Chief Operating Officer

American Gastroenterological Association•Bethesda, MD

About The Position

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a senior executive responsible for the operational leadership, financial sustainability, and organizational performance of the organization. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the COO translates strategy into execution, ensuring that core operations, revenue-generating activities, and infrastructure are aligned, efficient, and positioned for long-term growth. The organization’s primary revenue sources, its member dues, annual scientific meeting and scientific publications, are experiencing stagnation. The COO will play a critical role in stabilizing current revenue streams, improving operational efficiency.

Requirements

Senior executive leadership experience (COO, Deputy Executive Director, Vice President or equivalent) in a professional society, association, nonprofit, or complex mission-driven organization.
Strong financial acumen, including experience overseeing budgets, financial controls, and multi-year planning.
Proven ability to lead organizational change, improve operational performance, and execute strategy during periods of financial constraint or transition.
Experience working closely with Boards and volunteer leadership structures.
Bachelor’s degree required

Nice To Haves

advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership for day-to-day operations to ensure that the organization operates as an integrated, efficient, high-performing enterprise, with clear accountability, efficient decision-making, and strong cross-functional collaboration.
Establish and continuously improve operational systems, workflows, and performance metrics to support scalability and effectiveness.
Partner with the CEO and VP, Finance to ensure the organization’s financial health, including budgeting, forecasting, financial controls, and long-range financial planning.
Drive cost discipline and operational efficiency while protecting mission-critical programs and scientific quality.
Translate financial data into actionable insights for the Senior Team and Governing Board to support informed decision-making.
Collaborate with growth, education, corporate development, meetings and publications leaders to operationalize new revenue opportunities, such as digital products, year-round engagement models, partnerships, and non-dues revenue initiatives.
Ensure that revenue initiatives are supported by sound operational plans, staffing models, and performance tracking.
Ensure that technology platforms and data systems effectively support operations, member engagement, publications, and events.
Champion the use of data, analytics, and dashboards to track organizational performance, member value, and financial outcomes.
Lead modernization efforts that improve scalability, digital engagement, and operational resilience.
Establish and oversee an enterprise-level project and program management capability to ensure disciplined execution of strategic priorities.
Lead the development and operation of the organization’s project management office (PMO) or equivalent execution framework.
Ensure strategic initiatives are properly scoped, resourced, prioritized, and tracked.
Implement standards for project governance, reporting, and risk management.
Monitor execution progress across departments and escalate barriers to resolution.
Drive cross-functional alignment and coordination on enterprise initiatives.
Maintain visibility into portfolio capacity, timelines, and performance outcomes.
Support leadership decision-making through clear reporting on initiative status and impact.
Serve as a key staff partner to the Governing Board and relevant committees, particularly on operational, financial, and business performance matters.
Prepare and present clear, concise reports on organizational performance, risks, and opportunities.
Ensure operations and business practices align with governance policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements.