies are in place for each location and service line.
• Align people, technology, marketing, clinical, financial, and operational resources to support enterprise priorities.
• Lead large-scale projects and initiatives, including planning, implementation, performance tracking, and accountability for outcomes.
• Effectively translate strategy to execution in the business.

Governance, External Leadership, and Representation

• Participate in Board of Directors meetings and committee discussions as requested, providing strategic operational insight and updates.
• Represent WesleyLife with external partners, professional associations, community organizations, and public groups, as may be warranted.
• Stay informed about trends, policy changes, workforce dynamics, consumer expectations, and innovations affecting senior living, health care, and home and community-based services.
• Promote WesleyLife’s mission, reputation, and impact through active community and industry engagement.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, or a related field required.
• Ten or more years of progressive senior leadership experience in health care, senior living, aging services, home and community-based services, or a similarly complex service organization preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-site or multi-service operations.
• Proven success leading leaders, building accountability systems, improving performance, and executing enterprise strategy.
• Strong financial acumen, including experience with budgets, operating performance, growth planning, revenue management, and expense control.
• Demonstrated ability to develop partnerships, support business growth, and lead complex organizational change.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work effectively with a Board of Directors, executive leaders, operational teams, residents, clients, families, donors, partners, and community stakeholders.
• Strong commitment to mission, ethics, service, and the well-being of older adults.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (365) tools and comfort using data, dashboards, and technology to support decision-making.
• Ability to reside in or relocate to the greater Des Moines, Iowa area.
• Current and valid driver’s license required.
• Experience overseeing regulated health care or senior living environments strongly preferred.
• Nursing Home Administrator licensure in Iowa, or ability to obtain licensure or reciprocity, preferred.