Chief Operating Officer

Position: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Location: Protect Our Winters offers hybrid work hubs for candidates residing in CO, WA, OR, VT, or NH. While we prioritize candidates in CO, WA, OR, VT, and NH, we are open to considering qualified applicants from other states such as CA, UT, NV, AK, and MT.

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

FLSA Status: Exempt 

Background

Protect Our Winters (POW) was founded in 2007 by legendary snowboarder Jeremy Jones with a simple and powerful idea: the outdoor community can be one of the most influential forces for climate action. Today, POW is a leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit that unites athletes, brands, scientists, creatives, and everyday adventurers into the “Outdoor State,” 181 million people who love the outdoors and want clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet. 

We know what’s at stake. Climate change is already reshaping the places we live and play, fueled by fossil fuel pollution and stalled by policy inaction. POW exists to change that. Through bold campaigns and cross-partisan coalitions, we defend what we love, build what we need, and shift who decides. If you love the outdoors and want to help solve the challenge of our lifetime, join us on the climb!

The Opportunity

The Chief Operating Officer is a key member of POW’s senior leadership team and serves as a strategic partner to the CEO on organizational infrastructure, financial stewardship, legal oversight, and operational effectiveness across both US and international chapters. This role provides executive leadership across finance, compliance, internal operations, people operations, and risk management to support a healthy, equitable, and high-performing organization. The COO ensures POW has the systems, controls, policies, and decision-making structures needed to operate responsibly and sustainably.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Leadership: 30%

• Lead organization-wide finance strategy and execution, including planning, budgeting, forecasting, and decision-making.
• Work with the Controller to oversee the organization’s monthly financial and accounting operations, including month-end functions, reconciliations, review of monthly financial statements, budget performance monitoring, expense reporting, accounts receivable, and payables management.
• Serve as a liaison to the board of directors and its finance and audit committee; effectively communicate and present financial matters for the board of directors and committee meetings.
• Oversee POW's investment portfolio in accordance with the Investment Policy Statement (IPS), maintaining compliant cash reserves and ensuring annual investment income is aligned with the strategy.
• Oversee the annual audit process and 990 preparations with the Controller and external auditors.
• Lead assessments of operational infrastructure (e.g., investment strategy, fiscal year alignment, banking relationships) and deliver go/no-go recommendations to leadership and the Board.

Operations Leadership: 30%

• Lead operations and finance team members (currently two direct reports: Controller and Sr. Director, People & Operations) and key external partners, including external counsel, investment advisers, accounting advisers, etc.
• Facilitate annual strategic planning and budgeting process for POW’s OKRs and initiatives, and work collaboratively with department heads to measure and communicate them to key audiences.
• Oversee payroll, benefits, hiring, compensation, performance reviews, and administrative compliance, and address and ensure conflict resolution.
• Administer employee benefits (health plans, HSAs, retirement/pension) and ensure equitable, mission-aligned compensation.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state labor laws, employment practices, workplace safety, and anti-discrimination regulations.
• Identify best practices and continue improving and implementing a system of policies, internal controls, accounting standards, and technology platforms.

Legal & Compliance: 20%

• Oversee external legal contractors across organizational, international, and compliance across entities.
• Lead standardization of internal grant and budget templates, approval processes, and restricted grant time and expense tracking and reporting.
• Ensure full compliance with IRS regulations governing both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations, including proper separation of activities, lobbying limits, and political expenditure restrictions.
• Provide strategic oversight of HR legal compliance, contracts, and contractor engagements, building scalable processes, ensuring risk mitigation, and elevating organizational expertise in these areas.
• Resource and support the organization's document retention policy and compliance systems.

POW International: 15%

• Lead design and execution of POW's international chapter strategy, including licensing agreements, trademark filings, and registration across relevant jurisdictions, and a staffing model for sustained governance and coordination.
• Lead POW through cultural and legal compliance, as needed, to ensure POW moves with respect and systemic understanding when working beyond US borders.
• Establish and facilitate a global moments working group, with key POW staff and international chapter staff, meeting at least quarterly to identify collaboration opportunities and align strategies around major moments like the Olympics.
• Complete regular international chapter audits, keeping key contacts, strategy documents, budgets, and reporting up to date.
• Serve as primary POW relationship manager with POW Canada, POW Europe, and other international chapter Executive Directors or equivalents, in coordination with the CEO.

External Stakeholder Engagement: 5%

• Meet with prospects and donors and coordinate with program staff and leadership in the cultivation and solicitation of major gifts.
• Provide leadership for POW at partner events, conferences, and stakeholder meetings, including public presentations and media interviews.
• Serve as a proxy and advocate for the CEO in key forums and meetings when required.

A separate and independent nonprofit organization, the POW Action Fund (POW AF) works to make action on climate change a top policy priority for the outdoor sports community.  Employees of POW, including the COO, will, from time to time, provide certain services to and participate in certain efforts for POW AF.

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job. If you meet more than 75% of the qualifications of this description, we encourage you to apply.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of senior-level leadership experience in nonprofit operations, finance, compliance, or administration.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, financial reporting, internal controls, and organizational systems.
• Experience overseeing legal, compliance, or risk-related work with external counsel or advisors.
• Strong understanding of nonprofit governance and operational best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through collaboration, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex operational topics into clear guidance.
• Experience working with senior leaders, boards, and cross-functional teams.
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, mission-driven, distributed environment.
• Experience in a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and familiarity with affiliated 501(c)(4) structures.
• Background in budgeting, audit management, or finance operations.
• Expertise in HR compliance, employment law, and benefits administration.

Preferred Qualifications

• Work experience and passion for climate, environment, or the advocacy nonprofit sector
• MBA, MPA, or related advanced degree
• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school, with experience in nonprofit law, corporate governance, or regulatory compliance
• Familiarity with grant donor management systems (Salesforce) a plus
• Understanding of how to consider and integrate equity throughout internal systems
• Experience leading remote teams  
  

Travel: This role offers some opportunities to travel and collaborate with staff, alliance members, donors, and partners in inspiring outdoor settings. You’ll build relationships and advance shared goals while connecting with the landscapes that fuel our mission.

Application:

Salary commensurate with experience, with a salary range of $170,000 – $190,000. Protect Our Winters offers a generous benefits package including 100% employer-paid (employee-only) healthcare, vision, and dental benefits, as well as a retirement match. Additionally, POW offers sick and holiday time, above-industry-average paid time off, and a family-friendly, flexible work environment. 

To Apply: Please complete the application here. Please provide a resume and cover letter.

Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage interested candidates to apply early; the position will close once filled.

Transparent Hiring Process: Top-qualified applicants will be asked to participate in an initial 45-minute video (via Zoom) interview and, if selected, a subsequent 1-hour video (via Zoom) interview. Finalists will be asked to submit a short assignment and presentation for which time will be compensated, and then one final 1-hour interview. We aim to move efficiently and remain highly communicative throughout this process, with the goal of extending a formal offer by the end of August or early September. 

Equal Opportunity

At POW, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. POW believes that building diversity is critical to the success of a global organization. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.