Chief of Staff & Innovation

Equality Now•New York, NY

21h•$150,000 - $180,000•Remote

About The Position

The Chief of Staff (COS) plays a pivotal role in advancing Equality Now’s global mission by ensuring strategic and operational cohesion across the organization. As a trusted advisor and thought partner to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the COS leads cross-functional initiatives, strengthens decision-making, and champions the execution of organizational priorities with integrity, accountability, and feminist values. They will also oversee Equality Now’s Innovation portfolio. This role spans both internal and external functions, including CEO presence, team leadership, project and campaign management, fundraising, public engagement, executive communications, and board governance, requiring a seasoned leader with sound judgment, cross-cultural fluency, and the ability to synthesize complexity into clear, actionable global strategies. As a newly established position, the COS has a unique opportunity to shape the role in partnership with the CEO. The successful candidate must be comfortable navigating ambiguity, setting the pace for cross-cutting work, and leading with curiosity and confidence in a dynamic and evolving global environment.

Requirements

Expertise in Gender Justice & Legal Reform: Extensive knowledge of gender justice, human rights, and adjacent social justice movements, with a strong understanding of policy and advocacy frameworks.
Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of financial management principles as they relate to organizational strategy and nonprofit operations, including working knowledge of budgeting processes, resource allocation, financial analysis, and reporting. Investment knowledge is a plus.
Global Fluency: Adept at working across cultures, regions, and languages, demonstrating sensitivity to political and social dynamics in diverse contexts.
Risk Management & Operational Strategy: Strong ability to assess institutional risks, mitigate compliance challenges, and implement operational structures that enhance resilience, efficiency, and ethical governance.
Discretion & Ethical Leadership: Trusted to handle confidential matters with integrity, ensuring awareness of internal dynamics, reputational risks, and ethical best practices.
Diplomatic & Strategic Collaboration: Skilled in navigating internal hierarchies and fostering strong relationships with external stakeholders, including donors, partners, and advocates.
Change Navigation & Adaptive Leadership: Comfortable operating in dynamic, fast-evolving environments; able to lead through uncertainty, anticipate disruption, and drive clarity and alignment amid change.
Executive-Level Communication: Proven ability to secure visible platforms for CEO speaking/presence and leverage strategic opportunities or wins. Proven ability to draft, review, and refine high-stakes communications, including board memos, donor and public facing briefings, public statements, and internal updates, into clear, accessible messaging tailored to diverse stakeholders.
Strategic Storytelling & Messaging: Demonstrated skill in framing complex organizational priorities into persuasive narratives to mobilize support across internal teams, external partners, funders, and broader networks.
Stakeholder Engagement & Representation: Track record of representing senior leadership in meetings and correspondence with authority and professionalism; adept at navigating high-pressure discussions with diplomacy and emotional intelligence.
Cross-Cultural & Global Fluency: Experience communicating across regions and cultures with sensitivity to political and social contexts; ability to adapt tone and language for inclusive and locally relevant engagement.
Internal Communication & Influence: Ability to streamline cross-functional communication, clarify institutional priorities, track executive decisions and deliverables, and ensure shared understanding of roles, responsibilities, and timelines.
Confidentiality & Discretion: Unwavering commitment to confidentiality in both written and verbal communications, particularly concerning personnel matters, strategic initiatives, and governance issues.
Written & Verbal Agility: Capacity to adapt communication style and format based on audience, switching seamlessly between formal reports, technical briefings, board presentations, and informal updates to support executive decision-making.
Executive Presence & Strategic Influence: Communicates with authority, clarity, and diplomacy in high-level forums. Balances employee voice with organizational priorities to shape governance decisions, influence change, and advance mission-driven outcomes.
Project Management Excellence: Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives with defined goals, structured timelines, and accountability systems. Demonstrates sound judgment in balancing short-term demands and long-term deliverables to maintain momentum on strategic priorities.
Lead Innovations stream of work: Own leadership of Innovations working to plan and execute new initiatives from pilot stage to full implementation, with guidance from the CEO.
Operational Planning & Coordination: Experience designing and managing tracking systems to monitor progress toward institutional goals. Skilled in orchestrating executive team workflows, calendars, and decision-making rhythms for seamless coordination and execution.
Decision Support & Execution Readiness: Ability to synthesize data, stakeholder input, and strategic objectives into actionable insights for executive-level decision-making. Anticipates implementation challenges and proactively identifies practical solutions to advance initiatives with minimal disruption.
Crisis Navigation and Problem Solving: Demonstrated ability to respond decisively in fast-moving environments, managing stakeholder expectations and coordinating resolution efforts. Effectively triages issues, escalating when appropriate and resolving those within scope to protect leadership bandwidth.
Organizational Capacity & Resource Alignment: Strong aptitude for aligning people, roles, and resources with priority initiatives. Ensures appropriate staffing and support across mission-critical functions to achieve organizational goals.
Monitoring and Accountability: Skilled at tracking deliverables across departments while cultivating a culture of ownership. Reinforces follow-up and clarity around action items, timelines, and outcomes without micromanaging team dynamics.
Executive Workflow Optimization: Partners with executive support to streamline the CEO’s overall flow of work, beyond calendar management, by aligning strategic priorities, scheduling cadence, and decision-making rhythms. Ensures the CEO’s time and focus are dedicated to the highest-impact issues, removing operational bottlenecks and enabling agile, mission-driven leadership.
10+ years of leadership in nonprofit management, global advocacy, public policy, or organizational strategy, driving mission-aligned impact and institutional growth.
Proven track record managing complex, cross-functional projects and supporting Demonstrated success in leading complex, cross-functional initiatives and advising high-level stakeholders, including prominent leaders and international organizations. Strong preference for contributing within globally focused institutions.
A master’s degree in disciplines such as international relations, human rights, or organizational leadership is required.
Proficiency in English; fluency in French, Spanish, or Arabic desirable.
Strategic Leadership & Executive Advising: Serves as a trusted advisor to the CEO, anticipating challenges, synthesizing complex information, and offering actionable recommendations. Strengthens the CEO’s capacity to focus on high-impact priorities by streamlining decision-making and managing sensitive issues with discretion.
Inclusive Leadership, Coaching & Mentorship: Fosters a culture of equity, belonging, and learning within the Development team and across the organization. Coaches, motivates, and inspires individuals and teams, creating opportunities for growth and leadership development, particularly for women and underrepresented groups.
Relationship Building & Influence: Proven ability to cultivate and sustain strong, trust-based relationships internally across departments and externally with diverse partners, funders, and stakeholders.
Professionalism, Ethics & Safeguarding: Models the highest standards of integrity and core values. Ensures work upholds safeguarding principles, protects staff and partners, and aligns with Equality Now’s mission and values.
Organizational Agility & Resilience: Excels in complex, fast-moving environments. Balances ambitious organizational goals with adaptability and resilience, maintaining focus on long-term sustainability and mission priorities.
Teamwork & Collective Accountability: Actively contributes to a collaborative team culture, centering shared goals over individual agendas. Encourages joint ownership of decisions and results, shares credit for collective success, and supports colleagues across departments and regions. Able to work effectively with and without direct authority to deliver timely, high-quality outcomes.

Nice To Haves

A Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent legal degree in law, or a Masters in Business (MBA) is preferred.
Proficiency in English; fluency in French, Spanish, or Arabic desirable.

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the CEO, ensuring focus remains on the most impactful and mission-critical priorities.
Maintain internal and external leadership focus across the CEO’s diverse portfolio, including legal advocacy, media, diplomacy, fundraising, and public visibility.
Partner with the CEO to define, operationalize, and monitor strategic priorities across departments and regions, particularly Innovation.
Lead the development and execution of cross-organizational strategies that advance institutional growth, programmatic excellence, and alignment with organizational values.
Drive the creation of program roadmaps, campaign timelines, and internal systems that foster agility, transparency, and timely execution.
Provide strategic input and editorial guidance on speeches, publications, board communications, and external-facing materials.
Coordinate with internal teams (Communications, Programmes, Development, People & Culture and Finance) to ensure the CEO is fully briefed, aligned, and impactful in all engagements.
Draft high-quality briefing materials, talking points, memos, op-eds, and campaign content on behalf of the CEO.
Develop consistent and weekly external communications pieces on LinkedIn and other social media with the Communications team to build CEO visibility and thought leadership. Identify opportunities for external engagement and reputation management.
Represent the CEO as needed in internal and external meetings, maintaining consistency of message and clarity of next steps.
Support the cultivation and stewardship of key external relationships across civil society, media, international institutions, philanthropy, and academia. Ensure CEO presence and visibility in high impact spaces, both global and local.
Facilitate strategic engagement and communication with the Board of Directors and Global Advisory Board, ensuring the CEO is supported with timely updates, materials, and follow-ups.
Partner with the CEO and relevant teams to plan board meetings, track resolutions, and drive alignment between board guidance and organizational strategy.
Promote internal alignment by managing cross-functional workflows and ensuring coordination across senior leadership on strategic initiatives.
International travel (up to 20%) as required, to support global engagements, strategic initiatives, and partnership development.
Optimize the CEO’s time and energy by managing requests, prioritizing engagements, and ensuring consistent follow-through on decisions and commitments.
Supervise administrative and executive support staff serving Executive leadership, maintaining high-quality systems for scheduling, records, briefings, and rapid-response communication.
Monitor organizational capacity and resources, ensuring that strategic initiatives are appropriately scoped, sequenced, and staffed.
Lead the development and monitoring of SMART goals, RACIs, KPIs, and milestones aligned to institutional priorities and campaign objectives.
Oversee the execution of high-level projects, special initiatives, and campaign deliverables delegated by the CEO.
Track board-related actions, ensure timely follow-up, and maintain clear documentation.
Accompany the CEO to key engagements as needed and manage post-meeting debriefs, action tracking, and follow-ups across stakeholders.
Provide clear direction and oversight to direct reports, ensuring role clarity, accountability, and alignment with organizational goals.
Supervise staff through regular check-ins, performance monitoring, and feedback loops to uphold standards and support growth.
Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performing team culture rooted in transparency and mutual respect.
Serve as the escalation point for operational and personnel issues, resolving matters promptly and equitably.
Conduct performance reviews, offer constructive feedback, and identify development needs.
Mentor and coach team members to strengthen leadership, technical, and interpersonal skills.
Implement targeted training and professional development opportunities based on evolving team and organizational needs.
Promote cross-functional learning and knowledge sharing to build organizational capacity.
Ensure efficient workflow management, balanced workloads, and adequate staffing to meet service delivery goals.
Approve schedules, manage leave requests, and coordinate coverage to maintain operational continuity.
Monitor output quality and progress against objectives, providing guidance and corrective action as needed
Hold regular team meetings to share updates, set priorities, and address challenges collaboratively.
Ensure adherence to organizational policies, procedures, and ethical standards.
Oversee compliance with labor laws, workplace safety, and safeguarding protocols.
Address disciplinary and grievance matters fairly, consistently, and in accordance with legal and internal frameworks.
Facilitate effective communication across teams, departments, and leadership to support cohesion and strategic alignment, consistent with Equality Now values of Integrity & Accountability, Inclusiveness, Resilience and Empathy.