GLSEN COO – Nonprofit Chief of Operations (Seeking Expertise in Ops, Finance & Security Across a Chapter Network)
About The Position
GLSEN is a national nonprofit working to ensure every student has the right to a safe, supportive, and inclusive K–12 education. For more than three decades, GLSEN has partnered with students, educators, families, and a network of local chapters to advance LGBTQ+ inclusion, combat bullying, and foster school communities where all young people can thrive. With a strong national staff and chapters across the country, GLSEN drives impact through policy advocacy, research, public education campaigns, program resources, and direct support for students and educators. The organization is growing and adapting to meet today’s challenges—and is seeking a senior operator to strengthen systems, align work across the network, and amplify impact. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is GLSEN’s integrator — a strategic operator who translates vision into coordinated, reliable execution. As a core partner to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team, the COO connects strategy, people, and systems across programs, chapters, finance, development, and communications. This role requires a leader with a demonstrated track record of building and sustaining a strong security culture in high-risk environments. The COO will be responsible for ensuring that physical, digital, event, and chapter-level security protocols are not only well-designed, but consistently practiced, championed, and continuously improved across the organization. This is a builder role for a humble, mission-driven problem-solver who brings operational and financial rigor, centers equity, and cultivates a resilient, care-centered culture. The COO frees the CEO from day-to-day bottlenecks, strengthens accountability, reduces organizational risk, and ensures the organization can move quickly, safely, and sustainably.
Requirements
- 7 to 10 years of senior nonprofit leadership within a chapter‑based or networked organization.
- Finance and operations leadership experience at a $3M–$15M budget organization.
- Security-minded leader with experience operating in high-risk or politically targeted environments.
- Proven ability to build and manage systems for strategic planning, budgeting, and organizational performance.
- Experience supporting and engaging a Board of Directors.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and movement‑aligned values; comfort operating in high‑change environments.
- System‑agnostic but tech‑savvy, with:
- Deep comfort in finance systems and fundraising platforms
- Strong proficiency with project and knowledge management tools.
- Working knowledge of HRIS and board governance tools.
- Understanding of nonprofit data security practices.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in civil rights, pro‑democracy, or DEI‑aligned organizations and campaigns.
- Organizational security and risk management exposure (policies, training, incident response) and comfort partnering with advisors.
- Experience strengthening alignment across national‑chapter or affiliate networks.
Responsibilities
- Lead cross-departmental alignment—ensuring programs, communications, campaigns, and chapters execute against shared strategic priorities and consistent messaging.
- Establish meeting rhythms and decision-rights that drive clarity, timely decisions, and follow-through (executive leadership team, cross-functional, and chapter-facing forums).
- Supervise the Director of Finance; hold dotted-line accountability with other directors to coordinate planning and delivery.
- Champion youth engagement as a cross-cutting priority, ensuring student voice and leadership inform programs, campaigns, and chapter alignment.
- Model trauma-informed, values-aligned leadership; steward a culture of respect, transparency, and humor.
- Partner with the Director of Finance on annual and multi‑year budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and grant/contract compliance.
- Align resource allocation with strategic goals; monitor organizational and program KPIs to inform decisions.
- Strengthen core operating systems (planning, knowledge management, project tracking) for consistency and accessibility.
- Lead GLSEN’s security and risk posture in a heightened political environment where LGBTQ+ organizations face targeted attacks; ensure security practices are normalized across the national office and chapter network.
- Integrate risk assessment and mitigation into operations, finance, programs, communications, and chapter support.
- Oversee core protocols for staff safety, digital and data security, incident response, and external communications.
- Partner with advisors to implement training, strengthen readiness for elevated-risk events, and support chapters in applying consistent security standards.
- Collaborate with the CEO and Board leadership to align operations with strategy.
- Prepare concise, decision‑ready materials and progress updates; serve as staff liaison to relevant committees.
- Anticipate and resolve operational challenges; remove barriers to progress across teams and the chapter network.
- Design and lead change initiatives that are people-centered, equity-grounded, outcomes-oriented, and supported by clear systems for quality assurance.
Benefits
- medical/vision/dental
- 401k retirement savings
- paid parental leave
- holidays and vacation
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
Education Level
No Education Listed
Number of Employees
101-250 employees
