Interim Chief of Staff & Strategic Initiatives
About The Position
The Umoja Community Education Foundation (UCEF) is seeking an exceptional executive leader to serve as its Interim Chief of Staff & Strategic Initiatives. This role is a trusted strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer, responsible for translating organizational vision into coordinated action. The position offers a unique opportunity to work alongside an experienced Executive Leadership Team and help shape the future of an influential organization dedicated to advancing student success, educational excellence, and institutional transformation. The Interim Chief of Staff & Strategic Initiatives serves as the CEO's senior strategic partner and organizational integrator, ensuring alignment, disciplined execution, and enterprise-wide follow-through on Umoja's highest strategic priorities. This executive acts as a force multiplier for the CEO, transforming strategy into measurable results by coordinating initiatives, monitoring execution, identifying organizational risks, and supporting executive decision-making. The role leads through influence, strategic coordination, executive partnership, and organizational alignment, rather than managing departments or exercising operational authority.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree required
- Eight to twelve years of progressively responsible executive leadership, strategy, consulting, or Chief of Staff experience.
- Demonstrated success partnering directly with CEOs, presidents, executive directors, or executive leadership teams.
- Exceptional analytical, organizational, communication, and project leadership skills.
- Outstanding judgment, discretion, political acumen, and executive presence.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives without relying on formal authority.
Nice To Haves
- Master's or other advanced degree preferred.
- Experience in higher education, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, public policy, organizational development, or statewide initiatives is strongly preferred.
Responsibilities
- Translate CEO priorities into enterprise-wide implementation plans, timelines, and performance measures.
- Monitor progress toward Umoja's Strategic Plan and Executive Leadership Team priorities.
- Identify organizational risks, bottlenecks, competing priorities, and capacity challenges requiring executive attention.
- Lead CEO-directed strategic initiatives spanning multiple departments and functional areas.
- Prepare executive analyses, presentations, briefings, and recommendations for CEO and Board decision-making.
- Facilitate Executive Leadership Team coordination, alignment, and accountability.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO on organizational effectiveness, executive priorities, and strategic opportunities.
- Help maximize executive effectiveness through thoughtful planning, prioritization, and follow-through.
Benefits
- Relocation assistance may be considered for exceptionally qualified candidates.
- Benefits consistent with Umoja's policies for limited-term executive employees.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
