Chief Operating Officer (COO) - Mercy Care Atlanta

About the Role

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is the senior executive responsible for leading and optimizing day-to-day operations across multiple clinic sites in Atlanta and Chamblee, GA. Reporting to the Mercy Care Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the COO serves as a strategic advisor to the CEO, helping to drive key organizational priorities, enhance operational effectiveness, and ensure alignment with Mercy Care’s mission and strategic direction. The COO also acts as a liaison across executive leadership, coordinates special initiatives of the CEO, and oversees the efficacy of the Office of the CEO.

About Mercy Care

Mercy Care is a nonprofit community health organization that provides primary care, dental, vision, behavioral health, pediatric, and pharmacy services for underserved populations, especially people who are uninsured, underinsured, experiencing homelessness, or poverty. It is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and has a 340B Pharmacy. Mercy Care supports the comprehensive needs of its patients by providing extensive social supports, including case management, substance abuse counseling, recuperative care for individuals being discharged from the hospital, and intensive supports for high utilizers of emergency departments of local hospitals. Mercy Care has been serving Atlanta since 1985.

Mission & Vision

Mission: Furthering the healing ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Care gives tangible expression to Christ’s merciful love by promoting health and health equity and providing compassionate, clinically excellent healthcare in the spirit of loving service to those in need, with special attention to the poor and vulnerable.

Vision: Mercy Care will provide affordable, compassionate, and excellent care to its patients, leading to improved health. Mercy Care will facilitate patients’ access to a network of social services and will stand with them in advocating for their own needs and for a health system that respects and serves all people.

Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership & Multi-Site Management:
  • Oversees all clinic operations across the four-site clinic network to ensure efficient, high-quality, and consistent service delivery across locations.
  • Works closely with the Director of Clinic Operations (direct report) who manages individual clinic managers in various locations.
  • Responsible for all facilities management, working closely with the Director of Facilities in managing all medical and administrative office space across the four clinics.
  • Supports the operations of the Executive Office, including priority tracking and follow-up on action items.
  • Facilitates cross-departmental collaboration to ensure alignment with organizational goals, strategic direction, Mercy Care values, and healthcare standards.
  • Coordinates high-level projects and interdepartmental initiatives, particularly those involving the executive team.
  • Responsible for all aspects of IT management and strategy, working closely with IT staff and external consultants.
  • Leads, mentors, and supports executive departmental leaders to enhance leadership capabilities and effectiveness in implementing the strategic direction and vision of the CEO.
• Strategic & Executive Leadership:
  • Serves as a trusted thought partner to the CEO, monitoring and engaging with strategic planning implementation, decision-making, and execution of key initiatives.
  • Monitors progress toward institutional goals and mission-related objectives, ensuring accountability and timely outcomes.
  • Prepares and briefs the CEO on critical internal matters, including system-level initiatives, executive team coherence, and major initiatives as assigned by the CEO.
• Social Care & Street Medicine:
  • Responsible for the oversight and strategic direction of the Social Care and Street Medicine teams.
  • Works closely with the Director of Social Care & Street Medicine (DSC&SM) to manage the execution of the social care strategy, ensuring proper coordination with various service lines.
  • Ensures proper alignment of the social care strategy and the Mercy Care strategic plan, and monitors, evaluates, and recommends changes to the scope of social determinants addressed by the social care and street medicine teams.
• Board & Stakeholder Engagement:
  • Supports the CEO's engagement with the Board of Directors, foundation leaders, donors, sponsors, and Mercy Care representatives.
  • Supports the executive assistant with the coordination of board meeting logistics, materials preparation, and follow-up communications.
  • Represents the CEO and SJHS leadership in key internal meetings as needed.
• Communications & Advocacy:
  • Acts as a liaison between the CEO's office and internal departments, faith-based sponsors, civic leaders, and community organizations as needed by the CEO.
  • Supports advocacy and public policy efforts related to Mercy Care, urban health equity, and community wellness.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in healthcare administration, Business Administration, Public Health, or a Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of 10 to 15 years of progressive leadership experience, preferably in healthcare, nonprofit management, or government.
• Prior experience working within a mission-driven nonprofit institution is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and organizational change initiatives in complex settings.
• Demonstrated success in strategic planning implementation, operational execution, and change management.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong management and leadership skills.
• Strong strategic thinking and project management capabilities.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• High emotional intelligence, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Ability to build consensus, foster collaboration, and navigate organizational complexity.

More About Mercy Care

In 2025, Mercy Care saw over 18,000 individual patients in over 70,000 visits. Key demographics include:

• 66% were experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• 58% were uninsured.
• 98% had incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Annually, Mercy Care must raise $15-$20 million, manage investment income and complex federal and state grants, while maximizing patient revenue wherever possible. To support its work, Mercy Care owns the buildings that host its two large clinics, a fleet of vehicles and mobile clinics, and is a 20% owner of the affordable housing development on its downtown campus.

Mercy Care recently adopted and Trinity Health approved a 3-year strategic plan—The Conspiracy of Compassion—that will increase patient care by 25%, improve the quality of care delivered, and build a model for serving complex patients that others in Trinity Health and across the country can replicate.

Mercy Care employs a whole-person approach to healthcare, putting the individual at the center and addressing not just their immediate and long-term health needs but the underlying social and economic issues that might be making it difficult for them to stay healthy. This model of care is rooted in research showing that an individual’s health is only partially influenced by healthcare and is far more affected—positively or negatively—by the physical environment, lack of access to basic goods and services, and reduced educational and economic opportunities. While the model is evidence-based, Mercy Care strives to ensure that every patient feels welcome, loved, and accompanied on their journey.