Chief Operating Officer

Summary

Join Taproot Foundation, a national nonprofit, as their new Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this pivotal role, you will partner with the CEO to execute strategic vision, lead quarterly business reviews, and keep the board informed. You will drive financial strategy, overseeing budgeting, reporting, and long-term planning. Furthermore, you will elevate people strategy, building a high-performing culture and improving talent systems. The COO will also lead the tech and product teams, ensuring tools meet user needs and advancing technology strategy. Finally, you will advance strategic operations, overseeing workflows, systems, and processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. This position requires senior leadership experience across finance, operations, and talent, a deep understanding of nonprofit financial management, and proven success in building and scaling systems and teams.

Requirements

• Senior leadership experience across finance, operations, talent, or related functions—ideally spanning more than one area
• Proven success building and scaling systems and teams in evolving, mission-driven environments; additional corporate or professional services experience or exposure strongly preferred
• Deep understanding of nonprofit financial management and GAAP; you know how to use budgets, forecasts, and models to inform strategy and assess tradeoffs
• Proven experience with people leadership, talent strategy, and employee engagement
• Strong instincts around internal communication and organizational clarity
• You move fluidly between high-level strategy and day-to-day problem-solving, guiding the team while pitching in where needed
• Comfort with technology and automation—you’re eager to implement modern tools that increase insight and efficiency
• A calm, authentic, inclusive leadership presence
• Comfort with prioritizing and making necessary trade offs; experience using data to inform decision making
• Excellent communication skills, especially in connecting dots, surfacing priorities, and translating across functions
• A deep belief in Taproot’s mission—and in operational excellence as a lever for impact

Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO to clarify vision, translate strategy into execution, and bring strong internal leadership to a talented team
• Lead Taproot’s quarterly business review process—driving alignment, surfacing insights, and tracking progress against our operating plan
• Keep the Board informed with clear, timely updates on Taproot’s finances, operations, talent, and culture
• Strengthen internal communications across the organization—ensuring clarity, connection, and momentum in times of change
• Help make Taproot one of the best places to work in the nonprofit sector—where operational excellence, employee experience, and mission impact go hand in hand
• Lead the annual budgeting process, audit preparation, and financial reporting—ensuring rigor, clarity, and alignment with Taproot’s goals
• Partner with the CEO and Board to develop long-term financial plans, scenario models, and investment strategies that balance ambition and sustainability
• Oversee financial operations and policies, including cash flow management, compliance, and controls
• Use financial data and insight to inform strategy, assess tradeoffs, and guide choices that drive impact
• Help build and lead a high-performing, inclusive culture—where people are challenged, supported, and set up to thrive
• Guide improved talent infrastructure and policies across hiring, onboarding, performance, development, and retention
• Oversee workforce planning and org design to ensure we scale with clarity and care
• Lead employee engagement tracking and response—surfacing insights and supporting a thriving workplace
• Partner with leadership to embed Taproot’s values and operating norms across the team
• Coach and partner with Taproot’s HR Business Partner to strengthen our talent practices and elevate the employee experience
• Manage and support a small but mighty team across Tech and Product functions
• Ensure our tools and platforms meet the needs of Taproot’s users—nonprofits, volunteers, partners, and staff
• Advance our technology strategy to align with program, product, and organizational priorities
• Stay curious about what’s next—guiding the organization in responsibly exploring and adopting emerging tools like AI and automation
• Foster a product mindset across the organization—helping teams think in terms of user needs, iteration, and long-term sustainability
• Oversee tech ops, internal workflows, and day-to-day systems to ensure the team is set up to work effectively in a distributed environment
• Strengthen operational transparency and planning across the org—bringing visibility to timelines, goals, and shared priorities
• Manage Taproot’s contracting process and core administrative functions
• Drive progress tracking against organizational priorities and help translate big ideas into clear, achievable work plans
• Collaborate across functions to reduce friction and streamline cross-org processes

Benefits

• 25 paid holidays
• 403b Retirement Plan
• Commitment to individualized professional development
• A generous vacation accrual policy