Chief Strategy Officer & Chief of Staff

ORNL Federal Credit Union•Oak Ridge, TN

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Chief Strategy Officer & Chief of Staff (CSO/COS) serves as a strategic advisor to the President & CEO and a key member of the executive leadership team. The role leads the enterprise strategic planning process and supports alignment among the Board of Directors and executive leadership team, translating the credit union’s long-term vision into coordinated priorities, measurable outcomes, and sustained execution. The position leads the annual strategic planning cycle, including offsites and quarterly updates; establishes frameworks and materials for strategic discussions; monitors plan execution and reports progress, risks, and deviations; and coordinates alignment across executives, departments, initiatives, and organizational communications. It also provides strategic intelligence and evaluates growth, transformation, investment, and partnership opportunities. As Chief of Staff, the role advises the CEO, supports executive-team effectiveness, resolves cross-functional barriers, coordinates leadership agendas, and prepares Board and executive-level reporting and decision materials.

Requirements

12 or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including significant experience in strategy, financial services, management consulting, enterprise transformation, corporate development, operations, or executive leadership.
Demonstrated experience advising senior executives, leading enterprise strategic planning, managing complex cross-functional initiatives, and preparing executive- and Board-level materials.
Demonstrated ability to evaluate significant business opportunities and influence outcomes without relying solely on direct authority.
Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, economics, strategy, organizational leadership, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, or military service.
Ability to sit and/or stand at a desk for a minimum of 8 hours a day and complete tasks requiring repetitive use of hands.
Ability to lift and move items up to 15 pounds.
Ability to see written documents and computer screens and adjust focus.

Nice To Haves

Experience working within a complex, regulated financial institution.
Credit union experience, or substantial financial-services and strategic leadership experience.
Master’s degree, MBA, or equivalent advanced education.
Credit union industry leadership certifications.

Responsibilities

Design and lead the enterprise strategic planning cycle, including the annual offsite and quarterly update sessions.
Establish objectives, agendas, decision frameworks, and supporting materials for strategic discussions and decisions by the Board, CEO, and executive leadership team.
Maintain an integrated view of strategic priorities, performance measures, dependencies, risks, and resource requirements while preserving executives’ accountability for execution.
Serve as Vice Chair of the Project Steering Committee and help ensure initiatives critical to the three-year strategic plan are prioritized and resourced.
Monitor strategic-plan execution and report progress, achievements, emerging challenges, and material deviations to the CEO and Board; recommend adjustments when warranted.
Coordinate strategic alignment across executive leadership, functional areas, departmental priorities, major initiatives, and organizational communications.
Partner with the communications function to help employees understand strategic direction, progress, and their role in execution; coordinate material strategic communications with the CEO.
Evaluate strategic results against original objectives and apply lessons from execution to future planning and decisions.
Identify emerging trends and disruptive forces affecting credit unions, including demographic change, member expectations, technology, artificial intelligence, payments, fintech, economic conditions, regulation, and workforce trends.
Evaluate opportunities involving geographic expansion, new markets, products and services, partnerships, fintech relationships, acquisitions, mergers, and other growth opportunities.
Develop business cases and decision frameworks for significant enterprise investments and strategic choices.
Ensure strategic decisions consider financial performance, member value, organizational capacity, employee impact, risk, and sustainable community impact.
Monitor external competitive dynamics and identify opportunities for differentiation and long-term relevance.
Advise and serve as a thought partner to the CEO, providing independent analysis, sound judgment, and constructive challenge when appropriate.
Increase CEO and executive-team effectiveness by identifying issues requiring leadership attention and ensuring preparation, coordination, and follow-through.
Partner with executive leaders to resolve cross-functional barriers and organizational dependencies that could impede strategic execution.
Coordinate executive leadership meeting agendas around enterprise priorities, decisions, performance, and strategic issues.
Maintain visibility into major enterprise initiatives and proactively elevate risks, conflicts, resource constraints, or decisions requiring CEO attention.
Partner with the CEO and appropriate executives to prepare Board strategy discussions, retreats, presentations, and decision materials.
Help align Board-approved strategic direction with management execution while maintaining clear distinctions between governance and management responsibilities.
Develop concise executive- and Board-level reporting on progress, risks, tradeoffs, decisions required, and strategic outcomes.
Champion an enterprise perspective and encourage decisions based on what is best for the overall credit union.
Perform other executive-level responsibilities, special assignments, and job-related duties as directed or assigned.