Organization Overview:

BALLE’s audacious vision is to create, within a generation, a global network of interconnected local economies that work in harmony with nature to support a healthy, prosperous and joyful life for all people.

At BALLE we believe that local business is the key to solving our communities’ toughest challenges and the smartest way to create real prosperity. So we connect the best people, ideas and resources from across North America to help make it happen. Founded in 2002, BALLE connects visionary local leaders so they can find inspiration and support. Through intense collaboration, we identify and promote the most innovative business models for creating healthier, sustainable and prosperous communities. And with a growing network of 25,000 local entrepreneurs spanning 80 communities, we’re leveraging our collective voice to drive new investment, scale the best solutions and harness the power of locally owned, independent business to transform the communities where we work and live.

Over the past decade, BALLE has grown steadily to become North America’s top organization dedicated to strengthening groups of local businesses that are focused on the sustainability and prosperity of their own communities. Today, BALLE is poised to dramatically accelerate its growth. With an enormous awakening energy toward local economies in the public consciousness, strong support of national Foundation partners, a dedicated and well-connected board and staff team, and a new strategic plan built with the input and support of visionary local leaders from across North America, BALLE’s time is now.

To learn more about BALLE, please visit www.livingeconomies.org.

Position Overview:

BALLE is currently seeking a mission-driven, strategic, and business-minded Chief Operating Officer to oversee internal operations for this growing organization. With primary responsibility for establishing and implementing systems to execute the organization’s strategic plan, the Chief Operating Officer will develop concrete goals and systems to track progress toward those goals, coach staff in achieving their goals, and will serve as a thought partner with the CEO around operational efficiencies and business opportunities. Reporting directly to the CEO, the COO will serve as a key member of the senior leadership team of the organization. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual with extensive management experience to grow a proven organization and to make a huge contribution to all of our futures.

Responsibilities:

• Work in collaboration with the CEO and other senior leaders to execute the newly created organizational strategic plan, setting outcomes-based metrics for each of the programs, leading the team in creating and establishing systems to track progress toward those outcomes, and coaching staff in attaining those goals.
• Serve as a key internal leader, attracting, developing, coaching and retaining high-performance team members, and supporting staff in prioritizing their time and resources toward maximizing their impact.
• Serve as a thought partner to the CEO on issues relating to business development, including identifying the best avenues for development, market opportunities, and forecasting data to drive decision-making around business development
• Hone the metrics and measurements that will quantify our program’s performance against goals and build an internal system for obtaining and reporting those metrics and measurements. Provide clear, accurate data to the ED, Board, and funding partners demonstrating programs performance against goals
• Oversee financial management including contracts management, oversight and interface with Finance Manager, and the development of an annual organizational budget; Develop departmental budget processes and establish tight controls
• Oversee Human Resources function of the organization, including staff hiring and on-boarding, evaluations process, and benefits administration.
• Drive the analysis of BALLE’s current infrastructure and scope out the next level of information technology and financial systems to support the growth of programs and the organization overall; Oversee the management of the organization’s physical space and equipment with support/execution from an administrative coordinator

Qualifications:

The Chief Operating Officer will be a leader who is able to help others at BALLE deliver measurable, costeffective
results that make the vision a reality, and will have direct experience scaling other businesses or organizations. Importantly, the successful COO will have the skills, sensitivity, and personal confidence to tap into the power that each member of the team brings to this mission. While it is essential that the COO bring efficient and effective systems to increase the productivity of the organization, is it also critical, given the emerging field in which BALLE works, that the team remains nimble, experimental, and a learning culture. Specifically, the strongest candidates will bring the following:

• At least 7 years of professional experience, serving in a senior operations or business management capacity in the for-profit sector or nonprofit sector; passion for and connection to the nonprofit sector is strongly preferred
• Business intuition and ability to coach team through business development opportunities including analyzing market strategies, evaluating risks and potentials, estimating partners’ needs and goals, closing deals, and integrating agreed upon requirements within business operations
• Demonstrated ability to lead an organization through times of significant opportunity and rapid growth.
• Strong understanding of how to best use resources, including staff time, to achieve the biggest impact.
• Strong staff and team management ability, including experience in goal-setting, work plan development, and coaching people to attain aggressive goals experience effectively recruiting, managing and developing high performance teams; ability to build organizational and staff capacity, and the processes that ensure the organization runs smoothly
• Superb organizational skills, with the demonstrated ability to create and implement efficient organizational systems
• Thorough understanding of finance, systems, and HR; broad experience with the full range of business functions and systems, including strategic development and planning, budgeting, business analysis, finance, information systems, human resources, and marketing
• Innovative and creative self-starter, with the ability to devise solutions to complex problems, and to implement those solutions hands-on
• Flexibility and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial culture, and comfortable operating in a limited-resource environment
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in business management or related field preferred

To Apply:

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format, to Michelle Long at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1852. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

BALLE is an equal opportunity employer.

About Commongood Careers:

BALLE has partnered with Commongood Careers to conduct the search for a Chief Operating Officer. Commongood Careers is a mission-driven search firm that supports the hiring needs of the nation’s most innovative and high-performing nonprofit organizations. Since its founding in 2006, Commongood Careers has completed over 500 searches at 150 organizations in 26 states. Founded and staffed by nonprofit professionals, Commongood Careers offers personalized, engaged services to jobseekers and organizations throughout the hiring process, as well as access to a wealth of knowledge about nonprofit careers.