Chief Operating Officer (Remote)

Empower Project is the national leader in both paid and volunteer relational organizing. 

Empower Project organizes to improve people’s lives using the power of relational organizing. Together with our partners, we’ve helped boost voter turnout, especially for BIPOC communities, through our approach of tapping into personal networks of friends and family. We provide the software and expertise to help communities, progressive organizations, and nonprofits leverage their personal relationships to build power and dramatically expand the electorate. Our cutting-edge technology, Empower, stands at the forefront of the industry and is trusted by over 1,500 organizations nationwide.

About the Chief Operating Officer role

The COO will oversee the organization’s financial, human resources, and administrative management. The COO will be a change agent in driving best practices in support of the organization’s objectives. The COO will oversee a $35M+ budget.

We seek a mission-focused, seasoned, strategic, and process-minded leader with experience scaling organizations, and developing a learning culture among a diverse and talented staff. 

This is an outstanding opportunity for a senior executive with top-level people skills, and a proven track record of creative problem-solving, operational leadership, and financial oversight. They will join a group of successful mission-driven technology and advocacy organizations and help lead them to become even more efficient, effective and nimble.

This is a full-time, remote, salaried position available immediately. The expectation is that staff are generally available between 8am–6pm central time. 

The Chief Operating Officer will manage Empower’s organizational policies, compliance and budget for our non-profit coalition. The COO will serve as a leader in the organization, providing input on organizational long term strategy as part of the leadership team.

The COO will manage and support a team of 1-2 operations staff, plus several consultants including a bookkeeping firm, our external compliance attorneys, and our contract attorneys.

Operations Strategy and Vision

• Ensure that the Organizations have the operational systems to achieve their strategic goals and objectives.
• Collaborate closely with the President and Executive Director to help guide the overall management of the organization.
• Create, update and execute organizational policies across functions, and ensure they are efficient and transparent.

Human Resources

• Manage the operations team members responsible for human resources administration and payroll services, including assisting employees with inquiries concerning payroll. Support the operations team when processing employee payroll and contractor pay.
• Engage and oversee the work of external HR consultants as needed to meet the organization’s objectives 
• Regularly monitor personnel policies, procedures, and practices to identify inefficiencies and be accountable for creating and implementing solutions.
• Maintain knowledge of current employment laws, best practices, and work with the legal team to ensure that Empower is legally compliant.

• Compliance: Ensure that the organizations have strong and compliance systems for maintaining staff-level records.
• Personnel management of temporary staff: Coordinate working with consultants, vendors, operations, and legal team in addressing HR issues that arise from hiring several hundred temporary field organizers for fall campaign activity.

Financial Leadership, Administration & Compliance Support

• Guide strategic financial planning and budgeting, and ensure the organization has efficient and effective financial systems that support the organization’s mission.
• Financial reporting: Oversee the coordination with the bookkeeping team and operation team in the preparation of financial reports for internal stakeholders, board members, and grantors as required.
• Financial analysis: Provide financial analysis and insights to support decision-making by the leadership team.
• Budgeting: Assist in the preparation and monitoring of the annual budget in collaboration with the bookkeeping and operations teams, Executive Director and President. Provide financial management and oversight for the budget, including the generation of monthly budget reports. Monitor and provide recommendations on streamlining costs to reduce expenses and manage the transition process.
• Compliance: Coordinate with the bookkeeping, legal, and operation teams to ensure compliance with all relevant financial regulations, tax requirements, and reporting obligations for political non-profit organizations, including campaign finance reports and 24 hour reporting requirements.
• Cash flow management: Monitor inter-organizational contracts and cash flow between entities while ensuring appropriate compliance controls.
• Financial record Keeping: Work with the bookkeeping team and operations team to ensure the organization maintains accurate and up-to-date financial records, including accounts payable and accounts receivable.
• Accounts payable, expense tracking and purchasing: Ensure that the bookkeeping and operations team have what they need to record and categorize all expenses, ensuring proper documentation and adherence to budget guidelines. Be accountable for efficient systems to manage and process new vendors and organization-wide purchasing. Assist the operations team in monitoring vendor relationships including the processing of consultant contracts, management of vendor/consultant contracts, invoicing, etc.
• Overseeing banking activity:  Work with the operations team to ensure cashflow between accounts, credit cards are paid, and wire transfers go through on time.
• Audit support: Assist in the preparation and support of external financial audits as necessary. 

• Previous experience with 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) or PAC compliance
• At least 5 years of experience managing budgets in excess of $10 million dollars
• 3 election cycles of operations experience with increasing levels of managerial responsibility
• Strong interpersonal communication ability
• Proven ability to manage your own tasks as well as those of your team
• Strong attention to detail
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills including the ability to lead a range of stakeholders in establishing a shared vision and executing it together
• Senior-level experience in strategic financial leadership, including financial reporting, budgeting, operations leadership, controls and compliance.
• During the final month of the campaign during compliance deadline windows, have the ability to periodically work on weekends and evenings if needed to meet deadlines
• Additional consideration will be given to candidates who are fluent in a second language

This is a full-time, work-from-home position. Compensation is salary-based at $144,000 a year, plus benefits. 

Benefits include health insurance, dental insurance, and paid time off. Paid time off includes vacation, sick leave, personal days, and federal holidays. 

Empower Project is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, religion or sexual preference. Women, persons of color, and individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community are strongly encouraged to apply.