Partnership with Children (PwC) works in New York City public schools most impacted by poverty and trauma, providing critical social and emotional supports to the hardest-to-reach youth and systematically building schools that are safe, supportive, and conducive to learning.

We provide young people with trauma-informed mental health counseling, community-based programming, and healing-centered arts education. Through this holistic approach, PWC addresses the unique mental health challenges facing our communities and empowers students to break cycles of poverty and become advocates for their communities.

Last year, PWC impacted more than 27,000 children and families across all five boroughs and 48 NYC public schools.

About the Position

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will serve as a key strategic partner to the CEO, ensuring that the organization’s vision translates into clear, actionable strategies across Programs, Development, Finance, and Operations. The COO will bring strong facilitation, systems-building, and accountability practices to ensure that the organization delivers on its mission with excellence.

The COO will lead the organization’s operational infrastructure — including Human Resources, Talent, DEI, and Administration — aligning these functions to best support PWC’s mission and growth. This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned, strategic leader who can balance big-picture thinking with disciplined execution. The COO will oversee a team of five full-time staff and collaborate closely with the Executive Team (CEO, CFO, Chief Program Officer, and Chief Development Officer).

The ideal candidate will be a systems thinker and innovative problem solver who thrives on building culture, strengthening collaboration, and driving organizational accountability.

Key Strategic Partner Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO to translate vision into actionable strategies across all departments.

• Lead the implementation, monitoring, and continuous refinement of the strategic plan, ensuring it remains a living guide for decision-making.

• Design and facilitate executive team meetings that drive collaboration, alignment, accountability, and results.

• Build and implement systems to track commitments, measure progress, and foster reflection amongst senior leadership.  Support the Executive Team in reporting topline learnings and results to the Board of Directors.

• Strengthen and maintain communication and collaboration across senior leaders, fostering a culture of transparency, trust, and follow-through.

• Foster cross-functional collaboration to ensure seamless integration of strategy and operations across programs, development, finance, and operations.

• Partner with Executive Team on identifying opportunities and fostering innovation as well as readying infrastructure for expansion----basically, be the guard rails on expansion and make sure departments are preparing and building infrastructure to be ready them. 

 

Key Operations Responsibilities

Human Resources and Talent Management

• Recruitment & Talent Acquisition: Oversee recruitment and hiring to ensure the organization attracts, hires, and retains top talent aligned with organizational needs and culture.

• Employee Relations & Compliance: Ensure compliance with labor laws and nonprofit regulations. Partner with HR/Talent staff to address employee concerns, resolve conflicts, and uphold organizational policies.

• Compensation & Benefits: Ensure equitable compensation structures and competitive benefits packages that attract and retain talent.

• Performance & Development: Strengthen performance management systems with regular feedback, evaluations, and professional development plans to foster a high-performing, learning-oriented workforce.

 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Organizational Culture

• Provide strategic leadership for DEI initiatives, including but not limited to the Diversity Council, employee Affinity Groups, and anti-racism training.

• Champion an inclusive, positive organizational culture that reflects PWC’s values: Collaboration, Continuous Learning, Solution-Orientation, Equity & Inclusion, and Passion.

• Promote staff well-being and implement initiatives that unify staff and promote positive organizational culture across multiple worksites.

 

Administration

• Oversee day-to-day administrative operations, including IT, facilities, risk management, and organizational administration.

• Ensure administrative functions are efficient, responsive, and aligned to organizational goals.

 

Qualifications

Experience & Expertise

• Bachelor's degree required; Minimum of 10–12 years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including senior management roles in complex nonprofit organizations.

• Demonstrated experience leading strategic planning and ensuring follow-through across multiple departments.

• Proven success designing and facilitating executive team meetings or leadership convening's that drive accountability, alignment, and results.

• Strong track record in building and managing organizational systems, processes, and metrics for performance and accountability.

• Deep experience in human resources, talent management, and organizational culture, with demonstrated ability to lead and/or support DEI initiatives.

• Solid understanding of nonprofit finance, development, and programmatic operations, with the ability to integrate across functions.

• Experience overseeing administrative functions such as IT, facilities, and risk management is strongly preferred.

Leadership & Management Competencies

• Strategic thinker who can also dive into operational detail and execution.

• Skilled facilitator able to foster communication, collaboration, and trust across senior leaders.

• Strong people manager with experience supervising staff and building high-performing, mission-driven teams.

• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and keep initiatives on track.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information for diverse audiences including the Board, staff, and external stakeholders.

• Courageous, confident leader who can hold peers accountable while maintaining respect and collegiality.

• Commitment to PWC’s mission and values, and to advancing equity and inclusion both internally and externally.

Core Competencies

• Collaborative and empathetic, with strong emotional intelligence.

• Adaptable and resilient in the face of complexity and change.

• Integrity, humility, and a commitment to continuous learning.

• A systems-builder who can design big-picture strategies while ensuring the details and processes align to make them successful

Salary and Benefits:
Salary range is $180-$200K annually, commensurate to credentials and experience. All full-time employees receive an excellent benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan with employer match, life insurance, Flexible spending Account/FSA, Commuter benefits, and twenty four days paid annual leave per year, plus four Summer Fridays and 12 other paid holidays.

Partnership with Children welcomes diversity in all its forms and believes that its mission can only be achieved when diversity is leveraged across all areas, including race, gender, gender expression, age, nationality and life experience. Partnership with Children is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and strongly encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds. Partnership with Children provides equal opportunity for all applicants and employees