Chief Operating Officer (COO)

About Watering Hole Media (WHM)

WHM: Watering Hole Media (WHM) is a social impact media company seeking to open minds, activate change, and win for the people. WHM meets the audience where they are by fostering a safe space for people to come together and have difficult conversations, nourish themselves, and bring new perspectives back into their communities. WHM envisions a world where stories and conversations spark change by compelling people to act to address social injustice and save democracy.

Position Overview

As our COO, you'll be the operational heartbeat of WHM: grounding our progressive mission in lean, efficient systems that allow us to produce high-quality, impactful content at scale. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, creative environment, and believes deeply in the power of media to catalyze social change.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Partner: Work closely with the CEO to define goals, scale operations, and ensure our content mission remains central to every decision.
• Operational Architect: Build and refine day to day systems to track growth of compliance and manage operational risk, align departments like fundraising, marketing, HR, finance, and IT to meet the goals of the organization.
• Financial Steward: Develop fundraising and revenue opportunities for the organization, oversee the P&L, budgets, and cash flow projections to support both content and community growth.
• Team Leader: Develop and integrate contract-based roles (Digital Audience Producer, Creator Researcher, Pod Anchor, Digital Editor) into a cohesive, mission-aligned operational framework.
• Cultural Steward: Ensure our organizational practices support a safe, inclusive culture that amplifies WHM’s commitment to equity and engagement.
• Growth Operator: Identify partnerships, staffing needs, and tech infrastructure that fuel our reach across social media platforms and podcasts.

Qualifications

• 8-12+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, finance, or management (with at least 5+ years in a senior leadership role).
• Background in media, digital content, or startups strongly preferred.
• A builder’s mindset: you’ve launched operational structures from scratch and thrive in ambiguity.
• Strong financial acumen, with the ability to manage cash flow, budgets, and forecast ahead.
• Proven ability to lead small, distributed teams toward creative excellence.
• Passion for social impact and democracy-driven storytelling; understanding of political culture, misinformation, and audience engagement is a plus.

What We Offer

• $170,000-200,000 based on experience
• Benefits: Comprehensive health insurance and a 401(k) plan (with potential employer match to be determined).
• Flexible, remote-first work environment rooted in impact, creativity, and community.

Why Join WHM?

• Drive impact through innovative, culturally tuned content that meets audiences where they are.
• Shape the future of a brand-new media ecosystem built on trust, representation, and strategic storytelling.

Watering Hole Media is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourages applications from BIPOC candidates, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and other historically underrepresented communities. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

• Comprehensive health insurance and a 401(k) plan (with potential employer match to be determined).
• Flexible, remote-first work environment rooted in impact, creativity, and community.