Chief Operating Officer

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.

Chief Executive Officer

Exempt

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 mate 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 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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…