Taking Root
Interim Chief of Staff / Operating Partner
Description
Why This Role Exists
Taking Root is looking for an experienced operator to step in as an Interim Chief of Staff / Operating Partner during our COO’s parental leave.
This role exists for one reason: to keep internal execution, coordination, and decision prep from flowing to the CEO, so he can stay focused on investment, offtake, and senior external relationships during a critical growth period.
This is not a traditional “Chief of Staff” role. It is a hands-on operating role for someone who has been close to the center of a growing organization before.
What You’ll Actually Do
You will run the day-to-day operating cadence of the company and act as the connective tissue across teams.
In practice, this includes:
- Providing execution + process and people-management to Directors (while CEO provides strategic-management)
- Join bi-monthly CEO meetings 1:1 with Directors- focused on strategic decisions, major projects for the CEO to give direction and guidance
- Hold all other regular 1:1s (weekly) to unblock issues, manage capacity / priorities, discuss management and people-related decisions, and prep decisions/updates for the CEO to provide input/management
- Ensure issues get resolved without escalating everything upward
- Run the weekly leadership meeting, including but not limited to: surfacing progress, dependencies, and risks; clarifying what needs a decision vs. what just needs doing; capturing owners and deadlines and following up during the week
- Being the “glue” across functions
- Coordinate work that cuts across Ops, Tech, Commercial, Finance, and People. Keeping all informed of different objectives, priorities, risks, and workplans across the teams, particularly issues that are impactful cross-team
- Facilitate decisions across the leadership team, especially in areas of ambiguity and uncertainty. Support the team in getting unstuck on decisions
- Turn leadership direction into clear plans and next steps
- Plan leadership offsites, key meetings, and trips
- Supporting team health and organizational clarity
- Surface capacity or people risks early
- Support workload balancing and role clarity
- Coordinate people-related processes (with support from the CEO)
- Acting as the CEO’s internal manager
- Weekly synthesis: what’s on track, what’s not, what decisions are coming
- Helping the CEO stay out of follow-ups and internal coordination by ensuring that there is internal decision-making happening across the leadership team that doesn’t need the CEO
- Align the leadership team with the CEO and vice-versa
- Providing strategic finance and investment support (as have bandwidth + skills)
- Scenario analysis and investment modelling (high-level, decision-focused)
- Helping frame trade-offs for the CEO to make decisions
What This Role Is Not
- Not an executive assistant
- Not a project manager
- Not an extra layer between the CEO and decisions. This role exists to reduce complexity, not add it.
What Success Looks Like
By the end of the contract:
- The CEO has stayed focused on investors, offtake, and senior relationships
- Directors are clear on priorities, owners, and timelines
- Fewer issues are “stuck” due to coordination gaps
- Decisions are made with the right inputs, at the right level
- The organization stays stable and focused during a period of stretch
Who This Is For
This role is a good fit for someone who has:
Experience:
- Experience as a Chief of Staff, COO, Managing Director or similar
- Proven ability to provide leverage to a CEO and comfort doing so
- Worked in a small or mid-stage, founder-led organization
- Experience with finance, strategy, or people management is important
- Experience in climate, nature-based solutions, or multi-country operations is a plus, not a requirement
Strong communication and facilitation skills:
- Strong facilitation skills- especially in driving clarity with the team
- The ability to turn direction into execution quickly with team buy-in
- A great coach, communicator and people-leader for Directors
- Strong operating and management judgment and comfort with ambiguity and ability to translate that to the team
Hands-on, low ego, and execution bias:
- Enjoys and able to work in fast-paced and very hands-on environments. We all do work - from details to the execution
- Low ego, high trust, and a bias for getting things done
- Excellent organization skills that can be shared with the team
About Taking Root
Taking Root is a Canada-based, Latin America-focused reforestation organization. Our purpose is to accelerate the restoration of the world’s forests. We enable smallholder farmers to grow trees and earn money from the carbon they remove from the atmosphere, by selling carbon credits to major companies, such as Microsoft. Our technology and support make it simple for our reforestation partners to create transparent and robust forest carbon removals. Our approach is unique in that it brings about environmental and social benefits, while having a strong business model, backed by a product and technology approach.
Currently, Taking Root is leading three major projects. Our flagship project with more than 20-years of history is a large-scale reforestation project in Nicaragua, that works with family farmers to reforest their lands. We currently manage 20,000 hectares of land with approximately 5,000 farming families, bringing $40M USD to them through carbon financing. We are also in the second-year of the startup of a reforestation project in Chile planting native trees with local landowners. Lastly, we are starting other projects and have varied commercial commitments we are implementing with re-selling partners and via major development funders, such as the European Union.
Our largely Canada-based team is approximately 20 and we directly manage local implementing partners with a footprint of up to 200 employees and seasonal workers.
Our Culture
This role is a strong fit for someone who leads through listening, structure, and trust; enjoys facilitating complex conversations; values emotional intelligence as much as operational excellence; and is energized by mission-driven work in a multi-cultural, human-centered environment.
Taking Root is a mission-driven organization deeply committed to nature and the farmers we serve. Our work sits at the intersection of environmental science, international development, and human-centered operations. We are a thoughtful, values-based, and highly dedicated team that cares deeply about how we work together—not just what we achieve.
We are a demanding but caring organization. We work hard, hold high standards, and take our responsibilities seriously, while also supporting one another as whole humans. Emotional intelligence is a core competency at Taking Root. When someone is struggling—professionally or personally—they are met with care, trust, and support.
Our leadership culture is grounded and facilitative rather than authoritative. People respect leaders who listen deeply, ask thoughtful questions, and help translate ambiguity into clear priorities, roles, and timelines. Debate is encouraged, and strong opinions are welcome—but they are explored through curiosity and dialogue, not dominance. Being heard matters here.
We value clarity, structure, and preparation. Many on the team have scientific or international development backgrounds and are natural problem-solvers who appreciate data, rigor, and thoughtful analysis. We can lean toward perfectionism, and we value leaders who know when rigor is essential—and when “good enough” truly is enough.
Feedback at Taking Root is proactive, constructive, and rooted in respect. Healthy disagreement is normal in group settings, while sensitive or uncomfortable feedback is often shared privately and thoughtfully. Trust is built through consistency, follow-through, and care for people—not through hierarchy.
We are also a deeply human team. Many of us are friends outside of work, connect personally, and enjoy spending time together. We celebrate wins, get together for drinks, share meals, and support each other through challenges. We work in a hybrid environment, collaborate closely over Zoom, Slack, and email, and regularly engage with colleagues and partners across Latin America.
People who thrive at Taking Root are those who feel a strong connection to our mission, are comfortable working through ambiguity, care deeply about people, and find satisfaction in helping others do their best work. New team members often say: “This is a really good culture—everyone is smart, kind, and genuinely cares.”
Taking Root has a diverse team of talented people across gender and racial spectrums. We have created a culture of innovation, diversity, and inclusivity, striving for open discussions, best hiring and operational practices. We hire and promote based on merit, competence, performance, successful milestones, and business needs. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind, be that based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, disability, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal or provincial laws.
Use of AI in Hiring
Taking Root may use automated or AI-assisted tools at limited stages of the recruitment process. These tools are used to assist (not replace) human decision-making. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by people. We are committed to using technology responsibly and in line with applicable employment and privacy laws.
Compensation
$170,000.00 - $200,000.00 per year