Chief Operating Officer

Heritage Communities; Omaha (NE); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off – 3 weeks + 32 hours set

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k) with match

Tuition Assistance

Ongoing Training

Culture-driven workplace

Employee Assistance Fund

Job summary

Heritage Communities is seeking a strategic Chief Operating Officer to lead our multi-state senior living operations portfolio. You’ll own the operating P&L, drive growth, and standardize processes across communities while building a high-performing leadership team.

This role collaborates with Finance, Growth, and HR to optimize occupancy, labor efficiency, and resident satisfaction. You’ll apply a data-driven approach, embed the company’s core values, and ensure regulatory and clinical

Qualifications

• 10+ years of senior living operations experience, 5+ years leading 10+ community portfolio.
• P&L ownership at scale across a multi-site portfolio.
• Experience with growth, acquisitions, and portfolio expansion.
• Proven ability to build and grow an operations team.
• Multi-state regulatory exposure (preferred).
• Ability to travel 30-40% of time across multiple states.
• Understanding of HIPAA and confidentiality requirements.

Responsibilities

• Own operating engine across Heritage Communities' portfolio, leading Operations, Sales & Marketing, HR, and Health Services.
• Drive revenue, occupancy, labor efficiency, and resident satisfaction while maintaining care standards.
• Partner with CFO on annual operating budget and explain variances.
• Standardize operating model across communities with clear playbooks.
• Lead technology adoption and integration, ensure data is reliable and actionable.
• Develop leaders and pipeline for future portfolio growth.
• Collaborate with marketing to drive occupancy and new markets.

Skills

Strategic leadership

P&L ownership

Multi-site portfolio mgmt

Growth & integration

Data-driven decision making

Technology adoption

Regulatory/ HIPAA awareness

Communication to owners/board

Team development

Travel availability

Education

Bachelor’s in Business Administration

MBA (preferred)

Tools

EOS/Traction

HRIS

Sales CRM

Financial systems

Job description

Ready to Lead with Purpose? Join Heritage Communities as our Chief Operating Officer!

We are looking for a strategic, visionary leader with a proven track record of scaling operating models, owning the P&L, and building the people and systems that make organizations best-in-class. If you're passionate about culture, growth, and Making Lives Better, this is your opportunity to take the helm of our operations and drive enterprise value across our growing portfolio of senior living communities.

What You'll Do:

As our Chief Operating Officer, you will own the operating engine that powers Heritage Communities. Serving as the integrator of the owners' vision, you will lead Operations, Sales & Marketing, Human Resources, and Health Services, directly impacting the lives of our residents and the success of our teams by:

• Driving Strategic Operations & Financial Performance:Owning the operating P&L across the full portfolio, with direct accountability for revenue, margin, occupancy, labor efficiency, and resident satisfaction.
• Partnering with the CFO to establish and administer the annual operating budget, owning the commitment to it and explaining variance directly.
• Reviewing community-level P&Ls monthly with Regional Directors of Operations and holding them accountable for the operating levers under their control.
• Driving labor efficiency and cost management without compromising care standards or associate experience - through technology, training, staffing ratios, and overtime reduction.
• Establishing one operating model across all communities (applying an 80/20 approach: 80% standardization, 20% flexibility) so policies and practices are simple to follow and consistently applied.
• Leading Growth, Scale & Integration:Owning the Heritage operating playbook and leading the build-out of the infrastructure needed to support continued portfolio growth.
• Partnering with the VP of Growth & Mission on integration, providing operating diligence on every acquisition target and taking ownership of the operating line once a community completes handoff.
• Driving occupancy and census growth through the Chief Marketing Officer, directing sales and marketing to develop new markets and maintain Heritage's competitive position.
• Ensuring home office functions deliver the infrastructure, policy, and specialist support communities need, while regional leadership owns day-to-day operations.
• Empowering People, Culture & Clinical Excellence:Modeling and upholding Heritage's core values of Trust, Respect, Compassion, Fun, and Always Learning in every operating decision, treating culture as an operating standard with measurable outcomes.
• Leading the Chief Marketing Officer, SVP of Human Resources, Chief Healthcare Officer, and SVP of Operations as one leadership team with shared priorities and a single operating scorecard.
• Owning clinical and regulatory excellence through the Chief Healthcare Officer to ensure communities consistently meet or exceed resident quality of care standards and state regulatory and survey requirements.
• Shaping the associate experience and workforce strategy through the SVP of Human Resources, building a pipeline of operators (VPs, RDOs, and EDs) ready to run communities at our standard.
• Optimizing Technology & Systems:Treating technology as an operating capability and setting priorities that support community operations, care delivery, sales, and the associate experience.
• Ensuring core systems—including HRIS, clinical documentation, sales CRM, and financial systems—are fully adopted, consistently used, and built into the operating playbook for every new community.
• Establishing reliable, standardized operating data and reporting so leaders at every level manage to the same numbers.
• Evaluating and implementing technology that improves associate productivity and resident safety, and holding outsourced IT partners accountable for service levels, security, and value.

What We're Looking For:

• 10+ years of experience in senior living operations, with at least five years leading a multi-site portfolio of 10 or more communities in a senior management position.
• Demonstrated P&L ownership at scale—accountability for operating results across a complex portfolio, not budget management alone.
• Experience leading through growth, including acquisition integration, new community openings, or significant portfolio expansion.
• Proven experience leading, developing, and growing an operations team, including operators who went on to run larger portfolios.
• Multi-state operating experience across different regulatory environments (preferred).
• Experience leading functions beyond operations, such as sales and marketing, human resources, or clinical services (preferred).
• Strong knowledge of the senior living industry across independent living, assisted living, and memory care, including trends and best practices.
• Working knowledge of EOS/Traction or a comparable operating system.
• Experience leading technology adoption across a multi-site organization, including system selection, implementation, integration, and successfully leveraging outsourced partners.
• An analytical, data-driven thinker who reads a P&L, identifies the problem, and names the fix.
• A straight-talking, direct communicator who delivers difficult news early, with a plan.
• Strong leadership and organization skills, with the ability to present to ownership and the board.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or a similar degree (MBA preferred, but not required).
• The ability to maintain confidential and privileged information involving HIPAA, residents, and associates.
• The ability to travel 30-40% of the time to our communities and other worksites across our growing multi-state footprint.
• A genuine passion for serving seniors and a commitment to our core values.

Why Choose Heritage Communities?

Because you'll make a real impact. With 25 communities across 6 states and more joining our family, you'll shape the future of our culture, influence how we grow, and lead a mission-driven company where people love to live and work.

What's In It for You?

• Paid Time Off - 3 weeks of Paid Vacation in your 1st year + 32 hours sick time.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision - with low co-pays.
• Company-Paid Life & Disability Insurance
• 401(k) with up to 5% Match
• Tuition Assistance - up to $8,000/year for you, $2,500 for family members.
• Ongoing Training & Support
• A Workplace That Feels Like Home - positive, team-first culture.
• Employee Assistance Fund, Discounts and more!