Chief Operating Officer (COO) (Volunteer)

Chief Operating Officer (COO) (Volunteer)

PromiseOperations | Enterprise Operations, Organizational Systems & Execution

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseOperations

Location: Fully Remote — United States, with NYC-based collaboration as needed

Type: Volunteer Executive Leadership

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week

Minimum Commitment: 6 months

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Leads: PromiseOperations

Works Closely With: Chief of Staff, Senior Director of Operations, PromisePeople, PromiseFinance, PromiseTrust, PromiseShield, PromiseStack, and Division Chiefs

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit serving children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, education, literacy, social-emotional learning, creative expression, career development, advocacy, and community-centered opportunity.

As MAP grows, strong programs and ambitious ideas must be supported by equally strong organizational systems.

The COO helps build the operational foundation that turns MAP's mission and strategy into reliable execution.

About PromiseOperations

PromiseOperations is MAP's enterprise operations and organizational systems division.

The division strengthens how work moves across MAP—from workflows and operating procedures to administrative infrastructure, cross-divisional coordination, documentation, systems, and organizational execution.

The objective is not more process.

The objective is better execution.

Role Overview

The Chief Operating Officer is MAP's senior executive responsible for enterprise operations, organizational systems, operational effectiveness, and execution.

Reporting directly to the CEO, the COO translates organizational priorities into structures, systems, workflows, ownership, and operating discipline.

The central question of the role is:

How do we build an organization capable of reliably executing what it says it will do?

The COO connects:

Strategy → Priority → Owner → System → Execution → Measurement → Improvement

This is not simply an administrative role. The COO builds the organizational capability that allows talented people across MAP to work together effectively and consistently.

Enterprise Operations

Lead MAP's organization-wide operational strategy and develop systems that strengthen:

• Cross-divisional execution
• Organizational workflows
• Administrative infrastructure
• Operational planning
• Internal coordination
• Documentation
• Resource management
• Process reliability
• Organizational readiness
• Continuous improvement

Identify where unclear ownership, fragmented processes, unnecessary complexity, or weak systems are slowing the organization down.

Strategy to Execution

Partner with the CEO, Chief of Staff, and executive leadership to translate organizational priorities into executable plans.

Use a disciplined execution model:

Priority → Decision → Owner → Action → Deadline → Follow-Up → Completion → Documentation

A meeting is not execution.

A decision is not execution.

Execution occurs when ownership is clear, action happens, progress is visible, and commitments reach completion.

Organizational Systems

Build systems that reduce unnecessary dependence on individual memory, informal communication, and last-minute problem-solving.

Strengthen systems for:

• Requests and approvals
• Internal handoffs
• Project coordination
• Documentation and records
• Shared organizational resources
• Escalation
• Standard operating procedures
• Cross-functional workflows
• Organizational calendars
• Operational onboarding and offboarding

Systems should reduce dependence on institutional memory and individual heroics.

Process Improvement

Continuously evaluate how MAP works.

Use a practical improvement cycle:

Understand → Map → Diagnose → Simplify → Redesign → Implement → Measure → Improve

Identify bottlenecks, duplicated work, unclear responsibilities, unnecessary approvals, information gaps, and opportunities for responsible standardization or automation.

Do not automate a broken process.

The goal is not complexity. It is clarity, reliability, and effectiveness.

Cross-Divisional Execution

Help MAP operate as one organization rather than a collection of independent divisions.

Establish clear workflows and handoffs across organizational functions while respecting each Chief's functional authority.

When work crosses divisions, ownership should remain clear.

Operations should connect the organization without absorbing everyone else's responsibilities.

Operating Rhythm & Accountability

Strengthen MAP's organizational operating rhythm across:

• Annual priorities
• Quarterly organizational goals
• Division milestones
• Weekly leadership execution
• Cross-functional initiatives
• Decision tracking
• Operational reviews
• Risk escalation
• Follow-up
• Organizational reporting

Help leadership distinguish between activity and progress.

Use a clear decision and accountability framework:

Own → Recommend → Review → Approve → Execute → Monitor → Escalate

Important work should always have an identifiable owner and a clear path to completion.

Operational Infrastructure

Develop scalable systems supporting MAP's continued growth.

Strengthen areas including administrative operations, procurement workflows, vendor coordination, internal service delivery, organizational records, resource management, business continuity, technology-related workflows, and operational documentation.

Internal teams should not need personal relationships with the right person to receive routine operational support.

Technology & Operations

Partner with PromiseStack and PromiseShield to improve MAP's responsible use of technology.

Identify opportunities to simplify workflows, automate appropriate repetitive tasks, improve information flow, strengthen access management, and reduce operational friction.

Technology should solve a defined organizational problem.

A new tool is not automatically a better system.

Operational Risk & Resilience

Partner with PromiseTrust, PromiseShield, PromiseFinance, PromisePeople, and other leaders to identify operational risks before they become organizational problems.

Strengthen planning around business continuity, critical systems, vendor dependencies, access and permissions, information continuity, documentation, key-person dependency, and incident escalation.

Problems should travel upward faster than surprises.

Team Leadership

Build and develop PromiseOperations.

Lead and support the Senior Director of Operations and other operations professionals, managers, coordinators, and volunteers.

Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain capable team members while establishing clear responsibilities and meaningful ownership.

The COO should not become MAP's most overworked Operations Manager.

The COO should build an operations organization capable of supporting MAP beyond any one individual.

COO & Chief of Staff

Maintain a clear partnership with the Chief of Staff.

The Chief of Staff primarily strengthens CEO priorities, executive coordination, leadership alignment, executive follow-through, and the effectiveness of leadership forums.

The COO primarily strengthens enterprise operations, organizational systems, workflows, infrastructure, and execution capability.

The Chief of Staff helps leadership stay aligned.

The COO helps the organization operate.

Executive Leadership Expectations

As a MAP Chief, the COO will:

• Participate consistently in weekly Chiefs meetings.
• Maintain regular communication with the CEO.
• Establish quarterly operational priorities and measurable commitments.
• Provide visibility into organizational execution.
• Communicate regularly with PromiseOperations leadership and direct reports.
• Identify operational risks and bottlenecks early.
• Recruit, develop, and retain capable volunteers.
• Strengthen collaboration across divisions.
• Follow through on commitments.
• Model accountability, judgment, discipline, adaptability, and integrity.

The COO should consistently ask:

Who owns this, what happens next, and how will we know it is complete?

Decision Authority

Within approved organizational strategy and delegated authority, the COO may establish PromiseOperations priorities, design operational workflows, develop procedures, coordinate cross-divisional execution, assign operational responsibilities, and recommend improvements to organizational systems.

The COO does not independently override another Chief's functional authority or approve legal, financial, personnel, safeguarding, privacy, governance, or programmatic decisions reserved for another function.

Strong operations clarify authority rather than centralizing all authority.

First-Year Priorities

The COO should help MAP:

• Establish a clear enterprise operating model.
• Strengthen execution of quarterly organizational priorities.
• Clarify operational ownership and decision rights.
• Map critical cross-divisional workflows.
• Standardize essential operating procedures.
• Reduce recurring operational bottlenecks.
• Strengthen organizational documentation.
• Improve internal request and approval systems.
• Reduce key-person dependencies.
• Strengthen operational risk management.
• Build and develop PromiseOperations.
• Establish practical operational performance measures.
• Build infrastructure capable of supporting MAP's continued growth.

Qualifications

Strong candidates may bring senior experience in operations, nonprofit management, business operations, organizational leadership, management consulting, administration, organizational development, or related fields.

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Significant operational leadership experience.
• Experience designing and improving organizational systems.
• Strong project and execution management capabilities.
• Experience translating strategy into operational plans.
• Strong cross-functional leadership.
• Ability to diagnose organizational bottlenecks.
• Experience developing processes and standard operating procedures.
• Strong judgment and problem-solving ability.
• Experience building or leading teams.
• Ability to manage multiple organizational priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Comfort working within a growing, volunteer-powered organization.
• Commitment to accountability without unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Alignment with MAP's mission and values.
• Residence in the United States.

Senior nonprofit, corporate, startup, consulting, or cross-functional operational leadership experience is strongly valued.

What Success Looks Like

MAP's priorities consistently move from decision to completion.

Leaders know who owns what.

Cross-divisional work has clear handoffs.

Important processes are documented.

Recurring operational problems decrease.

Teams spend less time searching for information or determining what happens next.

Operational risks become visible earlier.

Systems support people instead of creating unnecessary work for them.

PromiseOperations develops capable leaders.

And as MAP grows, execution becomes stronger rather than more complicated.

Why This Role Matters

Organizations rarely struggle because they lack ideas.

They struggle when priorities remain conversations, responsibilities remain unclear, decisions are not translated into action, and too much depends on a few people remembering what needs to happen next.

MAP's mission requires more than ambition.

It requires organizational capability.

The COO builds that capability.

The strongest COO does not make themselves indispensable.

They build an organization that knows how to execute.

Volunteer Commitment

This is an unpaid executive volunteer position requiring approximately 5–10 hours per week with a minimum six-month commitment.

Consistent executive participation, regular communication with the CEO and PromiseOperations team, cross-divisional collaboration, and reliable follow-through are essential.

Volunteers should provide at least two weeks' notice when ending their service whenever possible.

How to Apply

Please apply through Idealist only and submit:

• A current résumé
• A cover letter explaining your interest in Mentor A Promise and organizational operations

Please highlight relevant experience in operations, organizational leadership, process improvement, business operations, nonprofit management, systems development, organizational scaling, or executive leadership.

At this time, MAP volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, compliance, and programmatic requirements.

Build the systems. Clarify ownership. Remove unnecessary friction. Turn decisions into action. Strengthen the people responsible for execution. Create an organization that does not depend on heroics to function. And build the operational foundation that allows Mentor A Promise to keep its promises.