Chief Operating Officer

Old Pueblo Community Services; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 122,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Dental plan and vision plan

Life Insurance

Paid Training

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Old Pueblo Community Services seeks a Chief Operating Officer to translate strategy into disciplined execution across housing, programs, and support functions. The COO partners with the CEO to ensure quality, productivity, and measurable client impact in a grant-funded environment.

The role oversees housing programs, supportive services, and admin workflows, driving performance against goals and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, social work, public health, or related field required.
• 7+ years of progressive leadership in operations roles, including senior-level responsibility (COO, VP Operations, or Director of Operations).
• Experience overseeing multidisciplinary teams and multi-site operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary teams across Housing, Operations, and Program Leadership with clear accountability.
• Oversee daily operations of housing programs, supportive services, and admin workflows to ensure reliable service delivery.
• Monitor performance against goals, grant deliverables, and impact metrics; adjust workflows and resources to stay on track.
• Own quality assurance and continuous improvement using data, audits, and corrective action.
• Maintain effective internal communications on priorities, decisions, and expectations.
• Establish and report productivity benchmarks to ensure sustainable operations.
• Lead project management for operational initiatives from scoping to evaluation.
• Design service structures to increase client engagement and measurable impact.
• Oversee implementation of new housing and service programs ensuring readiness.
• Develop and maintain operational policies and procedures for consistency and compliance.
• Establish operational standards for customer service and trauma-informed practice.
• Plan cross-functional meetings that result in consensus and action plans.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Cross-functional leadership

Data-driven management

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, social work, public health, or related field

Master’s Degree Preferred

Tools

Project management tools

Dashboards

KPIs

Job description

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is the CEO’s primary internal partner, responsible for translating organizational strategy into disciplined operational execution across housing, programs, and support functions. While the CEO focuses externally on funders, partners, advocacy, and growth, the COO owns day-to-day operations, ensuring quality, productivity, and measurable client impact in a complex, grant-funded environment (HUD, AHCCCS, other public and private funders).

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary teams across Housing, Operations, and Program Leadership, providing clear direction and accountability for performance.
• Oversee daily operations of housing programs, supportive services, and administrative workflows to ensure smooth, reliable service delivery across sites and programs.
• Monitor operational and program performance against organizational goals, grant deliverables, and impact metrics; adjust workflows and resources to keep benchmarks on track.
• Own quality assurance and continuous improvement processes, including use of data, feedback, audits, and corrective action
• Maintain effective internal communication systems so staff and leaders have clarity on priorities, decisions, and expectations.
• Establish, monitor, and report on staff productivity benchmarks (e.g., caseloads, service contacts, documentation timeliness) to ensure sustainable, high-performing operations.

Operational Planning and Execution

• Lead project management for key operational initiatives (new programs, expansions, process redesign, system implementations), from scoping through execution and evaluation.
• Design and refine service and structures that increase client engagement, satisfaction, retention, and measurable impact, in alignment with funder and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee implementation of new housing and service programs, ensuring operational readiness (staffing, processes, facilities, technology, compliance).
• Develop and maintain operational policies and procedures that support consistency, compliance, and effective management control.
• Establish and enforce operational standards that promote excellence in customer service and trauma-informed, person-centered practice.
• Plan, run, and follow through on cross-functional meetings that result in consensus, clear decisions, and documented action plans.

Compliance, Risk, and Performance

• Ensure operations comply with HUD, AHCCCS, and other regulatory and contractual requirements, including documentation, reporting, and audit readiness.
• Partner with finance and grants management to align operational plans with budgets, contract terms, and funder performance expectations.
• Monitor operational and program data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities; lead corrective actions to address underperformance or compliance concerns.
• Contribute to strategic and annual planning, bringing operational insights to decisions about growth, service mix, and resource allocation.

Leadership and Culture

• Build and sustain high-performing multidisciplinary teams that operate with a shared commitment to mission, outcomes, and mutual respect.
• Model and reinforce our values and a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high standards in day-to-day operations.
• Practice a collaborative, empowering management style—delegating effectively, providing coaching and guidance, and developing emerging leaders.
• Serve as a thought partner to the CEO and executive team on operational strategy, organizational structure, and change management.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Pragmatic, results-oriented operator

• Focuses on outcomes, efficiency, and execution, measuring success by meeting and exceeding benchmarks (e.g., occupancy, service utilization, compliance scores, client outcomes).
• Takes a solution-focused approach; breaks down problems, clarifies constraints, and identifies what it will take operationally to get to the goal.
• Comfortable making tradeoffs and decisions that balance mission, quality, and operational realities (staffing, funding, capacity).

Systems thinker with scale experience

• Sees interconnections among housing, clinical/supportive services, administration, finance, and external stakeholders (funders, partners, landlords) and designs systems.
• Understands how departments must function both independently and collaboratively to achieve agency-level outcomes.
• Outcome- and process-oriented: cares about both “what” gets done and “how” it gets done, with attention to workflow, handoffs, and client experience.
• Brings significant operations experience in organizations of similar or greater scale and complexity (multi-program, multi-site, highly regulated, grant-funded). Nonprofit housing, behavioral health, health care, or human services background strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to increase productivity and operational efficiency while maintaining or improving quality.
• Strong problem-solving skills; assertive and confident in driving decisions and holding teams accountable.
• Practices reasonable transparency—sharing information that supports trust and alignment while honoring confidentiality and discretion.
• Deep customer/client focus and commitment to high-quality service.
• Comfortable with, and even prefers, structured routines while able to manage change and growth.

Decision Making and Leadership Style

• Recognizes that issues, crises, and constraints are inherent in complex human services work and approaches them with rational, methodical problem-solving.
• Demonstrates strong emotional self-regulation and steadiness, especially during periods of stress, change, or conflict.
• Uses evidence and data to judge issues and selects actions with predictable, measurable outcomes.
• Collaborative: seeks feedback, builds buy-in, and facilitates cross-department alignment.
• Empowering: develops leaders, delegates authority appropriately, and encourages ownership.
• Coaching-oriented: provides and receives feedback, guidance, and support tailored to each leader and team.
• Clear and direct: sets expectations, follows up consistently, and addresses performance issues promptly.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, social work, public health, or related field required and at least 7 years of progressive leadership in operations roles, including senior-level responsibility (COO, VP Operations, Director of Operations or equivalent.

• Demonstrated experience overseeing multidisciplinary teams and multi-site operations.
• Strong business thinking and financial literacy: ability to connect budgets, contracts, and staffing models to operational plans and performance.
• Proven track record of designing and implementing systems, policies, and processes that improve productivity, quality, and client outcomes.
• Experience with digital and data-driven management (KPIs, dashboards, performance reviews) and project management tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with regulatory and grant compliance requirements such as HUD, Medicaid/AHCCCS.
• Master’s Degree Preferred (MBA, Social Sciences, or similar).

Employee Benefits

Competitive Salary, Employer Subsidized Health Insurance for Employee and Family, Employer Matching 401 (k) plan (after 1 year), Employer Subsidized Dental Plan and Vision Plan, Paid Life Insurance, Employer Paid Training, 160 Hours Paid Time Off (PTO) Per Year.

Employment References and background check is conducted pre-employment.

Relocation Assistance will be provided.

Pay Rate: $122,415 - $156,079 - $189,744

In accordance with pay transparency, the salary reflected in this posting is the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate’s current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position. Salary placement is typically between the minimum and mid-point of the salary range.