Chief of Staff

Lighthouse•Pontiac, MI

15h•Onsite

About The Position

About Lighthouse: Lighthouse MI is a growing non-profit, established in 2019 when Lighthouse of Oakland County and South Oakland Shelter joined forces to offer a stronger collective response to poverty in our Metro Detroit community. With over 80 years of combined experience, the organization's scope of services has grown to encompass emergency shelter and food distribution; financial assistance; affordable housing and community development; supportive service solutions; and crowdfunding technologies that have contributed to thousands of displaced people getting back on their feet and finding a renewed sense of purpose. Lighthouse owns and operates Spero Housing Group, a subsidiary non-profit dedicated specifically to developing and operating high quality affordable and supportive housing for persons of low and moderate income, as well as HandUp, a community and crowdfunding platform serving 100+ homeless service agencies and their clients across the United States. The organization is one of seven community development organizations throughout the State of Michigan that serve as chartered members of the NeighborWorks America community development network. Position Summary Reporting directly to the President & CEO, the Chief of Staff will act as the CEO’s surrogate and strategic extension across governance, external stakeholder relationships, and community-based initiatives. Internally, the Chief of Staff will be the architect of the executive team’s operating infrastructure — driving the meeting cadence, information flow, and performance visibility that enable the CEO and executive team to focus on strategy rather than task management. Externally, they will cultivate and manage relationships with government, philanthropic institutions, and civic and business communities on behalf of the CEO — positioning Lighthouse as a collaborative, systems-minded partner in community problem-solving. Across all areas, the Chief of Staff will engage in community-based initiatives and strategic efforts where CEO-level presence is needed but CEO bandwidth is limited. The ideal candidate is an organizationally sophisticated, externally credible leader who is equally comfortable facilitating an executive team meeting and representing Lighthouse at a city hall table or a foundation convening. They bring a track record of building trust with diverse stakeholders, moving complex work forward through relationships and influence, and operating as a genuine thought partner to senior leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required OR 4 years of experience in public administration, public policy, social work, business, or a related field strongly preferred.
10 or more years of progressively responsible professional experience, including demonstrated experience operating at or closely supporting a senior executive level in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
Demonstrated track record of building and managing relationships across at least two of the following communities: government and public sector, philanthropic institutions, and civic or business organizations.
Proven ability to represent an organization or leader externally with credibility, discretion, and values-alignment — including in settings where the executive they represent is not present.
Experience advancing complex, multi-partner community efforts through relationships, trust-building, and influence rather than formal authority.
Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including the ability to write and speak on behalf of an executive across diverse audiences and settings.
Strong organizational judgment and the ability to build and manage systems — including performance tracking, information management, and meeting/governance infrastructure.
High emotional intelligence, political acuity, and the ability to navigate complex organizational and community dynamics with discretion, care, and integrity.
Deep commitment to Lighthouse’s mission and core values: Compassion, Equity, Collaboration, Advocacy, Innovation, and Stewardship.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree required OR 7 years of experience in public administration, public policy, social work, business, or a related field strongly preferred.
15 or more years of progressively responsible professional experience, including demonstrated experience operating at or closely supporting a senior executive level in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
Established relationships across Southeast Michigan’s government, philanthropic, and/or civic communities.
Experience in the nonprofit sector, particularly in human services, affordable housing, or community development.
Familiarity with place-based community initiatives, collective impact models, or community development finance.
Experience supporting board governance in a nonprofit context, including preparation of materials, governance records management, or board relations.
Familiarity with strategic planning facilitation, organizational performance measurement, or executive team operating design.
Lived experience with poverty, housing instability, or the communities Lighthouse serves.

Responsibilities

Board Governance Serve as the CEO’s primary surrogate in all board governance logistics — managing the annual board calendar, coordinating agenda development with the CEO and Board Chair, preparing and distributing board meeting materials, and ensuring timely follow-up on all board decisions and action items. Assume responsibility for Lighthouse’s compliance with governance records, bylaws requirements, and meeting minutes standards — maintaining these functions on behalf of the CEO with the same diligence and authority as the CEO would exercise directly. Serve as the keeper and manager of Lighthouse’s board portal — ensuring board members, committee chairs, and governance processes are supported by current, well-organized resources, including orientation materials, conflict of interest disclosures, term limit tracking, and committee documentation. Maintain a working relationship with the Board Chair, Vice Chair, board committee chairs, and the elected Secretary — communicating directly on behalf of the CEO and ensuring board leadership is consistently informed and well-prepared. Lead board recruitment pipeline management in coordination with the CEO and Governance Committee — tracking prospective board members, coordinating cultivation efforts across the executive team, and ensuring the pipeline reflects Lighthouse’s diversity and governance needs. Support the CEO in preparing for board and committee meetings, including briefing materials, talking points, and coordinated input from relevant executive team members.
Executive Team Operating Systems Own the design and ongoing management of the executive team’s operating rhythm — proactively collecting agenda items from all executive team members before each meeting, sorting items according to whether they are best addressed with the CEO in 1:1s, resolved between departments without full team involvement, or require collective executive team engagement, and facilitating meetings accordingly. Ensure executive team meetings are driven by strategy, collective problem-solving, and cross-departmental coordination — not task tracking — by actively managing the agenda architecture and redirecting operational items to appropriate channels. Develop and maintain organizational performance dashboards and strategic plan tracking systems that make commitments, KPIs, and progress transparently visible to the CEO and full executive team — making performance measurement a central feature of how the team operates collectively. Serve as the keeper of executive team commitments and strategic plan milestones — tracking what was agreed, surfacing where progress is lagging, and ensuring the CEO has timely, clear information to make decisions about course correction. While authority over direct accountability mechanisms will remain with the CEO and departmental leaders, this role’s function is to bring greater visibility of performance around our strategic commitments, in order to accelerate collective progress. Lead coordination of Lighthouse’s strategic planning process — beginning with identifying and engaging a planning facilitator, advising the CEO and Board Chair on approach and timeline, and managing the multi-month planning process through to a completed strategic framework. Support the CEO in preparing for internal leadership meetings and all-staff communications, ensuring organizational priorities are communicated clearly and consistently across the organization.
Government & Policy Serve as the CEO’s primary liaison to government stakeholders at the municipal, county, state, and federal levels — including the City of Pontiac, City of Detroit, Oakland County and relevant state and federal agencies and elected officials. Manage government relationships with the same intentionality as donor management — tracking the status of key relationships, identifying how each connects to Lighthouse’s organizational initiatives, setting goals, and coordinating next steps with the appropriate internal Lighthouse contacts. Proactively identify government initiatives, policy conversations, and funding opportunities where Lighthouse should have a presence or seat at the table — keeping the CEO informed and connecting the right Lighthouse team members to the right government counterparts. Represent Lighthouse at government coalitions, working groups, and civic convenings as the CEO’s surrogate — with a mandate to listen, build relationships, share Lighthouse’s perspective, and advance organizational positioning. Coordinate closely with Lighthouse’s advocacy function on government engagement — with the Chief of Staff and CEO holding direct relationships with elected officials and governmental department leadership, and Lighthouse’s advocacy staff managing relationships with staffers and advancing specific policy and appropriations goals.
Philanthropy Represent the CEO in relationships with foundation Presidents, Vice Presidents, and senior program leadership — building the trusted, ideas-driven relationships at the foundation leadership level that keep Lighthouse top of mind as a collaborative community partner and extension of funders’ own community goals. Engage philanthropic partners at the community ideation and strategy level — ensuring Lighthouse is considered as a thought partner and co-investor in community problem-solving, not only as a grant applicant. This function is complementary to and coordinated with the CPO’s team, which manages program officer relationships and grantmaking cadences. Support the CEO in stewarding relationships with Lighthouse’s most significant philanthropic partners — including preparation for high-level funder meetings, follow-up, and relationship continuity. Solicitation of gifts and grants remains the responsibility of the CPO and philanthropy team. Represent Lighthouse at philanthropic convenings, funder briefings, and community investment forums where CEO-level presence advances organizational goals.
Business & Civic Community Build and maintain relationships with civic organizations, neighborhood associations, and community groups — particularly in the neighborhoods surrounding Lighthouse’s housing developments — to maximize Lighthouse’s community presence and identify opportunities to connect Lighthouse departments with local organizations and initiatives. Serve as the CEO’s liaison to business and civic community tables, coalitions, and regional organizations, providing consistent executive representation that the CEO cannot maintain alone. Lead Lighthouse’s board recruitment relationship-building in the business and civic community — identifying prospective board members, cultivating relationships, and maintaining the board candidate pipeline in coordination with the CEO and Governance Committee. Coordinate Lighthouse’s presence across business and civic community tables, making connections between these organizations and the appropriate internal Lighthouse contacts for specific purposes. Direct solicitation of sponsorships or gifts is referred to the CPO and philanthropy team.
CEO Surrogate in Community Initiatives Represent the CEO in ongoing and emerging community-based initiatives and collaborative efforts — attending meetings, building relationships with partner organizations, advancing Lighthouse’s positioning, and keeping the CEO informed of developments, opportunities, and risks. Serve as a bridge between community-based initiatives and Lighthouse’s internal departments — identifying opportunities for Lighthouse programs, real estate, philanthropy, and other functions to participate in and benefit from community collaborations and facilitating the necessary internal coordination. Frame and develop Lighthouse’s potential roles in strategic community initiatives — making recommendations to the CEO and relevant internal leaders, seeking buy-in from impacted parties, and coordinating commitments in consultation with the appropriate executive team members. Lead Lighthouse’s organizational engagement with the Pontiac Neighborhood Fund — including relationship management with partner organizations and funders, governance participation, internal coordination of Lighthouse projects that may seek PNF resources, and ensuring the CEO is kept current on all significant developments. Build and steward strategic relationships with institutions, organizations, and community leaders in the neighborhoods surrounding Lighthouse’s housing developments — advancing Lighthouse’s community presence and identifying opportunities for collaborative investment and engagement.
CEO Partnership & Office Support Manage the CEO’s preparation for key internal and external engagements — developing briefing materials, talking points, background research, and contextual information as needed. Draft and edit a range of CEO communications, including staff messages, external correspondence, remarks, and stakeholder-facing materials.
Organizational Communications Serve as the primary coordinator for internal communication of critical or sensitive organizational events to the executive and leadership team — ensuring that significant developments, incidents, or emerging issues are escalated promptly, communicated accurately, and that leadership has the information needed to respond with a unified and informed voice. Lead the coordination and development of organizational communication plans for critical, sensitive, or high-visibility events — working in partnership with Lighthouse’s public relations resources, the CEO, and relevant executive team members to ensure messaging is strategic, consistent, timely, and appropriate across internal and external audiences. Maintain awareness of organizational developments, community dynamics, and external factors that may require proactive or responsive communications — advising the CEO on when a communication strategy is warranted and ensuring the right parties are engaged early enough to respond effectively.