Chief Program Officer

Job Description

The CPO provides executive leadership across a diverse continuum of services supporting individuals and families with complex needs, with direct oversight of 116 programs, approximately 1,003 program FTEs, and an annual operating revenue budget of approximately $133.4 million.  Leading a team of senior program, service, and clinical executives, the CPO is accountable for strengthening operational and financial l performance, service integration, leadership capacity, quality and compliance, and long-term sustainability while ensuring services remain grounded in Open Sky’s mission, values, whole person health framework, and commitment to person-centered, trauma-informed care.

As an enterprise leader, the CPO brings a strategic and systems-oriented perspective to organizational decision-making, using data, operational insight, and strong executive judgment to anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and drive meaningful and sustainable results. The CPO plays a critical role in developing senior leaders, strengthening accountability, navigating organizational change, and creating greater connection and consistency across service lines.

The CPO also serves as a highly visible representative of Open Sky with funders, regulators, community stakeholders, peer organizations, and strategic partners. In collaboration with the President & CEO and executive leadership, the CPO advances relationships and opportunities that strengthen Open Sky’s impact and position the organization for thoughtful innovation, strategic growth, partnerships, service expansion, mergers and acquisitions, and long-term sustainability.

Executive Responsibilities

Strategic Vision, Leadership & Executive Partnership

• Serve as a trusted executive thought partner to the President & CEO and Executive Leadership Team, helping shape organizational strategy, enterprise priorities, and long-term direction.

• Provide steady executive leadership through periods of change, growth, and complexity, ensuring continuity, mission alignment, and disciplined execution of organizational priorities.

• Translate enterprise strategy into clear operational priorities, performance expectations, and accountable systems across the service portfolio.

• Partner with Human Resources and service leaders to anticipate and address workforce needs, organizational structure, leadership capacity, staffing models, retention, succession planning, and other workforce factors affecting service quality, operational performance, and organizational sustainability.

• Partner with the President & CEO and executive leaders in engagement with the Board of Directors including participation in Board meetings, committees, reporting, and strategic discussions.

Program Operations, Integration, & Service Excellence

• Provide executive leadership and accountability for Open Sky’s broad continuum of programs and services, ensuring effective, integrated, responsive, and high-quality services aligned with the organization’s mission, values and service frameworks.

• Establish clear expectations for program performance and work through senior service leaders to drive consistent execution, accountability, and continuous improvement across the service portfolio.

• Strengthen integration across service lines and administrative functions to improve continuity, coordination, quality, and experience of individuals served, families, employees, and partners.

• Maintain meaningful visibility across programs and communities served, engaging regularly with program leaders, employees, individuals served, and other stakeholders to inform executive decision-making and remain connected to operational realities.

Financial Performance and Accountability

• Hold executive accountability for the financial performance and sustainability of the service portfolio, partnering closely with the Chief Financial and Operating Officer to ensure operating decisions, resource allocation, budget performance, and service-line strategies support organizational financial objectives and long-term sustainability.

• Use financial, operational, and performance data to identify trends, variances, opportunities, and risks, and drive timely action to improve results.

• Establish financial accountability among service leaders by setting clear expectations, monitoring performance, and ensuring leaders in understanding and actively manage the operational and financial impact of their decisions.

Quality, Compliance, Risk, and Performance Improvement

• Champion data-informed performance improvement, outcomes measurement, and evidence-based and promising practices that strengthen service quality and outcomes for individuals served.

• Partner closely with the Chief Quality and Compliance Officer to ensure service operations, risk management, performance improvement, and regulatory readiness meet organizational quality, compliance, and service excellence expectations.

• Advance a culture of, ethical practice, accountability, risk awareness, continuous quality improvement and readiness for audits, surveys, accreditation reviews, contractual obligations, and regulatory requirements.

• Partner across Quality, Compliance, Clinical, Finance, Human Resources, and program leadership to proactively identify, escalate, and mitigate operational, clinical, workforce, compliance, financial, and reputational risk.

People, Culture, and Leadership Development

• Build and lead a high-performing senior program leadership team, establishing clear expectations, decision rights, performance accountability, succession planning, leadership development, and shared ownership for organizational outcomes.

• Develop the capacity and effectiveness of senior leaders through coaching, candid feedback, performance management, succession planning, and opportunities for continued leadership growth.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, transparency, accountability, and constructive challenge in which leaders communicate openly, address issues directly, and work across organizational boundaries to achieve shared priorities.

• Advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through leadership practices, talent decisions, program access, service design, employee experience, and community engagement.

Innovation, Growth & External Relationships

• Serve as a senior representative of Open Sky with funders, regulators, community stakeholders, peer organizations, government partners and other external constituencies to strengthening relationships, and advancing organizational priorities in collaboration with the President & CEO and executive leadership.

• Partner with the Vice President of Business Development, President & CEO, and other executive leaders to identify, evaluate, and advance mission-aligned growth opportunities, including strategic partnerships, service expansion, new program models, grants, mergers, and acquisitions.

• Build and sustain strong community partnerships that advance Open Sky’s mission, strengthen connections to local resources and systems of care, and ensure the organization remains visible, engaged, and responsive to the needs of the communities it serves.

• Evaluate growth opportunities through an enterprise lens, considering mission alignment, community need, operational readiness, workforce capacity, financial sustainability, quality, risk, and long-term organizational impact.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic and Systems Leadership: Thinks enterprise-wide, connects strategy to execution, and builds structures that support consistent, integrated, high-quality service delivery.

• Change Leadership & Organizational Resilience: Provides steady, values-driven leadership, strengthens continuity across programs, and helps leaders navigate change and complexity with clarity, adaptability, and confidence.

• Operational and Financial Accountability: Establishes clear performance ex