Chief Operating Officer, Animal Protection Nonprofit

WHO WE ARE

The Humane League (THL) is a global nonprofit ending the abuse of animals raised for food. THL fosters a high-energy culture of teamwork and mission-driven problem solving, and we have earned recognition as Top Charity from Animal Charity Evaluators for all of their rating periods. Over the past few years, we’ve grown to a staff of 100+ talented individuals dispersed across the country and around the world. At THL, how animals are treated in the food system is at the forefront of our everyday work. As such, many of our staff are vegan by personal choice, and all of our THL-hosted events offer fully vegan menus. We welcome all mission-aligned candidates to apply, no matter where you are in your journey to end the abuse of animals raised for food.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

We are on a mission to end the abuse of animals raised for food, and we are searching for a visionary leader to join us as our Chief Operating Officer (COO). This is a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact within a highly successful international organization dedicated to creating a more compassionate world for animals. As our COO, you will be at the forefront of driving operational excellence at The Humane League, leading and guiding a talented team towards meaningfully contributing to the success of their colleagues and the entire organization. Your deep expertise in People and Operations, coupled with a strategic and comprehensive understanding of financial planning, is key in guiding us toward accomplishing our mission. 

You are a leader with exceptional skills and a passion for driving meaningful change. As the steward of our global operations, finance, and people, you will guide a dynamic team to new heights, ensuring that every aspect of our organization thrives. We seek you because you have a proven track record of turning vision into a successful reality, leading change, and fostering a high-performance, collaborative, and innovative culture. With your experience in streamlining processes and your ability to prioritize what truly matters, you will help shape the future of a growing and ambitious organization.

At The Humane League, your leadership will be transformative. You are not just strategic; you are visionary and empathetic, bringing both creativity and practical wisdom to every challenge. You will champion equitable processes, cultivate a culture that embodies our values, and empower our managers to lead with integrity and purpose. You’ll ensure that diverse perspectives are celebrated, strong communication bridges cultures and radical candor is the norm. This role is more than just a job; it’s a chance to lead with purpose and make a meaningful difference in the world.

This is a full-time, remote position. This position requires domestic and sometimes international travel equivalent to approximately 2-4 trips per year. We are only able to consider applicants who possess United States work authorization working across time zones UTC -5 to -8 (EST - PST).

We will be holding a webinar on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 5:00pm PT/6:00pm MT/7:00pm CT/8:00pm ET for you to find out more about the role and ask any questions you may have. The webinar will be hosted by Katie Schloer, Interim Chief Operating Officer and LaKeisha Arndt, Sr. Talent Acquisition Manager. If you’re interested, please register here. As a webinar, you’ll only be able to see the presenter and not others watching. The webinar will be recorded and available here by Friday, August 30, 2024.

This position will close on Thursday, September 11, 2024 at 1:00pm PDT/2:00pm MDT/3:00pm CDT/4:00pm EDT. Late applications will not be accepted; if you are experiencing technical issues, please contact careers@thehumaneleague.org prior to the deadline. Please submit applications and all supporting documents in English. All application questions and materials need to be submitted here through the application submission, we do not accept applications through our careers email.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Thought Leadership & Culture

• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, providing visionary thought leadership and strategic guidance, ensuring that The Humane League operates as a dynamic and forward-thinking organization.
• You will craft and execute bold operational strategies, ensuring that our short- and long-term goals are seamlessly aligned across all teams. Your strategic oversight will empower us to work cohesively and effectively, turning our vision into reality on a global scale.
• You will inspire the development of robust plans that elevate recruitment, performance management, benefits administration, compensation, and professional development across eight-plus countries. Your leadership will create a culture where every team member thrives, and our global impact is amplified.
• You will be the visionary who identifies and implements solutions that enhance cross-departmental collaboration, fostering a culture of unity and high performance. By overseeing and evolving our internal communication strategies, you will ensure that our teams stay connected, informed, and inspired as we grow.

Transforming processes and procedures

• Lead the charge in transforming our internal processes, driving efficiency, and empowering productivity across our organization. Your expertise will guide and strengthen the foundation of The Humane League, optimizing every aspect of our operations to ensure we are performing at our absolute best.
• With a keen eye for detail, you will analyze our internal operations, uncovering opportunities for improvement and innovation. Your leadership will ensure that these enhancements are executed effectively and equitably, propelling our mission forward and creating an environment where excellence thrives.   
• Develop and execute annual strategic planning, optimizing our organizational goals

Compliance and training

• Ensure that THL complies with all laws and regulations, including compliance with nonprofit laws and regulations, multi-state employer, finance, accounting standards, and international workforce considerations
• Ensure employees and supervisors are trained and up to date on a variety of topics (e.g., effective feedback, management, and anti-bias training) and equip employees with the skills needed to excel in their roles
• Ensure compliance with 501c3 requirements and take action when necessary

Financial and Technological oversight

• Successful track record leading financial strategy and operations for nonprofits and a solid understanding of financial management
• Oversee a team of people working on operations, information technology, and finance and work with the Director of Finance and the President on setting the overall budget. You will work closely with the finance team and the board in actively managing any investments and expenses to ensure that the organization archives goals related to growth and income

REQUIRED SKILLS

• You are a skilled and passionate leader with 10+ years of progressive experience in leadership and demonstrated success in managing non-profit operations including all areas of compliance
• You have significant management experience, with demonstrated strength in fostering a team culture of strong communication and feedback and recruiting, coaching and empowering others to meet or exceed their goals, develop their skills and performance, and grow their levels of accountability
• Demonstrated success serving as a senior leader in a mission-driven organization
• You are a strategic action-orientated individual with a track record of success operationalizing a vision and leading change management efforts
• Outstanding written and verbal communication, with strong emotional intelligence, deep listening and feedback skills, and the ability to connect across difference
• Impeccable judgment, with the ability to identify the root of issues and effectively resolve conflicts
• High agency mindset with strong skills in problem-solving and decision-making
• Resourceful and analytical
• A collaborative, solution-focused, and low-ego work style with a commitment to continuous growth and improvement
• Dedication to THL’s philosophy and mission; demonstrated interest in animal welfare and animal protection
• Comfort working remotely and in a rapidly growing and evolving organization

Once your application has been reviewed, you will be notified via email with further details on the status of your application. If a candidate is moved forward, the interview process will be as follows:

• Work Simulation Exercise (completed remotely)
• First Interview (via video call)
• Second Interview (via video call)
• Final Interview (via video call)
• Reference Check

Each stage is expected to last a week or two on average. For full details of our recruitment process please review this document.

Compensation and Benefits

The annual compensation range for this role is $175,446 - $214,434 USD. At The Humane League, we believe in maintaining a fair and equitable work environment for all employees. As part of our commitment to transparency and equity, we recently implemented a job architecture framework, which levels all of our roles according to size and complexity, as well as a compensation step system, which allows us to account for an individual's total years of related experience when determining their compensation. In addition, we have adopted a no negotiation policy for salaries. To determine a job's level, we carefully consider a variety of factors, including a job's size and complexity, required experience, knowledge, and/or skills, internal comparability, and market data. To determine final compensation, experience will be measured by considering prior work in jobs or activities that are related to the role at THL. Candidates whose experience places them at step 5 or above of their job level within our compensation structure will be awarded a senior designation. These new practices are aligned with our organizational values and will help us ensure we maintain clear, consistent, transparent, and equitable HR processes.

Employees enjoy full medical coverage, optional dental and vision packages, a 401(k) retirement plan, pet care & Rx discount plans, working from home, up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees, paid holidays, flexible vacation time, professional development, and the supportive environment at The Humane League!

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Humane League is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, people with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with laws and in furtherance of our commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status.

Accommodations

The Humane League is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. We trust individuals to self-identify and ask for the accommodations they need. An example of an accommodation might be extra time to complete a work simulation exercise, among many others. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please complete this form to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

AI Policy

We value original work and thought in the application process; with that being said, please refrain from using artificial intelligence to generate your responses. By submitting this application you agree to comply with this. Violations of this policy may result in being dismissed from the hiring process. If you need a reasonable accommodation to this policy, please see above for more information.