Chief Operating Officer Full Time

First Book believes that education offers children the best possible path out of poverty. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books and educational materials to children from low-income families. Reaching 5 million children from birth to age 18 annually, First Book has built the country’s largest and fastest growing network of educators serving kids in need. Today First Book reaches over 525,000 educators nationwide with an additional 750 joining every week. In addition to our work in the United States, First Book also distributed books to children in more than 30 countries last year.

A recognized leader in social enterprise, First Book harnesses the power of the private sector to advance social change. First Book has also been highlighted for its innovation and impact by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the World Economic Forum and in case studies at Columbia Business School, Wharton Business School, the Yale School of Management, and the London School of Economics. Finally, Charity Navigator recently awarded First Book its highest rating, including a perfect score for Accountability & Transparency.

The Opportunity:

The Chief Operating Officer is a is a senior executive tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operational functions of a business. They are seasoned in eCommerce business and will guide sound operations and best-in-class service to our network of members working in the lives of children living in low-income communities. The ideal COO will have a track record of building high-performance teams to drive digital transformation within complex eCommerce and managed infrastructure environments. They will be a strategic thinker with a passion for First Book’s mission of educational equity and a deep understanding of the technology transformation occurring in the eCommerce marketplace and proven experience leading operations through transformational change. While it is essential that the COO bring efficient and effective systems to increase the productivity of the organization, is it is also critical that they exhibit an entrepreneurial spirit and can spark the innovation needed to drive organizational growth.

This is not a 100% remote position/ MANDATORY IN OFFICE: Tuesday & Wednesday.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The responsibilities listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Collaborate with the entire Executive Team in setting and driving organizational vision, operational strategy, and business plans. Utilize strong analytical skills to provide insight into how to optimize the Marketplace and logistics.
• Develop a standard of high-performing, well-coordinated teams across all business units capable of supporting accelerated growth and rapid adoption of new technologies, services, and partners.
• Translate strategy into actionable goals for performance and growth, helping to implement organization-wide goal setting, performance management, and annual operational planning.
• Thoroughly understand the industry landscape and focus on driving Marketplace growth to achieve organizational priorities; Measure and analyze the impact of existing functionality; Identify opportunities to innovate and improve; oversee technology and development teams to drive implementation. Provide expertise on current eCommerce industry best practices.
• Establish and manage the roadmap for eCommerce operations to deliver an excellent experience for First Book members and meet net revenue goals. Develop detailed operations strategies and roadmaps for implementation; Working cross-functionally, manage prioritization among user experience, operations, merchandising, technology, and marketing. Lead and grow the development teams responsible for E-Commerce features and front-end UX, CRM system, and inventory management systems.
• Coordinate with other leadership stakeholders to align product, pricing, and promotion strategies and ensure implementation to optimize programs, gain efficiencies, and achieve both top-line and bottom-line goals.
• Drive the inventory and planning strategy to optimize appropriate inventory levels, relevant content, and margin.
• Lead the strategy and sourcing for the backend technology for the enterprise – evaluate potential new software and service providers, present recommendations to the Executive Team, negotiate deals and contract terms, manage implementation.
• Develop and manage E-commerce KPI’s, technology standards, and reporting dashboard for the Executive Team and the Board of Directors.
• Prepare and implement strategic and operational plans and actions to ensure that systems, procedures, staffing, support, and capacity are available when needed and at required levels.

C1OO