Location: Flexible within NPH countries of operation (Extensive international travel required)
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
About NPH:
Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable children, youth, and families throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Operating in nine countries, NPH provides a continuum of care that includes family strengthening, education, healthcare, disability support, youth empowerment, and residential care when necessary. Rooted in Christian values, NPH works alongside children, families, communities, supporters, and partners to create opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential and become active contributors to their communities.
Job Purpose:
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves as the senior operational leader of NPH International and is responsible for ensuring the effective implementation of the organization’s mission, strategic priorities, policies, standards, and programs across all country operations. As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the COO oversees country programs, technical services, organizational performance, policy development, operational excellence, leadership development, and strategic execution. The COO works closely with National Directors, technical teams, fundraising offices, Boards, donors, and strategic partners to ensure NPH operates as one aligned organization committed to delivering high-quality, sustainable, and impactful services. The COO also serves as the primary supervisor and strategic partner to National Directors, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, safeguarding, innovation, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
Key Responsibilities:
- Partner with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to implement NPH’s strategic vision and organizational priorities.
- Translate strategic objectives into operational plans, measurable goals, and organizational systems.
- Ensure alignment among country programs, technical teams, fundraising offices, and governance bodies.
- Promote a strong “One NPH” culture that fosters collaboration, transparency, mutual accountability, and shared learning.
- Lead organizational change initiatives and support country offices through transitions and growth.
- Foster innovation and adaptive management across all areas of operation.
- Directly supervise and support National Directors in all countries of operation.
- Provide coaching, mentorship, professional development, and performance management for National Directors.
- Establish clear expectations, objectives, accountability mechanisms, and succession planning for senior operational leaders.
- Facilitate collaboration, peer learning, and the exchange of best practices across country programs.
- Oversee the Family Wellbeing Department and ensure high-quality implementation of programs related to family strengthening, education, healthcare, disability support, youth development, and residential care.
- Promote evidence-based interventions and establish organizational quality standards, operating procedures, and implementation guidelines.
- Lead the development, implementation, review, and continuous improvement of organizational policies, procedures, standards, and operating frameworks.
- Ensure organizational compliance with safeguarding requirements, legal obligations, donor regulations, ethical standards, and organizational policies.
- Support National Directors during emergencies, safeguarding incidents, natural disasters, public health crises, security events, reputational challenges, and other organizational crises.
- Coordinate crisis response efforts and strengthen organizational resilience, emergency preparedness, and business continuity planning.
- Establish systems to monitor organizational performance, develop key performance indicators, and oversee operational dashboards.
- Promote a culture of accountability, organizational learning, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Strengthen leadership and technical capacity throughout the organization through coaching, mentoring, and professional development.
- Support the CEO and National Directors in strengthening strategic partnerships with governments, NGOs, academic institutions, faith-based organizations, foundations, donors, and private-sector partners.
- Support annual planning, budget development, responsible resource stewardship, and operational efficiency across all countries.
- Promote a culture of safeguarding, child protection, accountability, and respect for child rights throughout all NPH operations.
- Ensure organizational practices consistently reflect NPH’s mission, values, strategic plan, continuum-of-care model, and international child rights standards.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree or equivalent advanced degree in International Development, Public Administration, Social Work, Education, Public Health, Organizational Leadership, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Law, Human Services, or a related field.
- Additional executive leadership, management, or organizational development training preferred.
- Minimum ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in international development, humanitarian assistance, child and family services, or a related nonprofit sector.
- Significant experience managing multi-country operations and geographically dispersed teams.
- Proven experience supervising senior leaders and developing high-performing teams.
- Demonstrated success leading organizational change and strategic implementation.
- Experience developing organizational policies, systems, and operational frameworks.
- Experience working with Boards of Directors, donors, governments, and external partners.
- Experience operating in culturally diverse environments.
- Experience working in Latin America and the Caribbean preferred.
- Experience in child protection, family strengthening, alternative care, education, health, or youth development preferred.
- Experience supporting organizations through crisis situations and organizational transformation preferred.
- Fluency in English and Spanish required.
- French and/or Haitian Creole preferred.
- Strong strategic thinking, leadership, organizational development, communication, conflict resolution, and change management skills.
- Commitment to NPH’s mission, values, child protection and safeguarding standards, servant leadership philosophy, and organizational culture.