Chaloner has partnered with Heal the Bay on their search for a Chief Operations Officer.

About the Position

Heal the Bay is seeking a highly strategic, values-driven, and people-centered leader to serve as our Chief Operating Officer (COO). This is a critical executive role for an experienced operator who brings both rigor and heart to their work and who is deeply committed to building strong systems, empowered teams, and sustainable organizational infrastructure in service of environmental impact.

At a time when climate change, pollution, and environmental injustice continue to threaten California’s coastlines, rivers, and marine ecosystems, Heal the Bay’s work has never been more urgent. The COO will play a central role in ensuring the organization has the operational strength, financial discipline, and people-centered culture needed to advance our science, advocacy, education, and community engagement programs effectively and equitably.

We are looking for a seasoned leader with exceptional emotional intelligence, a low-ego leadership style, and strong executive presence—someone who can lead decisively while fostering trust, collaboration, and accountability across the organization.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and serving as a key member of the senior leadership team, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for overseeing and optimizing Heal the Bay’s internal operations, systems, and infrastructure. This includes leadership across operations, finance, human resources, and organizational systems design, ensuring that people, processes, and resources are aligned with the organization’s mission and strategic goals.

The Chief Operating Officer will serve as a strategic partner to the Development team, ensuring the operational excellence and effective execution of Heal the Bay’s fundraising initiatives. This includes providing cross-departmental coordination, resource planning, and process oversight to support major campaigns and events, most notably the annual Gala. The COO will collaborate closely with Development leadership to align fundraising activities with organizational priorities, ensure timelines and budgets are met, manage internal workflows and vendor relationships, and support staff and volunteer readiness. By strengthening operational systems such as Salesforce, ADP, and others and executional discipline, the COO will help maximize fundraising outcomes and deliver high-quality donor and stakeholder experiences.

The COO will be a thought partner to the CEO and Board of Directors, translating strategy into execution and ensuring operational excellence across all departments. This role requires a leader who can balance high-level strategic thinking with hands-on execution, bringing clarity, structure, and empathy to a complex and dynamic nonprofit environment.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Operations & Systems Design

• Design, implement, and continuously improve organizational systems, processes, and infrastructure to support Heal the Bay’s programs, growth, and long-term sustainability.
• Oversee day-to-day operational functions, ensuring efficiency, consistency, and alignment across departments.
• Lead cross-functional planning to ensure organizational goals are supported by clear workflows, accountability structures, and decision-making processes.
• Identify operational risks and opportunities, proactively addressing challenges and driving continuous improvement.
• Oversee Salesforce data and reporting strategy

Financial Leadership & Oversight

• Oversee the organization’s financial operations in partnership with the finance team, including budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, and financial reporting.
• Ensure strong financial controls, transparency, and compliance with nonprofit best practices and regulatory requirements.
• Support the CEO and Board in long-term financial planning, scenario modeling, and strategic investment decisions.
• Collaborate with development leadership to align operational and financial planning with revenue projections and fundraising goals, maintaining systems that support soliciting and tracking grants and donations, fostering a culture of stewardship, and ensuring sustainable financial operations.
• Prepare for and support the nonprofit financial audit process,

Human Resources & People Operations

• Provide executive leadership over human resources, talent management, and organizational culture.
• Foster a workplace culture rooted in trust, equity, accountability, and care—where staff feel supported, challenged, and empowered to do their best work.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, performance management, professional development, and retention strategies.
• Ensure equitable and compliant HR policies, compensation structures, and benefits administration aligned with organizational values and legal requirements.
• Serve as a coach and thought partner to senior leaders and managers, strengthening leadership capacity across the organization.

Leadership, Culture & Cross-Department Collaboration

• Model strong, heart-centered leadership with high emotional intelligence, humility, and integrity.
• Build alignment and collaboration across teams, breaking down silos and fostering shared ownership of organizational success.
• Lead with clarity and decisiveness while remaining open, curious, and deeply respectful of diverse perspectives.
• Support change management initiatives, guiding the organization through growth and evolution with empathy and transparency.
• The COO will oversee the following teams: 
• Accounting (currently a consulting firm)
• Data 
• HR
• Facilities (HQ and Aquarium)
• Community Programs (Education and Outreach)

Board & Executive Partnership

• Serve as a key strategic partner to the CEO, helping translate vision and strategy into operational reality.
• Work closely with the Board of Directors, particularly on matters related to operations, finance, and organizational health.
• Prepare and present operational and financial updates to the Board as needed.
• Act as a steward of Heal the Bay’s mission and values in all internal operations and leadership decisions.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal COO is a strong, grounded, and compassionate leader who brings both operational excellence and emotional intelligence to their work. This individual thrives in complexity, leads with confidence and humility, and understands that people and systems must be developed together to achieve lasting impact.

Required Experience & Skills

• Senior Operations Leadership (10+ Years): Proven experience in a senior operational leadership role (COO, Director of Operations, or similar), ideally within a nonprofit or mission-driven organization.
• Systems & Infrastructure Expertise: Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and scale organizational systems and processes across operations, finance, and HR.
• Financial Acumen: Strong experience overseeing budgets, financial planning, forecasting, and organizational financial health in partnership with finance teams and boards.
• Human Resources Leadership: Deep understanding of people operations, talent development, performance management, and organizational culture-building.
• Exceptional Leadership Skills: A confident, decisive leader with strong executive presence, the ability to inspire trust, and a track record of leading high-performing teams.
• High Emotional Intelligence & Low Ego: Demonstrated ability to lead with empathy, self-awareness, and humility, fostering psychological safety and collaboration.
• Change Management: Experience guiding organizations through growth, transformation, or structural change with clarity and care.
• Mission Alignment: Passion for environmental protection, climate action, and community impact, with a strong commitment to Heal the Bay’s mission and values.
• Deep experience with Salesforce, an understanding of Quickbooks and other best in class operating systems.

Location & Work Environment

• Location: Los Angeles County, CA (candidates must be based in or willing to relocate to the Los Angeles area)
• Work Model: Hybrid, with regular in-office presence
• Schedule: Full-time, exempt

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary Range: $160,000 – $180,000 annually, commensurate with experience
• Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and retirement contributions

Equal Opportunity Statement

Heal the Bay is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who reflect the diversity of Los Angeles County. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Candidates who do not meet every qualification are still encouraged to apply and will be considered based on transferable skills and lived experience.