Chief Operating Officer

Scion Executive Search has been engaged to conduct the search for a Chief Operating Officer for Spectrum
360, a leading Northern New Jersey nonprofit providing special education, adult services, and enrichment programs for people with autism and related disabilities. This is a pivotal opportunity for an experienced enterprise operator and people leader to strengthen a complex, mission-driven organization and help expand its capacity for long-term impact.

Established in 1961, Spectrum
360 provides education, socialization, therapeutic support, and pathways to greater independence for children, young adults, and adults with autism and related disabilities. Across multiple Northern New Jersey campuses,Spectrum
360’s programs create a continuum of support that evolves alongside the approximately 500 individuals it serves.

Through Academy
360 and Path
360, students ages 3 through 21 receive individualized education while building the skills and confidence needed for adulthood. Independence
360 carries that commitment forward through day habilitation, vocational development, and opportunities for greater independence, while Film Academy
360 and Culinary Academy
360 provide creative, hands‑on pathways for individuals to discover their strengths, develop new capabilities, and connect with their communities.

Spectrum
360 is entering an important phase of organizational development. Its programs are strong and demand remains significant. The next Chief Operating Officer will help the organization build the leadership capacity, operational discipline, and cross‑functional alignment needed to sustain quality, navigate complexity, and create room for thoughtful growth.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Operating Officer will serve as a senior enterprise leader with responsibility for the integration, effectiveness, and continuous improvement of Spectrum
360's school and adult-service operations. The COO will connect program realities with organizational strategy, ensuring that decisions are grounded in service quality, regulatory requirements, workforce needs, financial sustainability, and the practical realities of a complex, multi‑site organization.

This is not a conventional desk‑based operations role. The COO must move fluently between enterprise priorities and immediate operational decisions, handling complex exceptions while strengthening the systems, leaders, and decision‑making structures that allow routine work to occur closer to the point of service. The role requires a leader who can see patterns, surface blind spots, and bring clarity to situations where competing needs do not produce an obvious answer.

The successful candidate will pair rigor with humanity. They will establish accountability, develop leaders, and advance cultural change without losing the trust of a long‑tenured and deeply mission‑committed workforce. They will be a candid, solutions‑oriented partner to the CEO and a credible leader across clinical, educational, administrative, and operational teams.

• Lead the effective integration of school, adult-service, admissions, facilities, technology, and related operational functions across Spectrum
  360's campuses.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear operating priorities, decision rights, accountability structures, and practical execution plans.
• Strengthen communication and coordination across programs and shared services so that information reaches the right people and issues are resolved at the appropriate level.
• Balance near‑term operating demands with sustained attention to organizational development, service quality, and long‑term readiness.
• Build durable…