Chief Operating Officer

Title: Chief Operating Officer

Reports to: CEO

Direct Reports: Director of Operations (to be hired)

Location: In person at exalt headquarters in New York City (with travel to Syracuse as needed, 5-8 visits per year)

Schedule: 11am-7pm

ABOUT exalt

exalt is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming outcomes for court-involved youth ages 15–19 through an integrated model of education, paid internships, court advocacy, and alumni support. For two decades, exalt has demonstrated the power of effective educational engagement as a viable alternative to criminal justice involvement, equipping young people with the skills, experience, and confidence to become self-sufficient, productive members of society.

Serving over 1,000 young people annually, exalt is entering its next phase of strategic growth—expanding statewide to Syracuse, deepening its infrastructure, launching new programmatic initiatives, and positioning itself as a national thought leader in juvenile justice. This is an extraordinary moment to join an organization on the rise.

POSITION SUMMARY

The board and CEO of exalt are seeking a mission-focused, seasoned, strategic, and process-minded leader to serve as Chief Operating Officer at a critical moment of organizational growth. Reporting directly to the CEO, the COO serves as the organization's senior operational strategist and a primary internal partner of the CEO, translating vision into infrastructure, strategy into systems, and ambition into sustainable, mission-aligned execution.

This is not a maintenance role. The COO will lead the design and implementation of the organizational architecture needed to support exalt's expanding geographic footprint, new programmatic initiatives, and growing team. The COO ensures that exalt's people, processes, and platforms are aligned, efficient, and positioned for scale—so that the organization remains healthy, sustainable, and fully equipped to deliver on its mission.

The COO directly supervises the Director of Operations and works in close partnership with the senior leadership team to drive cross-functional alignment, organizational effectiveness, and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. As a member of the executive leadership team, the COO contributes to high-level decision-making and represents exalt's operational interests in board-level conversations and external partnerships.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Vision

• Partner with the CEO to define and advance exalt's strategic priorities, ensuring that operational planning, resource allocation, and organizational design are in service of the CEO's vision and the organization's long-term goals.
• Serve as a thought partner and trusted advisor to the CEO on matters of organizational health, sustainability, risk, and growth strategy.
• Lead the development and execution of multi-year operational plans that align with exalt's strategic scaling objectives, including geographic expansion, new program launches, and field-building initiatives.
• Translate strategy into clear, actionable workplans with defined milestones, owners, and accountability structures.
• Partner with program leadership to develop an annual program calendar that aligns with staffing, operational, and space needs.
• Represent exalt in external forums, funder conversations, and partnership discussions as needed, particularly on topics related to organizational capacity, infrastructure, and impact at scale.

Organizational Operations, Technology & Infrastructure

• Provide executive oversight of all internal operations, including human resources, facilities, information technology, compliance, and administrative systems.
• Supervise the Director of Operations and ensure that day-to-day operational functions are executed with excellence, consistency, and alignment to organizational priorities.
• Build scalable systems and infrastructure to support multi-site growth—ensuring that what works in New York City is adaptable and replicable in Syracuse and beyond.
• Establish organizational dashboards, key performance indicators, workflows, and reporting cadences that reduce duplication, improve data integrity, and enable data-informed decision-making at every level.
• Lead the evaluation, adoption, and responsible use of artificial intelligence, automation, and emerging technologies to improve operational efficiency, strengthen decision-making, enhance staff productivity, and support organizational growth and innovation.
• Upgrade and maintain organizational policies, internal controls, standard operating procedures, and risk management practices.
• Foster a culture of data-informed decision-making by ensuring leaders have access to meaningful operational, financial, and programmatic metrics.

Growth, New Initiatives & Change Management

• Serve as the operational lead for exalt's growth initiatives, including the Syracuse expansion, potential real estate acquisition, the development of an "Institute" for field leadership, and other emerging strategic priorities.
• Lead change management processes that help staff navigate new structures, systems, and ways of working with clarity, transparency, and support.
• Anticipate the operational implications of new initiatives and proactively build the infrastructure, staffing plans, and workflows needed to launch and sustain them.
• Develop and maintain systems for institutional knowledge management, documentation, and process standardization to ensure continuity, scalability, and organizational resilience.
• Ensure that growth is managed responsibly, balancing ambition with organizational health and staff well-being.

People, Culture & Team Leadership

• Champion a healthy, inclusive, and high-performing organizational culture where staff feel supported, valued, and equipped to do their best work.
• Partner with the leadership team to strengthen talent management practices, including recruitment, retention, professional development, performance management, and succession planning.
• Foster cross-departmental collaboration and communication, breaking down silos and creating shared ownership of organizational goals.
• Model exalt's values in all interactions and hold the leadership team accountable for doing the same.
• Support the onboarding and integration of new team members as the organization scales, ensuring that exalt's mission and culture are preserved even as the team grows.

Financial Stewardship & Sustainability

• Partner with the CEO and Director of Finance to ensure sound fiscal management, including budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation aligned with strategic priorities.
• Provide operational input into grant budgets, funder reports, and financial planning to ensure that programmatic and operational needs are accurately reflected.
• Monitor organizational spending, identify cost efficiencies, and ensure that resources are deployed in ways that maximize mission impact and long-term sustainability.
• Support compliance with all regulatory, contractual, and funder requirements, working closely with the Director of Operations and finance team to mitigate risk.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

Experience & Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, organizational management, or a related function, with at least 5 years in a senior or executive-level role.
• Demonstrated success leading operations in a complex, mission-driven organization—nonprofit, public sector, education, workforce development, or juvenile/criminal justice preferred.
• Proven track record of building and scaling organizational infrastructure during periods of significant growth, including multi-site or multi-program environments.
• Experience leading facility expansions, capital projects, or significant organizational infrastructure investments strongly preferred.
• Experience supervising and developing senior staff, with a leadership style rooted in accountability, collaboration, and empowerment.
• Strong financial acumen with experience contributing to budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation at an organizational level.
• Familiarity with government contracts, compliance requirements, and the regulatory landscape of nonprofit organizations in New York preferred.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in business administration, public administration, nonprofit management, or a related field strongly preferred.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Visionary & Pragmatic Executor: Able to see the big picture and translate it into concrete, actionable plans. Comfortable operating at 30,000 feet and on the ground.
• Builder & Systems Thinker: Energized by creating structure, clarity, and order in environments that are evolving. Brings a builder's mindset to organizational design.
• Technology & Innovation Leader: Leverages technology, automation, and artificial intelligence strategically to improve organizational effectiveness, increase staff capacity, and support sustainable growth.
• Trusted Partner to the CEO: Serves as a steady, thoughtful complement to the CEO—anticipating needs, offering candid counsel, and ensuring that the CEO's vision is operationalized with fidelity.
• Culturally Grounded Leader: Deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and the communities exalt serves. Brings cultural competence and humility to all aspects of leadership.
• Change Agent: Skilled at leading people through transition with empathy, clarity, and confidence. Creates buy-in and manages resistance constructively.
• Calm Under Pressure: Maintains composure, sound judgment, and a solutions-oriented presence in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salary range: $150,000-$170,000
• Health insurance: medical, dental and vision
• Other insurance: life and long-term disability
• 401k matching plan: 50% matching of employee's contribution up to 5% of salary
• Generous paid time off

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Please submit cover letter and resume on exalt’s career page: https://exaltyouth.bamboohr.com/careers

exalt is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity at all levels of its organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We strongly encourage applications from people who are reflective of the diverse communities we serve.

• Health insurance: medical, dental and vision
• Other insurance: life and long-term disability
• 401k matching plan: 50% matching of employee's contribution up to 5% of salary
• Generous paid time off