Company Description
SubjectToClimate is a free platform with teacher-designed lesson plans, curated resources, and professional development opportunities to enable all K-12 educators to easily integrate climate change into what they already teach.
Job Description
About SubjectToClimate
SubjectToClimate is a free platform with teacher-designed lesson plans, curated resources, and professional development opportunities to enable all K-12 educators to easily integrate climate change into what they already teach. Learn more about us here.
At SubjectToClimate, we value a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment where every team member can feel a sense of belonging. As such, we strive to employ best practices in employment decisions without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identify or expression, martial status, medical condition, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.
Position Description
The Chief Operating Officer works alongside the Executive team to drive the operational excellence of the organization, ensuring that strategy translates into effective day-to-day execution across all departments. The COO will oversee the organization’s product, content, partnerships & outreach efforts, and marketing activities. Additionally, the COO will also focus on ensuring that key performance indicators (KPIs) are met across all teams, maintaining accountability and alignment with the organization’s strategic goals.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Organizational Management:
Oversees Product, Content, Marketing, and Partnerships & Outreach departments.
Ensure alignment across departments to meet organizational goals and objectives.
Provide leadership and guidance to department heads, fostering collaboration and cross-functional initiatives.
Develop and implement systems to track project progress and resource allocation across departments.
Facilitate regular communication and reporting between departments and executive leadership.
Lead cross-departmental initiatives to optimize processes and improve efficiency.
Support professional development and growth within each department through mentoring and coaching.
Partnerships & Outreach:
Assist in implementing the strategic framework for developing partnerships and organizing national and state-level conference presentations to enhance the organization's visibility.
Project & Strategy Execution:
Manage and oversee day-to-day operations
Translate the organization’s strategic vision into actionable steps, creating and overseeing project plans that align with strategic objectives.
Ensure that strategic initiatives are executed efficiently and effectively, keeping the organization on track toward its goals.
Create, manage, and adhere to departmental budgets, providing regular reports on budget performance and financial outcomes.
KPI Management:
Oversee the development and tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs) for all departments, ensuring that progress is regularly monitored and evaluated.
Provide regular reports and updates on performance metrics to senior leadership and the Board of Directors.
Team Leadership & Collaboration:
Work closely with department heads and teams to ensure seamless coordination and operational success.
Build and maintain a collaborative, efficient work environment that fosters accountability, innovation, and high performance through collaborative approaches.
Serve as a role model for the organization’s mission, values, and culture.
Provide guidance, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to team members.
Provide leadership and support to direct reports, ensuring they offer guidance, performance reviews, and mentorship to their teams.
Ensure all teams under their supervision are consistently performing at the highest level of excellence and accountability.
Qualifications
Passion and commitment to our mission and values
Proven experience in a senior leadership role, with a track record of driving operational excellence and strategic execution.
Demonstrated success in translating organizational strategy into actionable and measurable outcomes.
Expertise in developing and tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across multiple teams to ensure alignment with strategic goals.
Experience managing cross-functional teams and fostering collaboration across departments.
Ability to create and manage partnerships, with experience presenting at conferences at the national and state levels.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to report on performance metrics to senior leadership and the Board of Directors.
Proven ability to build and maintain a high-performance, accountable, and collaborative work environment.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage complex projects and competing priorities.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in a similar industry or mission-driven organization.
Experience working with non-profit or social impact organizations.
How to Apply
Submit your work sample here: Chief Operating Officer Application Form.
Priority will be given to applications received by October 15th.
Work Sample Directions:
In one document, please answer the following questions:
Task 1
Case Study Title: Driving Operational Excellence in a Growing Organization
Summary:
You are the leader overseeing the Product, Content, Marketing, and Partnerships & Outreach departments at an education-focused non-profit organization. The organization is preparing for the launch of a hub for UNESCO, where they will curate resources for the key focus areas in their Greening Education Curriculum report. This initiative aims to provide free climate change education resources to K-12 schools globally and reaching 6 million students.
The departments you oversee must work together to ensure the initiative is successful. Each department has the following responsibilities for this project:
Product Department: Develop the digital platform in cooperation with UNESCO (the client).
Content Department: Curate high-quality, curriculum-aligned content that is accessible, engaging, and relevant to the key focus areas.
Marketing Department: Create awareness of the initiative through digital marketing, social media campaigns, webinars, and partnerships with UNESCO and their partnering organizations.
Partnerships & Outreach Department: Build strategic partnerships UNESCO and their partnering organizations as well as schools, education associations, Ministries of Education, and other organizations to expand reach and drive adoption of the resources.
Three months before launch, you face the following challenges:
Misalignment of Priorities: The Product Department is focused on developing platform that showcases a broad array of resources, but the Content Department feels they should prioritize depth over quantity to ensure high quality resources. Marketing is struggling with the lack of finalized product details for creating promotional materials. Partnerships & Outreach is eager to build relationships but is unsure how to position the project without clear marketing support. The COO is struggling to coordinate feedback from the client, who is too busy to provide detailed feedback and keeps changing their mind.
Resource Constraints: A recent budget review revealed limited funds for this initiative, which means resources must be allocated carefully to meet the launch timeline and ensure a high-impact rollout.
Leadership Gap: Several department heads have expressed frustration with communication gaps between departments, and some team members are unclear on their roles in the cross-departmental collaboration.
Work Sample Question: Based on the Case Study:
Building on the operational transformation outlined in the case study, develop a one-page strategic plan detailing how you would approach the situation and outline the key actions you would take moving forward.
Key Lessons:
Importance of aligning cross-functional teams to strategic goals.
The role of KPIs in driving measurable success..
Challenges in scaling operations without compromising quality.
Task 2
Scenario Overview:
You are the newly appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of a mission-driven organization that has recently undergone rapid growth. The organization is facing several operational inefficiencies, particularly in aligning its product, marketing, and Partnership & Outreach strategies. There are also concerns that key performance indicators (KPIs) are not being consistently tracked or communicated across departments, leading to missed opportunities and delays in achieving strategic goals.
Work Sample Question:
As the COO, your task is to develop a comprehensive project plan for outreach strategies (Partnership & Outreach). Outline what the project plan would look like based on this objective and goal?
Objective:
Leverage wide-reaching and impactful partnerships to expand the organization’s reach to educators by establishing and cultivating strategic relationships with complementary organizations.
Goals:
Establish or strengthen partnerships with at least 2 wide-reaching and impactful organizations.
Increase the percentage of partner backlinks.
Increase the number of partner referral traffic by 50%.
Reach 100,000 users through joint marketing campaigns.
Evaluation Criteria:
Strategic thinking and alignment of operational plans with organizational goals.
Problem-solving and decision-making skills.
What We Offer
Not only will you be part of an inspiring group of people from all over the U.S. and abroad, but we also offer:
Opportunities for professional development and career growth to enhance your resume
Inclusive, collaborative, and supportive work environment
Remote work environment, flexible work schedule
Comprehensive benefits plan which includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, with the company covering 70% of the premium costs. Additionally, we offer a 403(b) retirement plan to support your financial future.
Generous paid time off (PTO) policy, including vacation, personal, and sick days.
Paid holidays, including federal and company-recognized holidays.
Salaried compensation of $70,700-$77,126/year for US and to be adjusted based where you live (see our Global Compensation Policy)
*Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are strongly encouraged to apply.
* Once you apply, within 24-48 hours you will receive directions on completing the work sample~
Additional Information
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.