Signal Ohio is seeking an experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to oversee all fiscal management, human resources, and administrative functions, for a growing network of local newsrooms across Ohio.
The COO will collaborate with the CEO to oversee Signal Ohio’s operations, working across teams to establish bold, enterprising growth goals, along with proactively building the organizational strategy to achieve those goals. The ideal candidate will be a proven and experienced change management leader with demonstrated analytical skills, an understanding of the complex issues facing a startup nonprofit organization as well as, the ability to develop the strong operational systems necessary for this organization of diverse, talented individuals to thrive.
ABOUT SIGNAL OHIO
If the following job requirements and experience match your skills, please ensure you apply promptly.
Signal Ohio Is a network of independent, community-led, nonprofit newsrooms backed by a coalition of Ohio organizations, community leaders and the American Journalism Project. It’s one of the largest local nonprofit news startups in the country, with newsrooms in Cleveland, Akron, and Signal Statewide with a staff of 35 growing to at least 50. The newsrooms produce high-quality accountability journalism while working directly with residents to produce and distribute community reporting that is free to access and available for republishing.
The organization is governed by a board that is representative of Ohio’s diverse communities and is an independent 501(c)(3) organization.
POSITION SUMMARY
Reporting to the CEO, the COO will collaborate with the senior leadership team and Board to guide Signal Ohio’s strategic planning, finance and operations processes in service of Signal Ohio’s mission to build and grow a mission-oriented, sustainable organization with newsrooms across the state. The COO will ultimately have 2 direct reports to start, in addition to support from a fractional CFO to lead all financial, administrative, and people operations of Signal Ohio and will have the following responsibilities :
Operations & Planning
- Coordinate between the CEO, senior leadership team, and Board in the oversight and execution of Signal Ohio’s strategic planning, finance and operations, including development of a holistic approach to setting strategy and goals and KPIs across the organization that speak directly to the organization’s mission, vision, and values.
- Develop a system to monitor progress to goals across teams, identify areas in need of course correction, and work with leadership team to develop solution proposals for the CEO. With CEO’s approval, work with leadership team to carry out solutions and ensure their success.
- Oversee the maintenance and continuous upgrade of the appropriate infrastructure and resources, including data, security, systems, technology, policies, procedures and controls.
- Manage facilities for a growing network of local newsrooms across Ohio.
- Partner with external legal counsel to ensure all processes and procedures are compliant with federal and state laws.
- Establish and monitor KPIs across all operational areas, ensuring alignment with company objectives and industry best practices.
- Ensure compliance with media regulations, industry standards, and legal requirements
- Develop and maintain risk management strategies across all operational areas
People Operations
Work collaboratively with the leadership team to develop institutional standards and policies and roll them out across Signal Ohio’s newsrooms that create a welcoming and inclusive culture where employees feel supported and are able to do their best work, within budget.Assess Signal Ohio’s hiring and onboarding process and identify ways to make it continuously more consistent, transparent, inclusive, and equitable, in line with Signal Ohio’s values.Assess and enhance systems that impact employees such as professional development, expense reimbursement, and ethical guidelines, to identify areas in need of standardization or improvement. Develop a plan to make any needed improvements and oversee its rollout.Develop an organization-wide performance management system that creates a supportive workplace and healthy feedback loops for employees and managers, while maintaining high performance and delivery of impact across the organization. Work with team leaders to be trained on the system and to roll it out, monitor its effectiveness, and make changes as necessary.Develop cross-departmental communications systems that enable the CEO andbusiness teams to track and highlight impact across the network.Lead all internal organizational communication with staff. Develop a plan for a regular cadence of sharing organizational updates with employees and soliciting input from employees.Working with Signal Ohio’s CEO and professional employer organization (Justworks), oversee and execute on all aspects of human capital development & management.Oversee the administration of employee payroll and benefits programs through the PEO Justworks, including benchmarking benefits and compensation.Present annual compensation analysis to the Board of Directors.Finance Planning & Analysis
Working with the CEO, and with assistance from a fractional CFO, develop and oversee financial strategy and planning for the expanding organization that furthers Signal Ohio’s mission to serve its constituencies with authentic, representative, quality local news.Lead the preparation of timely and accurate financial reporting and analysis (including income statement, budget-to-actuals, balance sheet, and cash flow projections) to build the financial literacy of the team and help colleagues employ financial data to support sound decision-making.Lead the preparation for regular Board meetings and present financial reports to the Board of Directors.Lead the development of annual budgets, regular forecasting, and multi-year projections.Manage the work of the outsourced accounting firm. With support of the outsourced accounting firm, manage the chart of accounts and general ledger and ensure accurate recording and classification of all transactions and journal entries.Provide strategic financial input and leadership on decisions affecting the organization, such as evaluation of potential partnerships and providing solutions for organizational challenges; act as a key thought partner to the CEO.Oversee the organization’s cash and investment management approach in partnership with the board of directors and manage the organization’s banking relationships.Coordinate external audit in partnership with Signal Ohio’s outsourced accounting firm and ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal government regulations and other applicable laws and requirements governing grantmakers and charitable organizations.Ensure reconciliation on a monthly basis of revenue and cash goals and ensure that all financial and other legal information required by donors and foundations is provided on a timely and accurate basis. Develop standard financial reports that can be shared externally with funders.Track and manage revenue from restricted and unrestricted grants, including appropriately releasing restricted funds against eligible expenses, tracking the fulfillment of conditions and milestones, and preparing grant utilization reports for funders.Develop a financial policies and procedures manual and implement ongoing recommendations for improving financial processes and internal controls.Team Leader and Member
Serve as a leader within the organization by actively working to support the success of other members of the entire team; cultivating an organizational culture that is highly collaborative, positive, and productive; and that drives impact through continuous improvement and learning.Explicitly promote Signal Ohio values across the organization, including values of diversity, equity and inclusion across internal and external operations.Set ambitious, motivating, and realistic priorities to continue building systems, processes, and relationships that enable smarter, more thoughtful, and more efficient achievement of Signal Ohio’s mission.Build strong, trusting relationships with people at all levels of the organization and work collaboratively with leaders, grantees, and funders across the field, representing Signal Ohio in a manner consistent with the mission.Your Team
You will work closely with our CEO with support from an outsourced financial management partner and outside legal counsel.
QUALIFICATIONS
Passion for local, public service journalism and strengthening the news ecosystem in Ohio.Minimum 10 years’ experience in a senior financial and / or HR leadership role working closely with a CEO and board of directors, including a deep understanding of 501(c)(3) development and / or grantmaking processes and related financial and compliance issues.Prior team leadership experience and proven ability to provide useful feedback, develop, and inspire staff.Intellectually curious, strategic thinker and innovative problem-solver, including a proven ability to create and manage organizational change.Strong personal responsibility and accountability, results-oriented, adaptable, skilled at situational management (including being able to manage up, laterally, and down), and the ability to work both independently and lead.Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize large amounts of information and clearly communicate key information. Meticulous attention to detail and accuracy in documentation and data integrity.Experience with Google suite, Quickbooks online, and bill.com preferred.MBA or MPA preferred.Position is based in Ohio.HOW TO APPLY
This is a full-time position with competitive salary and benefits. Signal Ohio is dedicated to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. Signal Ohio encourages people of all races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses to apply.
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