Chief Operating Officer

Oakland Promise seeks an inaugural Chief Operating Officer (COO) to help lead the organization through a pivotal period of growth, complexity, and opportunity.

Founded in 2016 through a partnership among the City of Oakland, Oakland Unified School District, and East Bay College Fund, Oakland Promise was created to address persistent inequities in educational attainment and economic mobility and to expand opportunities for Oakland children and families from birth through college and career.

Over the past decade, Oakland Promise has grown from an ambitious college access initiative into one of the nation's most innovative and comprehensive cradle-to-college-and-career organizations. Today, the organization supports students and families through college savings accounts, scholarships, college access and completion programs, workforce development initiatives, and community partnerships. At the same time, Oakland Promise has assumed an increasingly important role as a grantmaker, convener, implementation partner, and steward of public and philanthropic investment.

As Oakland Promise enters its second decade, the organization is operating at a new level of scale and complexity. Through its role as the College Access Implementation Partner for the Oakland Children's Initiative and its growing portfolio of partnerships and investments, the organization's impact increasingly depends not only on the programs it delivers directly, but also on its ability to support collective action across a broader ecosystem of schools, nonprofits, funders, government agencies, and community stakeholders.

To meet this moment, Oakland Promise is investing in its leadership capacity by creating two inaugural executive positions: Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. Together, these leaders will help strengthen organizational capacity, build the leadership infrastructure and performance systems necessary to drive execution and accountability, and position Oakland Promise for its next decade of growth, impact, and influence.

Reporting directly to CEO Sandra Ernst, the COO will serve as a key member of the executive team, providing strategic leadership for the organization's finance, operations, human resources, technology, compliance, evaluation, and administrative functions. Working across the organization, this leader will strengthen the systems, processes, and infrastructure necessary to support accountability, organizational effectiveness, financial and operational stewardship, and Oakland Promise's continued growth and success.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a strategic, systems-oriented leader to help shape the future of one of Oakland's most ambitious and influential organizations dedicated to expanding educational opportunities and economic mobility for children, youth, and families.

Oakland Promise is a place-based organization located in Oakland, California. It is a requirement that all staff reside within commuting distance to the main office, located at 484 9th Street, Oakland, CA 94607.

Oakland Promise anticipates a salary range of $220,000 to $240,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications, along with a competitive benefits package.

Isaacson, Miller is assisting in this search. Screening applications is ongoing. Submit inquiries, nominations, and applications (resume/CV and letter of interest) below. For reasonable accommodations, contact Harley Bartles at hbartles@imsearch.com.

Rebecca Swartz is leading this search with Phuong Ta, Karen McPhedran, and Harley Bartles.

Oakland Promise is a place-based organization located in Oakland, California. Oakland Promise requires that employees work in person at various engagements. It is a requirement that all staff reside within commuting distance to the main office, located at 484 9th Street, Oakland, CA 94607. Please note that at any time, a full in-person work plan may be required, and it is of utmost importance that all staff are able to meet this requirement. Oakland Promise is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Oakland Promise is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sex stereotype, race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and transgender), national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver's license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military, and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. It also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is specialist with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.