Chief of Staff

The Rockefeller Foundation•New York, NY

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Chief of Staff (COS) is the central liaison working with the President of The Rockefeller Foundation and the rest of the organization to advance the Foundation’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities. The Chief of Staff is a trusted advisor who supports the President and executive leadership team and ensures that the organization is aligned and executing against its various strategies. Working across the Executive Team, Senior Leadership Team, and Board of Trustees, the Chief of Staff ensures alignment on institutional priorities, facilitates informed decision-making, and drives execution of the Foundation's highest-impact initiatives. Through active engagement across these groups, the Chief of Staff connects priorities, decisions, and action across the Foundation, creating the clarity and momentum needed to advance its most important work.

Requirements

15+ years of relevant experience, including significant experience advising senior executives and leading teams, functions, or complex bodies of work.
Bachelor’s degree.
Exceptional judgment and ability to assess competing priorities, anticipate emerging issues, and provide clear recommendations in complex or sensitive situations.
Ability to think strategically, ask probing questions, critically assess potential impacts, and translate research, ideas, and insights into actionable recommendations.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple complex priorities and initiatives simultaneously.
Strong ability to develop, nurture, and maintain effective relationships with senior leaders and external partners across sectors and regions.
Experience facilitating senior-level discussions, decision-making, and alignment across multiple stakeholders with differing perspectives and priorities.
Strong understanding of the philanthropic, public-sector, economic, and development contexts in which the Foundation operates.
Significant leadership experience, including developing, coaching, and managing staff and creating accountability for results.
Highly developed written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to listen and learn from diverse constituencies.
Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and to the values of equity, fairness, diversity, voice and participation, knowledge and creativity, humility and respect, and honesty and integrity.

Nice To Haves

Integration of AI into key workstreams.

Responsibilities

Serve as a key advisor to the President on all aspects of the Foundation's business, helping assess priorities, emerging issues, and opportunities requiring the President’s attention.
Provide strategic oversight of the President’s activities and schedule, ensuring the allocation of time and attention reflects the Foundation’s highest priorities while directing the Executive Office team responsible for day-to-day calendar management.
Represent the President and The Rockefeller Foundation as required, both internally and externally, and serve as a senior ambassador with the Foundation’s partners.
Develop and maintain an ongoing agenda of strategic and organizational priorities for the President, working in collaboration with leaders across the Foundation to advance high-priority initiatives and resolve issues requiring senior-level attention.
Work across the Foundation to ensure the effective flow of information and decisions between the President’s Office and other functions and to drive timely follow-through on priorities and commitments.
Lead engagement with the Executive Team and Senior Leadership Team, using these forums to surface and address critical issues, facilitate decision-making, strengthen organizational alignment, and drive progress against institutional priorities.
Collaborate with the SVP, Communications and team on the strategic use of the President’s voice, including external engagements and internal and external communications.
Provide strategic oversight of the Foundation’s engagement with the Board of Trustees, serving as a key liaison between the President and Trustees and ensuring effective governance, communication, and engagement.
Lead the planning and execution of Board meetings and retreats, working with the President and EVPs to shape agendas around the Foundation’s strategic priorities and overseeing the preparation of materials, required approvals, and meeting execution.
Lead trustee recruitment, orientation, and retirement activities and oversee ongoing trustee engagement.
Build and manage an alumni network of Trustees that is aligned with our Connected Leaders platform.
Lead and manage the President’s Office, establishing priorities and ensuring the team operates effectively in support of the President and the Foundation’s institutional priorities.
Hire, develop, and manage the President’s Office staff, providing clear direction and accountability for individual and team results.
Lead the continued evolution of the President’s Office practices and ways of working, including the integration of AI into key workstreams.