ABOUT RITTER CENTER:

For over 40 years, Ritter Center has been dedicated to preventing and resolving homelessness and improving the health, dignity, and well-being of people living in poverty in Marin.

When you join Ritter Center, you join a highly trained staff that combines national clinical best practices with a whole-person care approach to solving each person’s medical and mental health, housing, and food needs. 

We are growing to meet the needs of our community. We are looking for staff who are ready for a career with a mission-driven organization, want to be valued, have diverse experience, and have compassion. If this sounds like you, we would love to have you join us!

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CURRENT OPENING: 

Chief Operating Officer

Full Time (40 hours weekly), Exempt position. 

Annual Compensation: $200,000-250,000 per year 

All positions at Ritter Center require a background check and Livescan fingerprinting.

 

Please visit our jobs page on our website for a complete list of our employee benefits.
 
Ritter Center is currently recruiting a Chief Operating Officer for our Administrative Team. This full-time, exempt position reports to the Chief Executive Officer and is based in San Rafael, CA; the role operates out of our main Campus.  
 

Please find the full job description below. 

Position Description:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves as a key member of Ritter Center's Executive Leadership Team and is responsible for providing strategic leadership and hands-on operational oversight of medical care, behavioral health, case management, the Community Market, and facilities. Central priorities include developing department managers into effective leaders, establishing clear workflows and accountability, and providing a consistent, accessible leadership presence. The COO ensures that programs and services operate effectively and in alignment with Ritter Center's mission to prevent and resolve homelessness, improve health outcomes, and promote health equity for underserved communities.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the COO leads organizational efforts to strengthen operational performance, optimize service delivery systems, promote cross-functional collaboration, and support organizational growth. The COO is responsible for developing and implementing strategies that improve program effectiveness, patient and client outcomes, regulatory compliance, workforce engagement, and financial sustainability.

The COO oversees a diverse portfolio of services and departments and works closely with leadership staff to ensure integration between healthcare, behavioral health, case management, housing support, and community-based services. This position serves as a critical partner in strategic planning, quality improvement, risk management, compliance, facilities management, and organizational development initiatives.

The successful candidate will be a mission-driven healthcare leader with demonstrated success improving care delivery, developing managers, and leading multidisciplinary teams. The candidate will combine clinical understanding, sound operational judgment, confidence, humility, and a willingness to learn.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities: 

Executive Leadership and Strategy

• Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team and participate in organizational planning, policy development, and decision-making.
• Partner with the CEO to implement Ritter Center's strategic plan and organizational priorities.
• Translate strategic goals into operational plans, measurable objectives, and organizational initiatives.
• Lead organizational change efforts through clear communication, staff involvement, practical implementation, and follow-through; promoting a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators and operational dashboards to measure organizational effectiveness.

Operational Leadership

• Provide executive operational oversight of medical care, behavioral health, case management, the Community Market, and facilities, in coordination with the CEO, CFO, HR, IT, and designated clinical leaders within their respective responsibilities.
• Ensure effective integration and coordination of healthcare, behavioral health, housing, case management, and supportive service programs.
• Assess daily operations and establish clear, practical policies, procedures, and workflows, including scheduling, patient flow, referrals, documentation, follow-up, and handoffs between programs. Define responsibilities and escalation pathways, train staff, and monitor implementation to ensure consistent practice.
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational performance, productivity, and resource utilization.
• Ensure departments maintain compliance with organizational standards and operational expectations.
• Maintain regular on-site presence in service delivery areas, remain accessible to managers and staff, and resolve operational barriers that affect patient and client experiences.

Clinical and Program Operations

• Lead improvements in clinical and program operations in partnership with the CMO/Medical Director and other clinical leaders, including patient access, staffing, provider utilization, care coordination, and quality outcomes. Establish performance expectations that account for patient complexity, service mix, and the time required for effective care.
• Partner with the CMO/Medical Director and designated clinical leaders to implement evidence-based practices and consistent care delivery standards. Ensure that discipline-specific clinical guidance, supervision, and competency assessment are assigned to appropriately qualified clinical leaders.
• Ensure structured onboarding, access to experienced clinical consultation, and ongoing professional development for NPs, PAs, and other clinical staff, with support appropriate to their experience and patient population.
• Identify gaps in clinical support and work with the CMO/Medical Director and program leaders to address them.
• Establish effective coordination across medical care, behavioral health, case management, and the Community Market to support whole-person care.
• Work with program leaders to monitor caseloads, service timeliness, documentation completion, client outcomes, and performance against program commitments.

Compliance, Risk Management, and Quality

• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, local, HRSA, FQHC, Medi-Cal, Medicare, grant, contract, accreditation, licensing, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee organizational compliance programs, quality improvement initiatives, patient safety activities, and risk mitigation efforts in partnership with designated clinical and administrative leaders.
• Monitor organizational performance related to audits, regulatory reviews, corrective action plans, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with leadership to address operational risks and maintain readiness for external reviews and site visits.

Financial and Resource Stewardship

• Direct operational activities to achieve budgeted results and strategic objectives.
• Partner with the CFO and department leaders in annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-range financial planning; hold program leaders accountable for operational performance within approved budgets.
• Monitor operational performance and resource allocation to ensure financial sustainability.
• Develop systems and processes that support operational efficiency, revenue optimization, and responsible stewardship of organizational resources.
• Assist with grant, contract, and funding opportunities that support organizational growth and sustainability.

Facilities and Infrastructure

• Provide oversight of facilities operations, expansion projects, and space planning initiatives.
• Ensure facilities support safe, effective, and compliant service delivery.
• Partner with leadership to plan for future facility, technology, and infrastructure needs.
• Support organizational emergency preparedness and business continuity initiatives.
• Technology and Systems Improvement
• Partner with IT and administrative leadership to evaluate and improve technology systems that support effective service delivery and staff workflows.
• Promote the effective use of data, information systems, and reporting tools to support decision-making.
• Evaluate and implement AI tools to reduce administrative burden, streamline workflows, and improve decision-making while preserving the human relationships central to care.
• Ensure appropriate staff training, human review of outputs, and protection of patient and organizational information.

Leadership and Workforce Development

• Directly supervise, coach, and develop department leaders and program managers through regular individual meetings, development goals, and timely feedback. Build their skills in delegation, setting expectations, managing competing priorities, addressing performance concerns, and making sound decisions independently.
• Establish clear performance expectations, consistent supervision and team meeting practices, and accountability measures across operational areas.
• Develop managers' ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and recognize when discipline-specific expertise or consultation is needed.
• Partner with HR and clinical leaders to establish competency-based career pathways, development plans, and advancement opportunities that strengthen employee engagement and retention.
• Model confident, decisive leadership grounded in humility, respectful listening, curiosity, and a willingness to learn. Foster a culture of teamwork, respect, equity, and continuous learning.
• Support efforts to recruit, develop, and retain a highly effective workforce.

Community and External Relations

• Represent Ritter Center in community partnerships, professional associations, and stakeholder meetings.
• Build collaborative relationships with like-minded healthcare and community organizations to improve access, strengthen referrals and care coordination, and share effective practices.
• Present operational, quality, compliance, and strategic initiatives to the Board of Directors as requested.

Other Duties

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Public Health, Business Administration, Social Work Administration, or related field strongly preferred.
• Clinical professional background, such as nursing or advanced practice, preferred; ability to collaborate effectively with medical, behavioral health, and social service professionals required.
• Minimum seven (7) years of progressively responsible healthcare operations leadership experience, including responsibility for clinical services delivery, staffing, and operational performance.
• Minimum five (5) years supervising managers, directors, or senior leaders.
• Experience in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), community health center, integrated healthcare organization, or similar nonprofit healthcare environment strongly preferred. Candidates with substantial relevant leadership experience in other healthcare settings and demonstrated ability to learn new service models and requirements will also be considered.
• Demonstrated experience improving healthcare workflows, implementing organizational change, and leading multidisciplinary teams through measurable operational improvements.
• Strong knowledge of healthcare operations, regulatory compliance, quality improvement, budgeting, and strategic planning.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring managers, strengthening their independent leadership capabilities, and establishing clear expectations and accountability.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish credibility with clinical and nonclinical staff, make decisions, and follow through on implementation.
• Strong analytical, financial, and problem-solving abilities, including effective use of performance data and technology to improve operations; openness to learning and applying AI tools responsibly.
• Demonstrated commitment to health equity, trauma-informed care, and serving vulnerable populations.
• Valid California driver's license with satisfactory driving record.
• Ability to satisfy all Ritter Center employment requirements, including pre-employment TB screening.

Employment Practices:

Ritter Center is an Equal Opportunity institution and does not discriminate against any person in employment or in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs and benefits on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran’s status, marital status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law.