Chief of Staff to the Executive Director

Blueprint Biosecurity • Washington, DC

9d • Remote

About The Position

We encourage you to apply by March 20. The application will remain open after this date, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The Chief of Staff to the Executive Director will be a force multiplier and thought partner to Executive Director Jake Swett, helping translate our highest-stakes decisions into coordinated, on-time execution. This is a new position created to maximize our impact at a moment when getting it right could mean dramatically faster deployment of airborne pathogen mitigation technologies.

Blueprint is at an inflection point. Multiple landmark far-UVC studies will report in early 2026. Our government affairs function, launched just last year, has already secured six mentions on the importance of reusable respirators across House and Senate Appropriations bills. We're poised to influence hundreds of millions in pandemic preparedness funding and shape deployment of technologies that could protect millions during the next outbreak. How well we execute over the next 12–18 months will determine whether that potential becomes reality. For the right person, this is a chance to do the work that could end the era of pandemics.

Acting as an extension of Jake’s capacity and reach, the Chief of Staff will be a trusted collaborator who combines sharp strategic judgment with exceptional follow-through. You anticipate problems before they surface, think clearly under pressure, and are equally comfortable pressure-testing a strategy and building the plan to execute it. You take satisfaction in closing loops, driving accountability, and getting complex work across the finish line. You'll extend Jake’s management reach by serving as a bridge at the top of the organization, requiring strong informal leadership, sound judgment in people dynamics, and a genuine interest in supporting leaders to do their best work.

While responsibilities will evolve over time, the core mandate is constant: extend the Executive Director’s capacity and ensure that Blueprint’s top priorities are translated into disciplined execution and measurable progress.

Requirements

• Strategic judgment on timelines and tradeoffs. You can weigh near-term versus long-term impact, make decisions under uncertainty when delay has real costs, and prioritize across very different opportunities (research, partnerships, grants, capacity investments).
• Clear, rigorous reasoning. You can walk through your thought process, ground decisions in best-guess quantifications even when numbers are rough, name assumptions, and flag uncertainties openly while balancing precision with epistemic humility.
• Strong stakeholder instincts. You know what to emphasize depending on the audience (funders, partners, researchers, policymakers) while maintaining integrity and consistency, and you understand how messages land across the biosecurity ecosystem.
• Anticipation of priorities. Over time, you'll develop the ability to ask "What would matter most here? What does Jake need to know? Where's the real risk or leverage?" and act accordingly.
• Excellent communication. You write and speak clearly with strong judgment about tone and audience, and you maintain high levels of confidentiality with sensitive information.
• Relentless execution. You are known for closing loops, not dropping balls, and ensuring that commitments, especially high-stakes ones, are carried through fully and on time.
• Energy for the people side of leadership. You genuinely enjoy staying close to senior staff, strengthening alignment, reinforcing clarity and accountability, and extending the Executive Director’s management reach in ways that help others do their best work.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in nonprofit organizations, startups, or other high-growth environments where you've navigated rapid scale and ambiguity.
• Familiarity with biosecurity, public health, pandemic preparedness, or related fields (or demonstrated ability to quickly build expertise in new technical domains).
• Background in strategy consulting, operations, or organizational development with exposure to strategic decision-making frameworks.
• Experience managing direct reports, influencing cross-functionally without formal authority, and/or effectively managing up to support senior leadership.
• Experience managing or coordinating with board members, funders, or other senior external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a close advisor to the Executive Director, helping sharpen priorities, stress-test decisions, and translate strategy into focused action.
• Track commitments across the Executive Director’s portfolio, proactively flagging when priorities need to shift and ensuring consistent, on-time follow-through.
• Drive cross-team communication and collaboration, anticipating misalignment risks and surfacing tradeoffs early.
• Step in for the Executive Director when needed, taking meetings, making decisions in his absence, and representing Blueprint's leadership position to internal and external stakeholders.
• Own strategic communications from the Executive Director, ensuring the organization and key external partners stay aligned on priorities.
• Work closely with senior staff to clarify strategy and translate priorities into clear goals, owners, KPIs, and timelines.
• Serve as a bridge to senior program staff, maintaining alignment and resolving cross-functional bottlenecks.
• Establish and maintain a simple, steady operating rhythm for meetings, decisions, and follow-up.
• Ruthlessly prioritize the highest-leverage activities, protecting leadership time for what matters most, and helping teams stay focused on reaching their goals.
• Bring independent perspective to key decisions, push back constructively when needed, and work with leaders to ensure good decisions are made and executed.
• Partner closely with the Chief of Staff to the COO to ensure seamless coordination between Jake's priorities and organizational operations.
• Partner on hiring, organizational development, and strategic initiatives that span Executive Director and COO work.
• Share context and align on priorities to ensure Blueprint's leadership operates as a unified team.
• Manage the Executive Assistant to Executive Director and COO.
• Prepare the Executive Director for major external engagements and maintain momentum on resulting priorities.
• Draft high-stakes communications to board members, funders, partners, and staff.
• Lead and own high-priority initiatives that advance Blueprint's strategic objectives, particularly around fundraising and stakeholder management.
• Prepare the Executive Director for major external moments, including funder meetings, board engagements, and other high-stakes public events, stepping in to advance these relationships when appropriate.

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO + paid holidays.
• Generous health and wellness benefits through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) for you and your family.
• Fully paid family leave.
• Annual 401(k) contributions equal to 10% of your base salary.
• $5,000 annually to support professional development and productive remote work.
• Access to multiple state-of-the-art LLMs.
• Institutional access to a range of major news outlets and publications.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed