Vice President of Operations & Organizational Excellence at Boys and Girls Clubs of North Central Illinois – South Elgin, Illinois

Role Overview:

Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Illinois (BGCNCIL) is preparing for its next era of transformational growth—expanding from 52 sites today to 100 sites, serving thousands more youth across our region.

The Vice President of Operations & Organizational Excellence exists to build the systems, teams, and infrastructure that make this growth possible—safely, sustainably, and at scale.

This is not a “keep the trains running” role. This is a senior executive opportunity for an operations leader who knows how to design for growth, lead through complexity, and translate strategy into execution—while keeping kids, staff, and quality at the center of every decision.

The VP of Operations serves as a core partner to the President & CEO, Board of Directors, and Executive Team, ensuring that as BGCNCIL grows, our program quality, operational discipline, and culture grow with it.

How This Role Lives Our BLUE Values

This role is grounded in our BLUE values, which define how we lead and operate:

• Believe – You believe strong operations are essential to delivering great outcomes for kids.
• Learn – You continuously improve systems, processes, and performance using data and feedback.
• Unite – You align people, partners, and teams around shared standards and goals.
• Elevate – You raise expectations, build leaders, and create infrastructure that supports excellence at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Strategy & Scale

• Design and lead an enterprise-wide operations strategy that supports growth from 52 to 100 sites
• Build scalable systems, structures, and standards across programs, facilities, safety, staffing, and compliance
• Translate organizational strategy into clear operational plans, timelines, and execution frameworks
• Ensure consistency, quality, and safety across all sites while allowing for community-specific needs

Program Quality, Safety & Excellence

• Oversee operational aspects of program delivery to ensure high-quality, safe, and outcome-driven experiences
• Use participation, outcome, and compliance data to evaluate effectiveness and drive continuous improvement
• Ensure strong child safety practices, risk management, and regulatory compliance across all locations
• Partner with program leaders to strengthen execution without micromanaging innovation

People, Leadership & Culture

• Lead and develop a high-performing team of directors and operational leaders
• Establish clear expectations, accountability structures, and performance metrics
• Build leadership capacity across sites through training, coaching, and professional development
• Foster a culture of collaboration, trust, and continuous improvement aligned with BLUE values

Facilities, Systems & Infrastructure

• Oversee facilities operations, maintenance, and expansion planning
• Ensure sites are safe, functional, welcoming, and prepared to support growth
• Lead operational planning for new site launches, transitions, and partnerships
• Strengthen internal systems, workflows, and cross-department coordination

Financial & Organizational Partnership

• Partner with Finance on budget development, monitoring, and variance management
• Ensure operational decisions are financially responsible and aligned with strategic priorities
• Support Board committees and executive reporting related to operations, growth, and risk
• Serve as a key thought partner to the President & CEO on organizational design and scaling strategy

Community & External Partnerships

• Build strong relationships with schools, community partners, families, and stakeholders
• Represent the organization externally in ways that build trust and credibility
• Support public-facing initiatives that reinforce BGCNCIL’s mission and reputation

Who Thrives in This Role

This role is ideal for a leader who:

• Has successfully scaled multi-site operations in complex environments
• Is energized by growth and change, not overwhelmed by it
• Balances structure with flexibility
• Leads with both head and heart
• Sees operations as a mission-critical leadership function

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
• Minimum of 7–10 years of senior operations leadership experience, ideally in nonprofit, education, or multi-site organizations
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, multi-location operations
• Proven ability to build systems and teams that support rapid growth
• Strong people leadership, communication, and organizational skills
• Experience partnering with executive leadership and boards
• Commitment to mission-driven work and youth development