Chief Of Staff Jobs

Job title: Chief of Staff

Type: Full-Time

Start Date: Summer 2023

Location: Hybrid/NYC area

Summary

Relay Graduate School of Education is positioned to bring about transformational change in teacher and school leader preparation on a national scale. In support of our mission to ensure that all students are taught by outstanding educators, Relay seeks an experienced Chief of Staff to join our Executive Team and serve as an essential deputy to our President, Dr. Mayme Hostetter.

Reporting to the President, the Chief of Staff will be an active member of the Executive Team and steward for Executive and senior leadership engagement and collaboration. In order to build the President’s capacity to serve as the face of Relay in engagement with external stakeholders, the Chief of Staff will serve as a representative of the President across a variety of internal workstreams and projects. The Chief of Staff will also lead a Special Projects team as they work across Executive and senior leadership support, internal communications planning and execution, legal and risk management, and other workstreams and projects that cross Relay teams and functions. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Chief of Staff who has a track record of supporting executive leaders and working across complex organizations to coalesce workstreams and stakeholders to maximize impact.

Duties And Responsibilities

Executive Stewardship (50%)

• Collaborate with the Executive Team to prioritize and plan for institutional leadership supports and resources such as strategic planning consulting, executive and leadership coaching, the President’s travel, Board expenses, etc.; Set and manage the budget for institutional leadership supports and resources
• Create and manage structures that support the President’s capacity to lead and collaborate effectively internally while freeing up more of her time to serve as the face of Relay to key external stakeholders
• Support the development and maintenance of a strong Executive Team culture, with all team members reporting high levels of accountability, engagement, and belonging for themselves and others in meetings and other communication
• Set the vision for and manage the triennial strategic planning process in partnership with others on the Executive Team, the Board of Directors, and consultants
• Plan and lead all Executive Team meetings, ensuring that the team’s use of time is efficient, aligned with strategic priorities, and appropriately action-oriented
• Establish and manage structures for the Executive Team that support progress-monitoring and communication related to the strategic plan; Advise key Relay leaders on progress-monitoring and communication related to the strategic plan within their vertical or team
• Represent the President internally, serving as her voice or liaison in meetings and other internal engagements when necessary

Relay Senior Leadership Collaboration (20%)

• Serve as a key advisor to RSL and Executive Team members as they collaborate on various cross-institution workstreams and projects
• Oversee the management of RSL meeting operations (ensuring attendance, prepping materials and technology, managing Zoom participation, etc.)
• Set vision, tone, and expectations for Relay Senior Leader (RSL) collaboration and engagement
• Plan and lead quarterly RSL meetings, including preparing senior leaders for strong engagement and facilitation

Internal Communications Planning (10%)

• Establish and maintain a high level of visibility and influence throughout the Relay community
• Serve as a lead author/voice for key internal communications (e.g., comments at Community Meetings, emails from the Executive Team to the Relay community, etc.) when necessary
• Set the vision for comprehensive internal communications strategy with input from communications consultant and other key stakeholders
• Collaborate with communications consultant and Special Projects team to develop and implement the internal communications plan including talking points for key internal communications for other senior leaders

Legal and Risk Management (10%)

• Collaborate with the Vice President on the design and oversight of an annual institutional risk audit
• Manage the Vice President as they liaise with external legal counsel and key Relay leaders
• Manage the Vice President, Legal as they work to raise, navigate, and resolve key legal issues and risks with the Executive Team and Board of Directors

Special Projects Team Management (10%)

• Identify and lead, coordinate, or delegate responses to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., natural disaster, death of a colleague or student, etc.) in collaboration with the Executive Team and other key stakeholders
• Manage a Special Projects team including several special projects and administrative staff members who deliver on various cross-institutional workstreams and projects
• Set vision for and manage efficient and effective use of the team’s time and talents across major institutional priorities and workstreams described above

Qualifications

First and foremost, the Chief of Staff must share the Relay community’s commitment to working together to improve student growth and achievement through phenomenal teacher preparation and professional development grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. This includes providing teacher preparation programs that set novice teachers up to succeed in the classroom from day one; leadership programs that train new and veteran school and district leaders to best serve their school communities; and teacher-facing professional education that provides ongoing learning to educators. Additionally, for this position we are looking for candidates that possess a combination of the following skills:

• Strong interpersonal and intrapersonal skills including emotional intelligence, advocacy and boundary setting, collaboration, relationship building, and leading through influence
• Track record of experience “managing up” in support of organizational leaders and making sound judgment calls in high-stakes situations
• Strong change management competencies including a track record of establishing pathways for cross-functional collaboration and balancing results with sensitivity to organizational culture
• Able to travel to Relay’s NYC office on a regular basis for in-person meetings (approximately 2-3 times per week)
• Track record of experience working across teams and functions to drive organizational outcomes or change; Experience with organizational strategic planning processes highly preferred
• Experience in education, nonprofit, or higher education organizations required; Knowledge of or exposure to the field of teacher and school leader preparation preferred
• 10+ years of relevant work experience required
• Extensive experience planning and managing complex projects and developing effective systems or processes
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including capacity to modulate communication approach to meet the needs of different audiences and goals and communicate effectively across lines of difference
• Minimum of three years of experience in a Chief of Staff or similar role working at the executive level in large and/or complex organizations required
• Demonstrated commitment to Relay’s values including diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Experience serving as representative for organizational leaders or the organization as a whole in communication with internal and external stakeholders
• Strategic thinker with demonstrated capacity to be adaptable, to navigate ambiguity, and a solution orientation
• Authorized to work in the United States
• Minimum of three years of experience leading a team required; Experience with “dotted line” or indirect supervision preferred

Relay prepares teachers and school leaders to teach students of all identities and backgrounds in order to push toward a time when this country no longer faces stark educational inequities. We recruit, develop, support, and retain a diverse staff, faculty, and graduate student body because we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and actively anti-racist institution. We know, and the data supports, that diversity, equity, and inclusion cultivate an environment in which people of all backgrounds can thrive and this is critical to achieving our mission of educational excellence and equity.

To fulfill that commitment, Relay encourages applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply for roles that align with their own interests and career trajectory. If you meet a majority of the qualifications and see yourself in this role, we would love to see your application!

Compensation

Relay is committed to creating and maintaining a compensation and benefits system that supports our ability to recruit and retain a diverse and talented team. As we make decisions about compensation, we will be guided by the following values: clarity, consistency, and internal equity. The salary range for this role is $183,476 to $275,212. New hires will be offered a salary at the starting point of the range and can expect their salary to be placed at the beginning of the range to allow for an equitable starting salary process and continual salary growth during an employee’s time at Relay GSE.

To ensure internal pay equity:

• All staff salaries will be capped at the salary range maximum, and
• New hires are not eligible for a salary at the high end of the role’s salary range,
• Relay does not negotiate salary offers.

Relay offers a comprehensive total rewards package. For full-time roles, this includes health insurance benefits, disability and life insurance, retirement plan, professional development, gym reimbursement, adoption assistance, paid time off (PTO), parental leave, etc. To learn more about Relay’s benefits, please visit here.

WORK LOCATION POLICY

Employees must have a primary work location within the US. Relay is a registered employer in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and Washington DC. Those who perform work from other states within the US not listed here, will be subjected to NYC state withholdings as Relay is headquartered in New York City.

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

Relay highly encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine. Relay abides by each state’s requirements, and acknowledges those may change over time. If moved forward to the phone screen stage, you will have the chance to ask your recruiter more about this policy.

Relay Graduate School of Education provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees.