Job Description

Chief Operating Officer (COO) – Growing Language Service Provider in Healthcare – Portland, OR

Acumen Executive Search is honored to partner with Linguava, a fast-growing, culturally aware, and health equity-focused language access provider, to find their next Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Company Overview

Linguava Interpreters, Inc. is a premier language services provider dedicated to ensuring language access in healthcare and beyond. Their 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. They 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 Operating 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 Operating 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. 

This is a full-time, onsite role based in the Portland (PDX) metro area. Candidates must currently reside in the area or be willing to relocate prior to start date.

• 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.
• Have experience providing services in or to healthcare systems, CCOs, payors, or healthcare-focused private businesses and are fluent in privacy and regulatory requirements. 
• Thrive on building and mentoring teams.
• Have experience successfully 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.
• Have 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 long-term 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 a strong plus. 

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.

Compensation includes a base salary in the $250K - $275K+ range, performance-based incentives, longer-term upside potential, and a generous suite of benefits with fully paid healthcare, 401K match, paid sabbatical and for volunteering, and many other perks.

Procedure for Applying:

To apply or see our other positions available, please go to Acumen Executive Search to submit a resume and brief cover letter indicating your interest in the opportunity. If our current open positions are not the right fit for you and you would like us to share relevant opportunities, please send your resume and a brief cover to info@AcumenExecutiveSearch.com.

About Acumen:

Established in 2007, Acumen Executive Search is a three-time recipient of the Portland Business Journal’s “Most Admired” award and is recognized as the leading certified woman-owned Executive Search Partner in the Pacific Northwest with a global clientele. We deliver high-impact results and more than double the national average retention rates while nurturing genuine long-term relationships. Acumen works shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients to provide customized, meaningful, and proven leadership solutions that empower organizational success.

Keywords:

Chief Operating Officer, COO, Operating Executive, Operations Executive, VP of Operations, Vice President of Operations, President, GM, General Manager, Integrator, operations strategist, EOS, scorecards, metrics, KPIs, market growth, integration, technical integration, technical transformation, innovation, systems, data, data integrity, processes, scale, SOPs, training models, multi-site, multi-state, job scheduling, quality programs, language services, interpretation, translation, telehealth, virtual services, healthcare, health equity, health access, patient experience, access to care, HIPPA, ISO 9001, ISO 17100, automation, workflow optimization, strategic partnerships, budget, P&L, strategy, servant leadership, M&A