Chief of Staff, Darden School of Business

UVA Health•Charlottesville, VA

1d•$150,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business seeks a strategic, highly organized, and relationship-oriented Chief of Staff to serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to its tenth Dean, Yael Grushka-Cockayne. This role joins the Dean's Office at a pivotal moment for the School. Darden is celebrating record enrollments, the continued expansion of UVA Darden DC Metro in Rosslyn, Virginia, the successful completion of a historic $632 million campaign, implementation of an ambitious campus master plan, and its sustained position as the world's top-ranked public Full-Time MBA program. Reporting directly to the Dean, the Chief of Staff helps translate strategic priorities into action by coordinating initiatives, facilitating communication, preparing the Dean for key engagements, and ensuring effective execution of decisions and commitments across the School and Foundation. Working closely with senior leaders, faculty, and University partners, the Chief of Staff helps maximize the effectiveness of the Dean's leadership, time, and attention. The successful candidate will bring exceptional judgment, discretion, organizational skill, and relationship-building ability, along with the capacity to navigate complex issues and drive results through influence and collaboration. This position will supervise a small team of professionals who support the Dean’s Office and its initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
8+ years of relevant professional experience
4+ years of formal management experience required.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree such as an MBA, MPP, JD, PhD, or related graduate degree.
Seven or more years of progressively responsible professional experience in strategy, consulting, higher education administration, project management, business operations, public policy, communications, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience supporting senior executives or organizational leaders in complex environments with a proven ability to influence and achieve results through collaboration and relationship-building rather than formal authority.
Exceptional project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and with data-driven decision-making
Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving capabilities.
Ability to navigate ambiguity, exercise sound judgment, and manage sensitive matters with discretion.
Adaptability and willingness to pick up and lead new initiatives.
Outstanding written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
Familiarity with the opportunities and challenges facing higher education and business education preferred.

Responsibilities

Support implementation of the Dean's strategic priorities and key initiatives.
Monitor progress on priorities, milestones, commitments, and deliverables, ensuring accountability and follow-through.
Anticipate challenges, risks, and barriers and elevate issues requiring the Dean's attention.
Coordinate across School leaders, faculty, and key stakeholders to drive alignment and execution.
Conduct research, analysis, and executive-level staff work to inform strategic decision-making.
Lead or support special projects and initiatives that advance the Dean's agenda and the School's strategic priorities.
Partner closely with the Associate Director of Executive Operations to prioritize and implement the Dean's schedule, commitments, and strategic engagements.
Ensure the Dean is fully prepared for meetings, events, speaking engagements, advancement activities, and key stakeholder interactions through thoughtful briefing materials, talking points, and presentations.
Capture and communicate outcomes, decisions, commitments, and follow-up actions resulting from meetings and engagements.
Support the Dean's work in advancement, academic initiatives, alumni engagement, and external relations.
Serve as a thought partner in helping the Dean deploy time and attention toward the School's highest priorities.
Collaborate with Communications & Marketing to coordinate internal communications, thought leadership opportunities, public messaging, and social media strategies that support the Dean's objectives and Darden's reputation.
Provide supervision and guidance for the Dean's Fellows Program and other leadership development initiatives.
Plan and facilitate Dean’s cabinet meetings and other leadership forums, including agenda development, preparation of materials, documentation of key decisions, and monitoring of follow-through.
Serve as a primary point of contact for cross-University engagement involving the Dean's office and support coordination with University leadership, schools, administrative units, and key partners across the University. Facilitate communication and follow-through on initiatives, requests, and partnerships.
Conduct benchmarking and research on issues relevant to the School, higher education, and business education.
Lead enterprise-wide coordination of institutional rankings and surveys, ensuring the timely collection, validation, and submission of complex data requests.
In collaboration with Foundation staff, assist with preparation for Board meetings, advisory councils, strategic retreats, and other key leadership engagements.
Build and maintain productive relationships with faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, University leaders, and external stakeholders.
Perform other duties as assigned in support of the Dean's priorities and strategic objectives.