Back to jobs
New

Chief Operating Officer

New York

 

Overview

maslansky + partners is a Language Strategy® and research consultancy that helps the world’s most influential and innovative organizations harness the power of language and craft communication strategies to drive behavior change.  Our work is guided by a simple, powerful idea: it’s not what you SAY that matters, it’s what your audience HEARS.

Clients look to us as experts in the art and science of persuasion.  To help products stand out in a crowded space.  To shape company reputations.  To win on issues that matter.  To respond effectively to crisis.  To engage employees.  Every word you use is a choice.  We help companies choose wisely.

Do you have a passion for persuasion, puzzles, and what makes people tick?  Do you love helping clients solve high-stakes challenges?  We’re looking for people with exemplary critical thinking skills, deep empathy, a natural curiosity, and a gift for effectively articulating ideas to join our growing team. 

As part of this growth, we are seeking a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and leadership team. The COO will play a central role in driving the firm’s next stage of expansion—overseeing operations, finance, and business development to ensure the company scales effectively while sustaining strong profitability. This is a highly impactful role for an experienced leader who thrives on building systems, managing teams, and helping an organization deliver on ambitious goals, including doubling in size over the next 5–6 years.

Responsibilities

What you’ll do:

  • Strategy and Planning
    • Strategic Planning: Collaborate with the CEO and other senior leaders to develop and execute the firm’s strategic plan, ensuring alignment with long-term goals.
    • Financial Management: Work closely with the finance team to develop budgets, monitor financial performance, and implement strategies to maintain high-profit margins.
  • Operations
    • Operational Excellence: Oversee the firm’s operations, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and the achievement of financial targets. Surface opportunities, develop and implement processes and systems to streamline operations, and improve overall firm performance.
    • Performance Monitoring: Establish metrics for tracking progress against goals and regularly report on performance to the CEO and leadership team.
  • People
    • Leadership and Team Management: Ensure alignment with the company’s goals and foster a high-performance culture. Act as a key liaison between the CEO and the rest of the leadership team.
    • Change Management: Lead change management initiatives to support the firm’s growth objectives, ensuring that changes are effectively communicated and implemented across the organization.
  • Support the CEO
    • Provide strategic and operational support to the CEO, assisting in decision-making and helping to manage the day-to-day operations of the firm. Act as a sounding board for the CEO on strategic and operational matters.

Qualifications

What we’re looking for:

  • 10 to 15 years of experience in management consulting or other relevant professional services categories, with a strong track record in a leadership role.
  • Proven ability to lead and manage teams, with a focus on fostering a positive and productive work environment.
  • Extensive experience in operations management, finance, and business development within the management consulting, public affairs, research, or strategic communications industries.
  • Strong decision-making skills, with the ability to provide clear guidance and direction to senior leadership
  • Demonstrated success in driving growth and maintaining high-profit margins in a competitive market.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across all levels of the organization.
  • Experience in change management and strategic planning, with a strong focus on execution and results.
  • Ability to work closely with a CEO and effectively advocate for, and manage, change.
  • A proactive, solution-oriented mindset with a high degree of flexibility and adaptability.

 Four reasons to join the maslansky + partners team:

  1. You won’t be bored.  You will work with diverse clients and industries on diverse challenges that allow you to learn every step of the way. 
  2. You will be challenged and grow.  We’ll make you a stronger strategic thinker, a better writer, and a more confident presenter, as part of a culture focused on feedback and committed to personal growth. If you are good, you will not get lost…your contribution will be recognized and rewarded. 
  3. You can make a big impact. Our team is encouraged to use our passion and expertise to support causes that matter. Through work with PENCIL, Head Start, SBP, and our Project Good Words program, we’ve improved access to education, career opportunities, disaster relief, and clean water…to name a few.
  4. You’ll definitely have a good time.  We do serious work but never take ourselves too seriously. Lots of work and lots of fun to help you stay energized and engaged.

The range below represents the low and high end of the base salary someone in this role may earn as an employee of maslansky + partners in New York City. Salaries will vary based on various factors including but not limited to professional and academic experience, training, associated responsibilities, and other business and organizational needs. The range listed is just one component of our total compensation package for employees. Salary decisions are dependent on the circumstances of each hire.

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $190,000 - $250,000. In addition, this position is also eligible for an annual sales incentive.

Salary is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, knowledge, skills, other job-related qualifications, and geography. A range of medical, dental, vision, 401(k) matching, paid time off, and other benefits also are available.

If you’re intrigued, you should have already checked out our website.  If you haven’t done so yet, we won’t hold it against you, but do it right now: www.maslansky.com.

#LI-Hybrid

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in maslansky + partners’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.