Chief of Staff Innovation & Technology

City of Charlotte•Charlotte, NC

12h

About The Position

The Chief of Staff is a senior leadership role that serves as the right hand to the Deputy Director of Innovation and Technology in driving operational alignment, strategic execution, and cross-functional coordination across the department. This role helps translate executive priorities into actionable plans, ensures key initiatives move forward, and provides the structure, communication, and follow-through needed to support department-wide execution. The Chief of Staff serves as a trusted partner to the Deputy Director and a key connector across Innovation and Technology divisions, City departments, external partners, and vendors. The role provides leadership for special projects, executive communications, budget and procurement coordination, and partnership support, while ensuring the Deputy Director has the information, insight, and operational support needed to make timely decisions.

Requirements

High School Graduate or Equivalent and eleven (11) years of related work experience OR 2 Year College Degree and nine (9) years of related work experience OR Bachelor's Level Degree and seven (7) year of related work experience OR Master's Level Degree and five (5) years of related work experience or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the essential job duties.
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, Communications, Information Technology, Finance, or a related field.
7+ years of experience in strategic operations, project leadership, executive support, budget coordination, procurement, communications, or organizational execution.
Experience leading cross-functional work in a complex organization.
Strong executive presence, judgment, discretion, and ability to work with senior leaders.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare polished executive-level materials.
Ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations, action plans, and decision points.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders.
Experience supporting budget, procurement, vendor, or resource planning processes.
Demonstrated ability to build relationships, drive follow-through, and move work forward through influence.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Deputy Director to translate department priorities into actionable plans, timelines, and follow-up.
Lead coordination of cross-functional initiatives that require input, alignment, or execution across multiple teams.
Track progress on key priorities, identify risks or barriers, and elevate decision points to the Deputy Director.
Strengthen operating rhythms, including leadership meetings, executive updates, project reviews, and department communication cadences.
Lead special projects or priority assignments on behalf of the Deputy Director, ensuring work is well-organized, clearly communicated, and completed on schedule.
Lead engagement with division-level leaders to support cross-divisional alignment, elevate department-wide issues, and serve as a connection point between senior leaders and the Executive Leadership Team.
Ensure follow-through on decisions made by the Deputy Director and Executive Leadership Team by tracking commitments, owners, timelines, and outcomes.
Support leadership oversight of the Innovation and Technology budget portfolio by coordinating budget updates, tracking key issues, and preparing materials for decision-making.
Coordinate with finance, procurement, and division leaders to support budget planning, forecasting, expenditure tracking, and resource discussions.
Provide leadership and coordination for procurement-related activities, including contract tracking, renewal planning, vendor follow-up, and procurement status reporting.
Identify budget or procurement risks, process gaps, delays, or decision points that require leadership attention.
Help ensure purchasing, contracts, and vendor activity are aligned with department priorities, timelines, and City requirements.
Develop executive-level communications, presentations, memos, talking points, and briefing materials for the Deputy Director.
Synthesize complex information into clear, concise updates, recommendations, and decision points.
Support department-wide communication efforts, including leadership updates, town halls, employee communications, and executive reporting.
Ensure communications are aligned with department priorities, leadership direction, and the Deputy Director’s voice.
Prepare the Deputy Director for key meetings, presentations, partner discussions, and strategic conversations.
Coordinate responses to urgent, sensitive, or high-priority matters on behalf of the Deputy Director, ensuring timely follow-up and alignment with City protocols.
Support the Deputy Director’s external partnership efforts with civic, academic, nonprofit, technology, and private-sector partners.
Coordinate partner meetings, agendas, briefing materials, follow-ups, and next steps.
Help identify opportunities to connect partner capabilities with department priorities, innovation initiatives, pilot opportunities, and community-facing programs.
Track partnership commitments, timelines, and outcomes to ensure follow-through and visibility.
Support planning and coordination for external convenings, site visits, panels, and strategic engagement opportunities.
Help prepare materials for elected officials, executive leadership, community stakeholders, and external partners as needed.
Identify opportunities to improve internal processes, meeting rhythms, documentation, and information-sharing practices.
Support change management efforts by helping teams understand new processes, expectations, timelines, and decision points.
Coordinate across teams to clarify ownership, reduce duplication, and improve follow-through.
Build strong working relationships across Innovation and Technology, City departments, vendors, and external partners.
Help foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, responsiveness, and service-oriented leadership.
Coordinate with City Manager’s Office, Budget, HR, Finance, Procurement, Communications, and other central functions to advance department priorities.