Search for Chief Operating Officer, Experience Works (Arlington, VA)
Posted: Jun 10, 2009
Experience Works in Arlington, VA, has retained Slesinger Management Services to recruit a seasoned leader and manager with significant experience developing and implementing change and improvement in large organizations to serve as Chief Operating Officer.
Experience Works is a nonprofit, community-based organization that helps low-income older people obtain the training and experience they need to find good jobs in their communities. With contracts primarily from the U.S. Department of Labor, Experience Works currently has a budget of $140 million and a staff of 400 people who run programs throughout the country. About 16,000 low-income older Americans will participate in Experience Works programs in 2009.
Slesinger Management Services 301-320-0680 www.SlesingerManagement.com
Job Announcement
Experience Works
Chief Operating Officer
(Arlington, Virginia)
(June, 2009)
Experience Works has retained executive search firm Slesinger Management Services to recruit a
seasoned leader and manager with significant experience developing and implementing change and
improvement in large organizations to serve as chief operating officer.
A new position, the COO will be responsible primarily for overseeing the organization’s day-to-day
operations, with a major focus on creating new systems and processes to make the organization more
efficient and effective, building on its 45-year history. The new COO will also enable the CEO to focus
on the significant external responsibilities of her position.
Applications will be accepted until this search is completed. To see if the search is still active, please go
to www.SlesingerManagement.com.
The Organization
Experience Works is a nonprofit, community-based organization that helps older people obtain the
training and experience they need to find good jobs in their communities. Since 1965, when Experience
Works was founded as Green Thumb, a rural demonstration project that provided community service
work for poor farmers, it has been a leader in providing community service, training, and job placement
for low-income older people. The organization‘s programs help this growing group of Americans enter
the workforce, secure more challenging positions, move into new career areas, or supplement their
incomes. The people of Experience Works are proud that they have the opportunity to changes people’s
lives every day. Given demographic trends and the state of the U.S. economy, the number of older people
entering or reentering the workforce is currently growing rapidly.
With contracts primarily from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Senior Community Service Employment
Program (SCSEP), as well as from some states, corporations, foundations, and individuals, Experience
Works currently has a budget of $140 million and a staff of 400 people who operate in 30 states and
Puerto Rico. About 16,000 low-income older Americans will participate in Experience Works programs
in 2009.
To learn more about Experience Works, please see www.ExperienceWorks.org.
The Position and its Principal Responsibilities
Reporting to Cynthia Metzler, Experience Works’ president and CEO since 2006, the chief operating
officer will oversee the internal operations including programs, financial management, human resources,
and information technology. (External affairs areas report directly to the President.)
Slesinger Management Services 301-320-0680 www.SlesingerManagement.com
The chief operating officer will be responsible for:
1. Working with the CEO and organizational leaders to continue to enhance, strengthen, and expand
organization service and performance.
2. Leading the creation and implementation of new systems and procedures to automate and centralize
functions (such as how participants are enrolled in programs) that will enable the organization to
operate more efficiently and effectively.
3. Leading culture change that promotes accountability, performance, and service.
4. Energizing staff to deliver services that realize the mission.
5. Leading an evolving reorganization with a strong history and culture to enhance services, lessen
redundant functions, and more fully support the work of field staff.
6. Developing new systems of measuring and reporting on performance throughout the organization so
that the organization’s assets (financial, human, etc.) are used in the most effective way.
7. Serving as part of the senior management team,
8. Overseeing department directors who have been at Experience Works for many years and bring
significant experience to their work.
Desired Skills, Experience, and Characteristics
The chief operating officer should be:
1. Knowledgeable about how to introduce and effectively lead change, especially process improvement
and restructuring of roles, responsibilities, and expectations, in a large, established organization with
programs and offices in communities throughout the country.
2. Eager to take advantage of emerging information technology to improve internal operations and
strengthen communications and decision-making within a far-flung organization.
3. Experienced with tools to measure performance by individuals and teams in a large organization.
4. Capable of providing effective supervision and leadership to high-level department directors who will
report to the COO.
5. Familiar with effectively developing managers and leaders.
6. Knowledgeable about federal grants and contracts, including compliance obligations of nonprofit
recipients of such funding.
7. Familiar with effective tools of financial and program management
8. Capable of working collegially with the organization’s leaders.
9. Experienced with mission-driven nonprofit organizations.
10. Committed to the mission of Experience Works.
Compensation
Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.
To Apply
Please e-mail 1) cover letter that explains why you’re interested and qualified,
2) resume, and 3) three-year salary history (which will be held in strict confidence) to:
Larry Slesinger, Founder and CEO
Slesinger Management Services
301-320-0680
E-mail: Larry@SlesingerManagement.com
(please include “Experience Works” in subject line; attached
files in Microsoft Word or PDF only)
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