Position: Chief Operations Officer (COO)

Reports To: CEO

Location: Portland, Oregon (Hybrid)

Employment Type: Full-Time / Exempt

Company Overview

Linguava Interpreters, Inc. is a premier language services provider dedicated to ensuring language access in healthcare and beyond. Our mission is to be the go-to company that employees take pride in, linguists are excited to be partnered with, and the healthcare community trusts as the premier choice for exceptional language services. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Linguava has grown into a $35 million company with a team of 70+ full-time staff and a network of skilled linguists. We are passionate about helping patients find their seat at the table to fully participate in their healthcare, regardless of what language they speak or sign.

Trusted by respected organizations such as Providence, CareOregon, and Mercy Corps, Linguava is positioned for significant growth: expanding its current offerings and scaling nationally. This organization has self-implemented an EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) model and is looking for a true Integrator to partner with the CEO/Visionary.

Position Summary

Reporting to the CEO, the Chief Operations Officer (COO) will lead and scale operational excellence for a rapidly growing language service and access provider to the healthcare industry. This role is critical in transforming the company's long-term vision into reality by driving operational excellence. You will design and implement clear strategies, actionable plans, and disciplined execution to achieve organizational goals—while ensuring the “people first” culture remains strong and aligned throughout. The COO is accountable for overall company performance, including P&L, risk management, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The Chief Operations Officer (COO) will be an experienced hands-on leader who preferably has experience in language access and/or healthcare or healthcare service provider organizations. The right candidate combines technical operational fluency with experience in scaling, whether by expanding services or building robust systems for growth.

This individual combines an organized, strategic mindset with exceptional follow-through, driving innovative solutions that propel the company forward. The ideal candidate is a visionary leader with the ability to scale a rapidly growing business through disciplined execution and strategic insight.

If You

Believe in a “people-first” culture, embedding empowerment and trust in every decision, consistently improving engagement, retention, and performance.
Understand EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) frameworks and see yourself as an “integrator,” aligning vision and execution to deliver predictable results and cross-functional accountability.
Thrive on building and mentoring teams.
Have experience scaling an organization, geographically and across service offerings, while strengthening unit economics, market share, and client satisfaction.
Embody a commitment to and passion for health equity and access.
Led a technical transformation that modernized platforms, streamlined workflows, and reduced cycle times and costs without compromising quality or compliance.
Are skilled at leading through service: championing employees, contractors, clients, and vendors, building resilient relationships and a culture of ownership.
Thrive on creating and implementing processes and systems for scale, turning ambiguity into repeatable playbooks and measurable outcomes.

Then this could be the ideal next chapter in your career.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

Oversee day-to-day operations across multiple departments, ensuring seamless integration and standardized processes that support its people.
Collaborate with CEO to develop and implement scalable SOPs to support aggressive growth targets.
Manage KPIs and data to ensure on-time delivery and quality standards are consistently met.
Oversight includes Legal, Compliance, and Risk Management functions.

Team Development

Lead, mentor, and coach a management team that fosters a high-performance culture, communicating with candor and integrity, even in challenging situations.
Build a culture of “People First”; empowering, trust, and listening - emphasizing collaboration and shared goals.
Technical fluency - to support team in a company-wide technical transformation.

Strategic Planning and Implementation

Translate the CEO's ideas and long-term vision into clear strategies, action plans, and measurable goals.
Establish company-wide goals, metrics, and scorecards that create accountability, transparency, and data-driven decision-making.
Balance company-wide priorities and resources to achieve short-term and long-term objectives
Ensure the organizational structure supports priorities with the right people in the right roles to achieve success.
Lead company's annual and quarterly strategic planning processes to set priorities and ensure company-wide alignment.
Review scorecards with leadership team, ensuring trends and issues are identified early and acted upon.
Lead and facilitate weekly leadership team meetings that drive clarity, accountability, and measurable progress.

Continuous Improvement

Technology & Innovation - ensure the company is relentlessly pursuing progress and continuously improves, adapts, and innovates to remain competitive and effective.
Review and refine processes to reduce costs, improve productivity, and enhance profitability.
Implement best practices and ensure compliance with industry standards.
Anticipate operational challenges and opportunities, implementing solutions that ensure longterm success.
Ensure core processes are clearly defined, documented, and consistently followed.
Establish consistent use of measurable goals and KPIs across all teams to create clarity, accountability, and alignment.
Ensure the company delivers extraordinary client experiences by anticipating needs, exceeding expectations, and holding all teams accountable to high service standards.

Results & Growth

Accountable for the P&L, ensuring responsible allocation of resources and sustainable financial performance.
Ensure the company achieves long-term goals and overall success.
Deliver sustainable growth by aligning financial performance with client satisfaction, service quality, and operational excellence.
Scale the company effectively into new markets and service lines while maintaining high standards of compliance, quality, and client experience.
Lead the organization with focus, clarity, and commitment to achieving measurable results.
Provide clear, transparent updates on company performance, risks, and opportunities to CEO, Leadership Teams, and employees.

Qualifications

Education, Certifications, & Licenses

Bachelor's degree required, MBA or equivalent strongly preferred.

Professional Experience

Minimum 10 years of team leadership experience in healthcare or with a healthcare service provider - experience with language services and access a plus.
Proven ability to transform small-scale operations into high-performing large-scale enterprises (ideally $100M+ revenue).
Strong background in creating SOPs, training models, and managing multi-site operations.
Effective communication and problem-solving skills; thrive in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
Broad experience across finance, business operations, and administration, with the ability to integrate these functions into overall company strategy.
Demonstrated ability to lead organizations through significant change, transformation, and growth while maintaining alignment and stability.
Proven success in developing high-performing leadership teams and coaching leaders to greater effectiveness.
Strong background in technology with proven ability to align technology strategy with business operations.

Traits

Strong, confident leadership presence paired with a collaborative, hands-on approach.
Data-driven decision-maker with strong financial acumen.
Ability to “see around corners” and anticipate future needs.
Flexible and resilient under shifting priorities.

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Chief Operations Officer (COO)