Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Founded in 1999, The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) is a nonprofit venture philanthropy organization with a team of 25-28 people dedicated to continuously improving Chicago’s public schools. Since 2013, our work has centered on the talented educators who lead schools. More than 350 educators participate in our programming annually. Program participants improve faster and stay longer than their non-participating peers. 

In addition to our program work, The Fund collects data through three citywide surveys and uses those data to direct our policy efforts. In the 2024-25 school year, much of our policy work will focus on amplifying the voices of educators and community members through enhanced collaboration with Local School Councils and issuing targeted reports that highlight specific educational needs at the local level. 

ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES

We are solutions-oriented. We approach our work with a proactive and productive mindset. If we face challenges with the best intentions, we will devise solutions collaboratively and thoughtfully.

We are collaborative. We understand that no one is an island, and each team member must rely on their team members to achieve their goals. This requires consistent and effective communication and thought-partnership. The organization, as a whole, is greater than the sum of its parts.

We act with integrity. We say what we will do, and we do what we say. We are honest about what we know and what we are learning; this helps us achieve the best possible outcomes.

We prioritize equity. In our work, we prioritize leaders who serve and represent communities most directly impacted by structural racism and systematic exclusion. On our team, we actively recruit and hire for diversity in all areas of identity. Our commitments are lived out loud. 

CURRENT CONTEXT

In 2022, we launched a $50M fundraising campaign called Chicago Leads. We have designed a strategy to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Increase principal performance, doubling the number of strong principals while increasing principal satisfaction, tenure, retention, and engagement.
• Strengthen and diversify the principal pipeline and expand entry and succession planning.
• Establish The Fund as a partner of choice, increasing stakeholder satisfaction and team racial and gender diversity, and secure clean audits and five-star ratings on charity sites.
• Maintain The Fund’s data advantage, positioning the organization as an expert on principal quality issues by publishing reports and case studies that inform talent management and principal practice.
• Advocate for principal flexibility and secure favorable leadership conditions for Chicago principals based on survey data and robust research.

To achieve these goals, our annual spending is expected to be about $8M in 2025, with about half funding our team’s work in the sector and about half funding grants to organizations that run our direct-to-educator programs. Over the past two years, we have expanded our team from 19 to 26 to meet the moment and work toward our goals.

Over the past year, The Fund has worked to enhance the capacity and capabilities of our internal operations to ensure robust support for our team. We partner with specialized external firms to bolster our infrastructure in key operational areas. This includes collaborations with an IT and data security firm to secure our technological foundations, a finance and accounts payable firm, and a Professional Employer Organization to optimize our human resources and payroll processes. Complementing these partnerships, we have cultivated an in-house team of four to manage accounts payable and payroll, office logistics, technology, human resources, and team development; the functional team also contributes substantially to advancing a positive team culture. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

In 2024, we appointed an interim Chief Operating Officer (COO), which proved essential in maintaining our operational integrity and leadership during the sabbatical of our Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This experience demonstrated the clear benefit of having dedicated senior-level capacity in operational leadership.

Now, we are looking for an experienced leader ready to take on the institutionalized COO role, which will enhance internal operations and ensure ongoing stability and strategic oversight. 

Reporting directly to the CEO, you will play a pivotal role in shaping team culture. You will also serve as a key member of the Strategy Team at a critical point in the history of Chicago public education. You will lead and manage day-to-day internal operations at The Fund, overseeing a functional team of 4-6 people, a part-time finance consultant, and an external IT vendor.

In this role, you will lead seamless integration across key functional areas: people and culture, finance and office operations, and fundraising and board management. Your leadership will create predictability and support internal operations, allowing the CEO to concentrate on external engagements vital to our mission. You will also provide strategic support and thought partnership to the Chief Public Affairs Officer and Senior Directors of Partnership and Program, ensuring our team and partners align with our mission and values.

Midway through our current funding cycle, the next two to three years are crucial for innovating and expanding our support to further empower the educators leading our city’s public schools. Your expertise will be instrumental in driving these goals. You will help solidify The Fund as a nonprofit partner and employer of choice in Chicago by intentionally growing our fundraising capacity. Your counsel will be key to the team’s strategic effectiveness, particularly in supporting the CEO in managing donor cultivation and building the organization’s long-term sustainability.

As COO, you will leverage the existing operations infrastructure to support smooth operations while integrating fundraising with financial management. Currently, fundraising work is decentralized in the organization; this is an opportunity for you to bring critical capacity together and advance long-term stability and growth. You will be a key partner to the CEO in donor cultivation while also managing the operational aspects of fundraising, including events, proposal development, and tracking.

This role might be for you if you have served as an Executive Director or CEO and are ready to take a more internal role, have managed operations and fundraising for smaller organizations and are ready to step up to the next level, or are a strong business development and operations leader looking to make a move to the nonprofit or education sector. Successful candidates will bring experience in leading people and operations to ensure an effective, values-aligned team, managing the day-to-day finances of an organization with a budget of at least $3M, and developing and executing successful fundraising or business development campaigns that include (at least) six-figure gifts or sales. This position is ideal for a dynamic executor and insightful coach who likes to “roll up their sleeves” with their team and who knows how to leverage the talents of a seasoned executive leader. We have a clear vision; we need your expertise to make it happen.

You will lead a team that integrates the people, operations, finance, and fundraising workstreams, fostering a vibrant customer service culture. As COO, you will be responsible for:

1. Building a Functional Team while Executing Critical Functions.
Within your first 90 days, you will integrate fundraising and board relations into the existing people and operations vertical, which currently includes finance, operations, team development, and human resources. You will lead the change management efforts required to solidify this integration, ensuring the team can deliver on short-term priorities while building the infrastructure needed for long-term success within the new structure. During this time, you will independently manage team members and external partners to key deliverables, ensuring clean operations through year-end and integrating new capacities within the existing team structure. You will also establish clear performance metrics to evaluate the initial impact of these expanded efforts.

Over time, your role will involve:

Leading talent management, including recruitment, professional development, and retention strategies for your functional team and the organization. The Fund aims to be the strongest education nonprofit in Chicago; we know our people are vital in achieving that goal. 

2. Developing a Long-term Fundraising Plan while Deepening Existing Relationships.
Within your first 90 days, you will integrate the fundraising and development functions into the operations vertical and develop a long-term fundraising strategy. During this time, you will become familiar with our grant reporting process and cycles, our current donor base, and our approach to gift management. You will also develop independent relationships with members of our GOFA committee and our Board Treasurer.

Over time, your role will involve:

Supporting the team, Board, and CEO to ensure long-term sustainability for The Fund. This will include launching an endowment or sustainability campaign in 2025. You will integrate fundraising and development functions into the operations vertical in a way that is strategically aligned with the Fund’s broader objectives, enhancing overall operational efficiency.

3. Managing Financial Processes while Improving Internal Capacity and Transparency:
Within your first 90 days, you will complete preparation for the 2024 audit in partnership with our team. You will also be prepared to serve as the management liaison to the Governance, Operations, Finance, and Audit (GOFA) Committee, regularly reporting to the CEO and Board of Directors. You will manage the team and external vendors per our policies, internal controls, and procedures, similar to those in other nonprofit contexts. 

Over time, your role will involve:

Overseeing budget development and financial strategies, including improvements to our grant management and benchmark payment process. The Fund delivers clean financial and audit results and aims to improve how our financial processes meet our team's needs and the organization’s mission. Additionally, you will proactively adapt these strategies over time to align with evolving organizational goals and external economic conditions.

4. Managing Operations while Growing Service Mindset:
Within your first 90 days, you will lead the team and consultants to complete year-end procedures, including our data security audit, benefits cycle, and year-end office procedures. You will complete an audit of the organization’s operational needs and share recommendations for improving service to our team, our educators, and our supporters, with particular attention to enhancing the infrastructure to support our work, including data management and IT security.

Over time, your role will involve:

Enhancing operational processes and technology integration to support efficient and effective program delivery, optimize resource management and workflow systems, and reinforce team learning and culture. The Fund knows that the nature of work is changing and would be excited to engage a COO with a vision for how technology can enable more effective (and joyful!) team operations.

5. Serving as a Senior Team Member While Modeling Team Culture and Values

Within your first 90 days, you will actively participate in Strategy Team (ST) and Management Team (MT) meetings to learn about our operations, programs, activities, and the relationships that drive our work. Your participation will be both observant and contributive, focusing on continuously improving the effectiveness of these critical organizational decision-making bodies and offering thought leadership to shape strategic discussions and drive key initiatives forward. You will also engage with the broader organization through crucial meetings and activities to see our values and norms.

Over time, your role will involve:

Reinforcing and strengthening our organizational culture by exemplifying and integrating our values into the operational aspects of the Fund. You will be an integral member (and a key leader) of the strategy and management teams, ensuring strategic alignment and spearheading initiatives that enhance decision-making and operational efficiency. Your collaboration with directors will support team performance and individual development. By living our values and leading by example, you will play a crucial role in embedding these principles into our daily practices and rituals.

You will be supported through your first 90 days by the CEO, our interim COO, and an external Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP). The interim COO and external HRBP will roll off no later than the conclusion of the 90-day onboarding period, depending on your need for support. 

The successful candidate will excel at toggling between the strategic and execution aspects of a small, dynamic, and fast-paced organization. Essential to this role is substantial financial and fundraising expertise, with a sharp focus on maintaining and enhancing organizational health and sustainability. 

The successful candidate will also be a strategic thinker and skilled coach, ready to foster the growth and skill set of the functional team and organization. We need a leader who acts collaboratively, over-communicates, and prioritizes the organization’s long-term sustainability over short-term solutions.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• At least five (5) years of executive or senior-level management experience, with a preference for candidates who thrive in nonprofit environments similar to The Fund. Proven expertise in financial oversight and fundraising – including major gifts, donor relations, and long-term financial sustainability planning – with at least some experience managing human resources and office operations.
• Demonstrable skills in nonprofit governance and a firm grasp of risk management, compliance, and project management are necessary to navigate an evolving landscape.
• Strong change management skills, with the ability to lead teams through organizational transitions and integration. Experience in creating sustainable systems, both operationally and financially, to ensure long-term organizational health and mission success.
• A track record of developing high-performing teams, ideally within a nonprofit that has navigated dynamic staffing levels and growth.
• Active commitment to DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism) with experience providing strategic leadership and fostering a culture that prioritizes these values throughout the organization.
• The ability to lead with empathy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence, fostering strong relationships across diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft suite is essential, with strong expertise in teaching excel skills to team members; experience with Bill.com, JustWorks, and/or Monday.com a plus. Expertise in AI tool integration, especially for team time management and for growing writing or data capacity a definite plus.

COMPENSATION
The salary band for a Chief at The Fund starts at $207,000 and there is room to grow over time based on a strong ability to regularly exceed expectations and market adjustments. The Fund offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package, including healthcare coverage, retirement contribution, generous paid time off for all team members, and paid short-term and family leave. Please note that The Fund team is an in-person organization, working in schools and out of our offices in downtown Chicago. We offer one work-from-home day per week. This position will require some evening and weekend hours.

TO APPLY
The position is available immediately, and we are actively seeking candidates. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through October 10, 2024. Applying early increases your chances of being invited for an interview, with the interview process set to begin the week of September 30.

Please visit https://thefundchicago.org/who-we-are/careers/ and follow the links to navigate to the “Chief Operating Officer”  job description. Once there, use the "Apply" button to submit your application: resume and cover letter. Finalists for any role with The Fund must undergo a background check to be considered for employment.

If you have questions about the job application, please contact Andrea via email at Careers@thefundchicago.org. Please note that we are unable to provide responses to phone inquiries regarding this position. 

The Fund employs and values a diverse workforce. We are also an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to engaging the skills and leadership of people of color, low-income persons, LGBTQ+ persons, differently-abled people, and other people from diverse backgrounds. People from these and other historically marginalized backgrounds and communities are strongly encouraged to apply.