Chief Administrative Office

Join Home of the Innocents and champion our core values: Compassion, Wellness, Empowerment, Excellence. As CAO and member of the Executive Leadership Team, you’ll provide strategic and operational leadership for infrastructure, IT, capital projects, risk management, and legal/contract oversight to ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable mission delivery.

Who we’re looking for

• Strategic, operational leader with proven experience in IT oversight, facilities/capital project management, and organizational risk.
• Strong collaborator who partners effectively with Executive Team and program leaders.
• Track record of building reliable systems, driving cross functional initiatives, and mentoring leaders.
• Comfort with legal/contract review, vendor/owner rep relationships, and emergency preparedness.

What you’ll do (high-level)

• Translate strategy into infrastructure, technology, and capital initiatives; co-lead long term planning.
• Lead IT strategy and serve as executive sponsor for the Technology Committee.
• Oversee facilities, maintenance, construction projects, preventive maintenance, and regulatory compliance, act as Owner’s Representative.
• Build and mentor a high performing administrative team, partner across Finance, HR, Programs, and Executive peers.
• Own risk management, insurance, claims, incident response, business continuity, and serve as Safety Officer and sponsor of the Risk Management Committee.
• Provide executive legal/contract oversight and coordinate legal strategy with CHRO and general counsel.
• Co sponsor business development efforts alongside the Chief Strategy Officer.

Essential Job Functions:

• Strategic & Organizational Leadership

a. Serve as a core member of the Executive Team, advising on organizational priorities and long-term planning.
b. Translate strategic goals into actionable infrastructure and technology initiatives.
c. Lead cross-functional coordination with program, finance, and HR leaders to ensure administrative systems support growth and mission success.
d. Build and mentor a high-performing administrative leadership team focused on service, reliability, and continuous improvement.

• Technology & Information Systems

e. Provide executive oversight for all aspects of information technology including the development and execution of a long-term technology plan.
f. Partner with internal and external technology leaders to ensure reliable, secure, and user-friendly systems.
g. Lead long-range IT planning and investment strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational growth.
h. Serves as Executive sponsor for the Technology committee.

• Facilities & Construction Management

i. Oversee all facilities management, maintenance, and capital improvement efforts across multiple sites.
j. Serve as Owner’s Representative for new construction and renovation projects, ensuring scope, cost, and schedule integrity.
k. Ensure preventive maintenance programs and safety systems that ensure regulatory compliance and operational continuity.
l. Partner with CFO, COO, and President & CEO on capital budgeting and financing strategies.
m. Serves with Chief Strategy Officer as Executive co-sponsor for the Business Development committee.

• Risk Management

n. Develop, implement, and monitor the organization’s risk management framework.
o. Oversee insurance coverage, claims management, and incident response processes.
p. Serve as Safety Officer ensuring overall security and safety programs for the organization, and lead business continuity and emergency preparedness planning.
q. Executive sponsor for the Risk Management Committee to mitigate risk exposure.

• Legal & Contractual Responsibilities

r. Serve as the organization’s executive lead for legal affairs, ensuring that all contracts, real estate, facilities, and administrative agreements align with legal, regulatory, and organizational standards.
s. Provide agency-wide legal oversight, including contracts, insurance, regulatory interpretation, and general counsel coordination for the organization.
t. Partner closely with the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), who leads workforce legal oversight, including employment law, labor relations, and investigations. Ensure coordinated legal strategy and consistent organizational interpretation across workforce and agency domains.
u. Negotiate, review, and approve contracts for services, leases, vendors, construction, and technology in collaboration with legal counsel and the CFO.
v. Ensure proper execution, documentation, and storage of all contractual instruments.
w. Oversee compliance with federal, state, and local regulations related to physical plant, workplace safety, environmental health, data security, and emergency preparedness.
x. Advise the President & CEO and Board Committees on legal or regulatory risks related to facilities, technology, and vendor operations.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

y. Work alongside the other Chief Officers of the organization to turn vision into coordinated action, making sure that strategy, operations, people, quality, and resources all move in the same direction.

• Shared Agency Responsibilities

z. Execute the enterprise strategy - convert the Board/President & CEO strategy into annual plans; remove barriers and hit milestones.
aa. Own outcomes & transparency - maintain reliable dashboards for quality, access, experience, equity, workforce, and finance; surface risks early and report to the President & CEO.
bb. Lead people & culture - build diverse, high-performing teams; develop successors; strengthen engagement, wellbeing, and a culture of safety and learning.
cc. Guard risk, compliance & ethics - proactively identify and mitigate risks; uphold policies, privacy/security, licensure/accreditation requirements; ensure effective corrective actions.
dd. Steward resources - plan and manage budgets; optimize operating and capital expenditures; support the culture of philanthropy.

• Other duties assigned by the President & CEO.

Education/Specialized Knowledge Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPA, MEng, or related) preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership in operations, administration, or infrastructure management—ideally within healthcare or another complex nonprofit or mission-driven environment.
• Demonstrated success overseeing facilities, IT systems, risk management, or capital development at scale.
• Proven record of leading cross-functional teams and managing large budgets or capital projects.

Who We Are
Home of the Innocents is a 145-year-old non-profit, dedicated to supporting children and families in our community. Our mission is to enrich lives with hope, health, and happiness. As one of only two certified Sanctuary Organizations in Kentucky, we prioritize safety and recovery through trauma-informed practices. Our leadership is committed to developing a diverse, inclusive, and values-led workforce.