Chief Operating Officer

Milwaukee, WI
Full Time
Senior Executive
Our Story:
Crisis Prevention Institute Inc. (CPI) is the worldwide leader in evidence-based de-escalation and crisis prevention training and dementia care services. Our programs teach professionals the skills to recognize, prevent, and respond to crises in the workplace. Since 1980, we’ve helped train more than 17 million people within service-oriented industries including education, health care, behavioral health, long-term care, human services, security, corporate, and retail.

At CPI, we are dedicated to changing behaviors and reducing conflict for the Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security of everyone. We believe the power of empathy, meaningful connections, personal safety, and security are the antidotes to fear and anxiety. It’s a philosophy that is central to everything we do, and traces back to our beginning.

As a member of the team, you can expect to:

  • Make a difference through your work – You’ll be proud to tell your family and friends about what you do.
  • Gain significant career experience only obtained within a fast-growing organization – Entry-level roles through executive leadership.
  • Feel fulfilled and have fun – We work hard but make the time to build meaningful relationships and celebrate the wins.

The Role:
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a key executive leader responsible for driving operational excellence, scalable growth, and enterprise execution across the organization. The COO oversees Customer Service, Training Operations, Business Systems, and the Project Management Office (PMO), ensuring that operational capabilities align with strategic business priorities and deliver exceptional customer outcomes.

This role is accountable for creating and implementing business systems, optimizing processes, leading enterprise transformation initiatives, and ensuring cross-functional alignment to achieve organizational goals. The COO partners closely with the executive team to translate strategy into execution while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, and customer-centricity.

What You Get To Do Everyday:
Operational Leadership & Business Execution
 
  • Lead the day-to-day operations of the organization, ensuring effective execution of strategic priorities.
  • Develop and implement operational strategies that improve efficiency, scalability, and business performance.
  • Establish operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms to monitor organizational effectiveness.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives that eliminate inefficiencies and improve customer and employee experiences.
Customer Service Leadership
 
  • Provide executive oversight of Customer Service and Customer Care functions.
  • Establish service standards, performance metrics, and quality assurance programs.
  • Monitor customer satisfaction, response times, resolution effectiveness, and retention indicators.
  • Partner with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Training teams to ensure a consistent customer experience.
  • Champion the voice of the customer in operational and strategic decision-making.
Training Operations Leadership
 
  • Oversee the delivery, quality, profitability, and scalability of training operations.
  • Ensure training programs are executed consistently and efficiently across all delivery channels.
  • Develop operational frameworks that improve instructor utilization, scheduling effectiveness, and customer outcomes.
  • Drive innovation and operational excellence within the training organization.
  • Collaborate with Product and Content teams to support evolving customer and market needs.
Business Systems Strategy & Implementation
  • Lead the design, implementation, optimization, and governance of enterprise business systems.
  • Ensure systems support organizational growth, customer experience, operational efficiency, and decision-making.
  • Partner with Technology and Business Leaders to prioritize system enhancements and integrations.
  • Drive automation initiatives that improve productivity and reduce manual processes.
  • Establish governance and change management practices for successful system adoption.
Project Management Office (PMO)
  • Provide executive leadership and oversight of the PMO.
  • Establish enterprise project management standards, governance, methodologies, and reporting.
  • Prioritize and oversee strategic initiatives and transformation projects.
  • Ensure project portfolios align with organizational objectives and deliver measurable business value.
  • Monitor project execution, resource allocation, timeline adherence, risk mitigation, and benefits realization.
Strategic Planning & Transformation
  • Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to develop and execute corporate strategy.
  • Lead enterprise-wide transformation, operational modernization, and change management initiatives.
  • Identify opportunities to improve organizational agility, scalability, and effectiveness.
  • Drive accountability for achieving strategic objectives across the organization.
Financial & Performance Management
  • Develop and manage operating budgets for assigned functions.
  • Track operational performance against financial and strategic goals.
  • Identify opportunities for cost optimization while maintaining service quality and customer satisfaction.
  • Ensure resources are allocated effectively to maximize organizational performance.
Leadership & Culture
  • Build and lead high-performing teams across Customer Service, Training, PMO, and Business Systems.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and innovation.
  • Develop organizational leadership capability and succession readiness.
  • Support employee engagement and change adoption during periods of transformation.
You Need to Have:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Organizational Leadership, or related field required.
  • 15+ years of progressive leadership experience, including executive-level operational leadership.
  • Experience leading customer service, training operations, business transformation, or enterprise operations functions.
  • Demonstrated success implementing enterprise systems and operational process improvements.
  • Proven experience leading PMO functions and complex cross-functional initiatives.
  • Track record of driving organizational transformation and sustainable business growth.
  • Strong business acumen with experience managing operational budgets and performance metrics.
We'd Love to See:
  • MBA or advanced degree preferred.
What We Offer:
  • Comprehensive compensation package
  • Comprehensive benefits package
  • 401k
  • PTO
  • Health & Wellness Days
  • Paid Volunteer Time Off
  • Continuing education and training
  • Hybrid / Remote work schedule
  • Paid Parental Leave
Crisis Prevention Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression (including against any individual that is transitioning, has transitioned, or is perceived to be transitioning), marital status or civil partnership/union status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, childbirth, genetic information, military and veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law. The Company will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with local and federal requirements. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment.

 
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