James S.
Chief Operations Officer @ Giving What We Can
About
Strategic, driven, people-centered non-profit manager with a proven ability to build and scale finance, HR, and operations toward ambitious impact. I passionately believe in the power of mission-driven organizations to make a meaningful dent in the challenges of our time. I currently.... § Serve as Chief Operations Officer at Giving What We Can, where we try to make giving effectively and significantly a cultural norm. § Work towards a PhD in organizational science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where I research organizations serving vulnerable populations. § Coach non-profit and impact professionals, and consult with impact organizations in strategy, operations, HR, and people-centered management. § Teach executive MBA students how we might organize with purpose as guest lecturer at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Spain
Barcelona
Non-profit Organization Management
Social Impact, Operations Management, Strategy, Project Management, Reporting & Analysis, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Confidentiality, Attention to Detail, Payroll Management, Analytical Skills, Leadership, Finance, Problem Solving, Business Strategy, Social Justice, Collaborative Problem Solving, Strategic Planning, Stakeholder Relations, Management Consulting, Design Thinking
Experience
Chief Operations Officer
Giving What We Can
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Giving What We Can is working to create a world without extreme poverty, animal suffering, and existential risk — a world where everyone can flourish. We believe charity is both underrated and deeply impactful, and we work to make giving effectively and significantly a cultural norm. As the Chief Operations Officer, my team and I manage finance, compliance, people, grantmaking, and operations across the GWWC entities in the US, UK, and the Netherlands.
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Giving What We Can
Strategy & Impact Consultant
Empyreal
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
As a passionate believer in the power of mission-driven organizations, I provide advice and coaching around strategy, operations and HR to non-profits and social businesses to positively impact our world's most pressing social (justice) issues. § Strategic coaching § Project management § Systems building § Design & workshop facilitation
Guest Lecturer
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam)
As I guest lecturer I leverage design thinking workshops to teach Executive MBA students about purpose-driven organizing.
Head of Finance and Operations
Safe Passage Project
Greater New York City Area
Safe Passage Project is a nonprofit organization that provides free lawyers to refugee children facing deportation, often to life-threatening situations. As the Head of Finance and Operations I supported the organization in its five-fold growth over the course of three years, from serving a few hundred clients with a $1MM budget and 12 staff to serving 1,300 children, supported by 40+ full-time staff, 400+ pro bono attorneys, and a $5MM budget. My responsibilities included managing the organization's day-to-day finances, policies, and insurance as the acting CFO, overseeing payroll and hiring for 40+ FTE, managing the internal and external finance and operations team, building and managing a grant management system, managing all contracts, IT, data analysis, and facilities, as well as co-owning strategic planning together with the executive director.
Supervisor & Interim Training Director
Paragon Sports
New York, United States
§ Conducted onboarding and training for all new employees (10-25/month) § Responsible for line management of cycling and outdoor department (10-20 people)
Assistant Instructor
Utrecht University
Utrecht Area, Netherlands
§ Taught seminars to undergraduates and facilitated workshops on academic writing and rhetoric § Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, and Epistemology
Event management, research, and teaching
Various
Utrecht, Netherlands
Education
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam)
Organizational Science
§ Mechanisms of vulnerability: Uncovering the role of design, innovation, and management science in reducing vulnerability and inequality
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam)
§ Graduated cum laude (4.0 GPA) § Focused on strategy & consulting for the non-profit and public sector § Conducted research in bridging the gap between academia and (public) practice
University of Amsterdam
Urban Studies/Affairs
§ Graduated cum laude (4.0 GPA) § Focused on classed, gendered, and racialized inequality in the urban environment § Conducted extensive qualitative (anthropological and ethnographic), quantitative, and action research
Utrecht University
Philosophy
§ Graduated cum laude (4.0 GPA) § Graduated with honors § Focused on social and political philosophy, inequality and poverty § Conducted research into global justice and collective responsibility
University of California, Berkeley
Human Rights, Inequality and Global Responsibility
HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (Hogeschool Utrecht)
English/Language Arts Teacher Education
§ Graduated summa cum laude (4.0 GPA)
James S.'s Contact Information
Phone
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