COO (Chief Operating Officer)

National Western Center•Denver, CO

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The National Western Center Authority is seeking an experienced Chief Operating Officer to operationalize the strategy of the National Western Center as a mission-oriented campus and events venue. As a member of the executive team, the COO participates in strategic planning and decision-making. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the COO directs and coordinates organizational activities in support of the CEO’s policies, goals, and objectives, while managing ongoing business operations and supporting the day-to-day activity of the campus and organization. The COO will help lead a growing, collaborative, entrepreneurial organization and its developing events hub and innovation campus in Denver. The role spans organizational leadership, facilities management, campus-wide services, and event sales and operations. The COO will help ensure campus assets and services support the organization’s mission, quality expectations, and financial needs; develop operational plans and budgets; build relationships with campus partners and stakeholders; and grow event activity and revenue.

Requirements

At least a bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, or a related field.
Eight to ten years of progressive senior leadership experience in a multifaceted business.
Prior experience in facilities operations and management, event venue sales and operations, and organizational leadership.
Five or more years of experience growing, leading, and cultivating successful teams across a wide range of functions.
Deep understanding of industry and venue management, including event sales and marketing, production, operations, guest services, food and beverage operations, risk management, budgets, and pro formas.
Strategic ability to consider multiple outcomes, scenario plan, analyze opportunities and challenges, and navigate change.
Knowledge of local government and ability to navigate political environments effectively.
High emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with the CEO to set and drive organizational vision and operational strategy.
Translate strategy into actionable performance and growth goals, and help implement organization-wide goal setting, performance management, and annual operations planning.
Direct preparation of short- and long-range plans and budgets; collaborate with the CFO on annual operating and capital budgets.
Regularly evaluate overall operations and report results to the CEO and Board of Directors.
Develop and implement policies, procedures, and systems for daily operations, and communicate changes to department leaders.
Foster a strong organizational culture.
Ensure campus operations, maintenance, and programming meet and balance the organization’s mission, quality expectations, and financial needs; develop key performance indicators to benchmark and track progress.
Structure, lead, and scale a team of facility managers and building engineers as campus assets grow.
Supervise implementation of technology systems that support efficient information and process flows.
Oversee staff and contractors who direct department activities and carry out key operational functions.
Lead implementation of sustainability programs, plans, and initiatives to ensure compliance with city and state regulations.
Maintain and build trusted relationships with campus partners, board members, clients, contractors, and stakeholders.
Advise on contracts, purchase agreements, vendor and partner relationships, and financial agreements for campus operations; communicate negotiation progress to NWCA leadership and the Board.
Leverage economies of scale and revenue potential from campus-wide services and systems.
Assess and advise on potential partnerships and business-model additions or changes relating to real estate, operations, programming, or asset management.
Lead the NWC team in achieving a world-class standard of performance for event venues.
Pursue an aggressive event-focused revenue-generation strategy to grow on-campus activity.
Manage the event sales and operations team throughout the event lifecycle, from client cultivation through closeout.
Model projected event activity, including the proposal pipeline and financial forecast.