Chief Operating Officer

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Location: 212 West 83rd Street, New York, NY 10024 (Transitioning to 361 Central Park West)

About The Children’s Museum

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is a dynamic, mission-driven cultural institution dedicated to nurturing creativity, curiosity, and lifelong learning in children and families. Through interactive exhibitions, educational programs, and community partnerships, CMOM serves diverse audiences across New York City and beyond, creating meaningful experiences that inspire and empower young minds. Founded in 1973, CMOM is a premier NYC institution for children and families, currently operating in the Upper West Side with 250,000+ annual visitors. The museum is preparing for a period of unprecedented growth and strategic evolution as it prepares to launch a new museum (scheduled for late 2028/early 2029) in its new home—a 7-floor, 80,000-square-foot facility at 361 Central Park West—to welcome 500,000 visitors annually.

About The Position

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) seeks a visionary, dynamic, and experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to step into a leadership role during a historic, once-in-a-generation moment of transformation and scaling. Serving as the primary strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer, the COO will play a critical role in maturing the operational systems of this beloved organization as it moves into its next chapter, doubling its footprint, staff, visitors, and operating budget. Working in close collaboration with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team, and CMOM staff broadly, the COO will lead the evolution of CMOM's operating plan, organizational structure, and team culture for its new landmark home at 96th Street. This executive will unify and elevate day-to-day operations, directly managing an expanding operating team (Visitor and Guest Experience, Buildings Operations, Clean Team, Exhibits Maintenance, Security, Technology, and Human Resources) to ensure a culture of operational excellence, deep staff engagement, and mission delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Advanced degree in Business, Nonprofit Management, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of executive operating experience at a nonprofit, cultural institution, or public-facing organization.
• 5+ years of senior executive management experience, with a proven ability to lead, mentor, and inspire multi-disciplinary staff through periods of profound transformation.
• Demonstrated success in scaling organizations, professionalizing complex operations, and managing organizational transitions.
• Proven sound judgment and the ability to make rapid, high-stakes operational decisions in a fast-paced, public-facing environment.
• Highest standards of professional ethics, personal integrity, and sound judgment.
• Ability to drive strategic change by maximizing resources and rallying teams around proactive problem-solving.
• Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills; ability to influence and build trust with board members, external stakeholders, and frontline staff.
• Position requires 5 days in-person, which will include weekends as required by high attendance periods, marquee events, and special programs (offset by time off on weekdays).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience auditing/implementing enterprise software platforms.

The spirit of CMOM is collaborative, creative, and entrepreneurial. The ideal candidate will bring an inspiring, results-driven leadership style alongside a proven track record of guiding institutions through massive inflection points of growth and change.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Partnership

• Serve as a primary strategic partner to the CEO, translating institutional vision into scalable, sustainable operational strategies.
• Work in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team and CMOM staff broadly to develop alignment across departments.
• Present regularly to the Board of Directors (& committees as appropriate) to provide transparent operational updates, governance support, and data-driven insights.
• Lead the organizational maturity of CMOM by professionalizing systems, workflows, and policies to support a budget and operation twice its current size.

Operational & Team Excellence

• Oversee all functional areas of Operations including Visitor Services, HR, IT, Security, and Maintenance across current and future sites.
• Develop, manage, and optimize the comprehensive Operations team budget to align with scaling objectives.
• Support high-profile special events and public programming in close coordination with the Development and Educational teams.

Technology & Human Resources Optimization

• Modernize and optimize technology enterprise-wide to increase organizational efficiency, data accessibility, and information accuracy.
• Lead a people-centered People Operations strategy for an expanding team of 60+; architect talent acquisition pipelines, transparent compensation structures, and inclusive benefits models that operationalize equity, cultivate a culture of trust and mutual respect, and ensure staff thrive as the organization scales.

Transition & Scale Execution

• Serve as an executive leader of the Transition Team responsible for the successful grand opening and ongoing operations of the new Museum at 96th Street and Central Park West.
• Design and execute a comprehensive blueprint for transitioning staff, assets, and workflows to the new museum.
• Formulate a clear, actionable staffing and deployment model tailored to the unique operational demands of the new, scaled facility.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including vision, dental, and medical (free medical coverage for employees, with premium plans available for dependents).
• 403B retirement plan.
• Life insurance and Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Paid holidays, personal time off, vacation leave, and sick leave.
• Range of voluntary benefits, such as FSA, critical illness, accident insurance, legal services, and pet insurance.
• Free admission to other New York City cultural institutions.