Chief Operating Officer (COO)

National Western Center; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

PTO

Paid parental leave

401k plan with company match

Life, personal accident, and disable­–

Job summary

The National Western Center in Denver, CO seeks a Chief Operating Officer to translate strategy into operations for a mission-driven campus and events venue. You will lead organizational leadership, facilities management, campus services, and event sales, elevating performance and ensuring financial discipline.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree and 8–10 years of senior leadership across facilities, events, and operations, plus strong partner relationships with city officials, vendors, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, management, or a related field.
• Minimum of eight to ten years of progressive senior leadership experience in a multi-faceted business including prior experience in facilities operations and management; event venue sales and operations; and organizational leadership.
• Five or more years experience growing, leading, and cultivating successful teams across a wide range of functions.
• Deep understanding of industry and venue management, including event sales & marketing, production, operations, guest services, food and beverage operations, risk management, budgets and proformas.
• Proven strategic mind, including the ability to see multiple outcomes, scenario plan, analyze potential opportunities and challenges, and navigate shifts.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with the CEO in setting and driving organizational vision and operational strategy.
• Translates strategy into actionable goals for performance and growth; helps to implement organization-wide goal setting, performance management, and annual operations planning.
• Direct the preparation of short-term and long-range plans and budgets based on broad organizational goals and growth objectives; collaborates with CFO on annual operating and capital budgets.
• Evaluates the results of overall operations regularly and reports these results to the CEO and Board of Directors.
• Develops and implements policies, procedures, and systems for daily operations, and communicates these changes to department leaders.
• Fosters a strong organizational culture.
• Leads the NWC team to achieve a world-class standard of performance for event venues.
• Pursues an aggressive ramp-up strategy for revenue generation, primarily through event operations, focused on growing on-campus activity.
• Manages the event sales and operations team throughout the entire life cycle of events - from client cultivation through close out.
• Models projected event activity including proposal pipeline and financial forecast.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Operations management

Budgeting & proformas

Event venue management

Stakeholder management

Team building

Knowledge of local government

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration

Job description

The National Western Center (NWC) is a reimagined 250-acre campus in Denver, Colorado with a vision to be the global destination for food and agricultural discovery. It is the new home of the National Western Stock Show and Colorado State University's Spur campus. But the future National Western Center isn't just new buildings. It's a destination unto itself. It's a mission-oriented place that will be lively and active all year round — with new events and experiences around every corner.

The opportunity:

NWC is in search of an experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) who will operationalize the strategy of the National Western Center as a mission-oriented campus and events venue. As a member of the National Western Center Authority executive team, the COO is a leader in the organization and participates in strategic planning and decision making. Under the supervision of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the COO directs, administers, and coordinates the activities of the organization in support of policies, goals, and objectives established by the CEO. NWC's Chief Operating Officer will be responsible for managing and handling the ongoing business operations of the company, in collaboration with staff to support the day-to-day activity of the campus and organization. This is a multifaceted job with a high degree of accountability rooted in broad and diverse responsibilities. You'll join a growing, nimble, collaborative, creative, and entrepreneurial team as we accelerate growth of a new events hub and innovation campus in Denver, Colorado.

What you will be doing:

Organization leadership

• Collaborates with the CEO in setting and driving organizational vision and operational strategy
• Translates strategy into actionable goals for performance and growth; helps to implement organization-wide goal setting, performance management, and annual operations planning
• Direct the preparation of short-term and long-range plans and budgets based on broad organizational goals and growth objectives; collaborates with CFO on annual operating and capital budgets
• Evaluates the results of overall operations regularly and reports these results to the CEO and Board of Directors
• Develops and implements policies, procedures, and systems for daily operations, and communicates these changes to department leaders
• Fosters a strong organizational culture

Facilities management

• Ensures operations, maintenance, and programming of the campus assets are successfully meeting and balancing the organization's mission, quality expectations, and financial needs; develops key performance indicators to benchmark and track progress
• Structures, leads and scales up a team of facility managers and building engineers commensurate with the growth of new campus assets
• Supervises implementation of technology systems to assist in the smooth and efficient flow of information and processes
• Oversees staff and contractors who direct department activities and implement the organization's key operational functions
• Leads the implementation of all sustainability programs, plans, and initiatives to ensure compliance with city and state regulations

Campus wide services

• Maintains and builds trusted relationships with key campus partners, board members, clients, contractors, and stakeholders
• Advises on the assessment of contracts, purchase agreements, vendor relationships, and partner relationships regarding financial agreements for NWC campus operations and potential partner, vendor and contractor agreements relating to the NWC campus, communicating regularly to the NWCA leadership and Board about negotiation progress
• Leverages the economies of scale and associated revenue potential of campus wide services and systems
• Assesses and advises on potential partnerships or business model additions or changes including any partnering opportunities regarding real estate, operations, programming, or asset management on the NWC campus

Event sales and operations

• Leads the NWC team to achieve a world-class standard of performance for event venues
• Pursues an aggressive ramp-up strategy for revenue generation, primarily through event operations, focused on growing on-campus activity
• Manages the event sales and operations team throughout the entire life cycle of events - from client cultivation through close out
• Models projected event activity including proposal pipeline and financial forecast

Requirements

What you will bring along:

• At least a bachelor's degree in business administration, management, or a related field
• Minimum of eight to ten years of progressive senior leadership experience in a multi-faceted business including prior experience in facilities operations and management; event venue sales and operations; and organizational leadership
• Five or more years experience growing, leading, and cultivating successful teams across a wide range of functions
• Deep understanding of industry and venue management, including event sales & marketing, production, operations, guest services, food and beverage operations, risk management, budgets and proformas
• Proven strategic mind, including the ability to see multiple outcomes, scenario plan, analyze potential opportunities and challenges, and navigate shifts
• Knowledge of local government and ability to navigate political environments effectively
• High EQ and interpersonal skills

This job may be a great fit if:

• You embrace the startup nature of the organization, and no job is below you
• You are motivated by what's possible; you are inspired by big goals and are tenacious in achieving them
• You are a problem solver who takes the initiative and can communicate clearly with internal and external stakeholders
• You act with respect, competency, and integrity
• You are skilled at leading staff and work well as part of a team
• You excel at functioning in high pressure situations while maintaining a calm, professional manner
• You build credibility throughout the organization as a visible and effective leader that brings solutions to business challenges
• You're a collaborator by nature and seek to find ways to compromise
• You have great time management and prioritization skills
• You have a solid grasp of financial data and setting performance metrics
• You are results oriented and exercise sound judgment in your work
• You are excited about the opportunity to grow with the organization and have a meaningful influence on the launch of operations at the National Western Center
• You are all-in on the mission of the National Western Center

Compensation range:

The starting salary is $200,000 - $225,000

Benefits

What we can offer you:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• PTO
• Paid parental leave
• 401k plan with company match
• Life, personal accident, and disability coverage
• Support for community involvement

Work location and hours:

This position can be performed through a mix of on-site and remote work in Denver, Colorado.

Get to know us:

National Western Center is a reimagined 250-acre campus with new indoor and outdoor event venues, and more on the way! The brand-new Stockyards Event Center is a multipurpose space with two arenas, ample parking and views of the Rocky Mountains and the Denver skyline. An outdoor plaza connects it to 20 acres of hardscaped yards for outdoor concerts, festivals, large equipment trade shows, sporting events, drive-in movies and more. The center is just two miles from downtown Denver and adjacent to the RiNo Art District, with easy access from Denver International Airport via I-70. Home to CSU Spur and the National Western Stock Show, the National Western Center is an emerging urban hub for food and agriculture discovery. In 2018, the campus partners created the National Western Center Authority, a nonprofit organization responsible for operating, maintaining, programming, and promoting the National Western Center. The Authority is the primary entity responsible for ensuring the National Western Center achieves its mission. It is also responsible for developing a community investment fund benefiting the residents of the Globeville, Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods in which the campus is located. The Authority's work is well underway in preparation for buildings being completed and the larger campus opening to the public. The Authority is guided by a 13-member board of directors. The Authority is doing business as (DBA) the National Western Center.

Our mission is to convene the world at the National Western Center to lead, inspire, create, educate, and entertain in pursuit of global food solutions. Join us!

We are dedicated to building a diverse community, one where employees feel a sense of belonging, and are valued for their contributions and the perspectives they bring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.