Chief of Staff

Chicago Sun-Times • Chicago, IL

8d • $118,100 - $147,620

About The Position

As our Chief of Staff, you will serve as the "right hand" to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC), managing journalistic content alongside high-level project management, multi-platform strategic initiatives, and operational oversight.
Your primary objective will be to support the EIC at a strategic level, driving business results and organizational alignment by acting as a liaison between the editorial department in addition to the business side of the organization. In this role, you will maintain a focus on long-term projects, partnerships, and strategic goals that extend beyond daily editorial cycles.
Our ideal candidate is a research-oriented "completist" with a proven track record of launching and successfully sustaining major initiatives. This role requires high emotional intelligence, authentic communication skills, and unwavering ethical judgment. The Chief of Staff should possess a unique blend of editorial authority and experience in business, technical, and operational leadership. We are looking for an individual who has successfully managed complex, non-journalism initiatives while simultaneously overseeing editorial project management.

Requirements

• Experience: 8+ years in editorial operations, leadership, consulting, or operational roles with direct experience managing editorial staff and demonstrating editorial judgment, leadership, and experience in daily and enterprise journalism.
• Strategic Planning: Experience collaborating across digital, audio, and visual platforms translating executive visions into actionable plans and managing cross-functional initiatives with the editorial and business side of the company.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills for staff communications, newsroom logistics, report preparation, strategy management, and stakeholder relationship management.
• Project Management: Excellent organizational skills with the proven ability to oversee multiple projects, improve operational efficiency, and drive initiatives.
• Passion: Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in storytelling and newsroom leadership; Deep understanding of local news and public media values.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with the Chicago region is a plus.
• Soft Skills: High emotional intelligence, discretion, adaptability, integrity and strong problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Advisory: Serves as a trusted advisor to the Editor in Chief, helping to translate editorial and organizational vision into executable priorities.
• Operational Management: Track progress on top organizational goals and initiatives, managing daily operations, prioritizing tasks, and tracking performance metrics to ensure organizational productivity.
• Communication & Liaison: Bridges communication between the Editor-in-Chief and content staff, ensuring alignment and acting as a sounding board on sensitive editorial, staffing, or reputational decisions.
• Strategic Projects & Initiatives: Leads and manages critical, cross-functional, and special projects from inception to completion, ensuring proper preparation and follows up on action items.
• Problem-Solving & Decision Support: Analyzes issues, mitigates risks, and provides recommendations to the EIC, acting as a non-judgmental sounding board.

Benefits

• Chicago Public Media provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the organization reasonably expects to pay for a position.
• Our benefits include a competitive salary and benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, vacation, holidays, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement savings, and a commuter benefits plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive