Deputy Chief of Staff

Western Governors University•Salt Lake, UT

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Deputy Chief of Staff is a key operational leader within the Office of the President at Western Governors University (WGU), based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, this individual helps ensure the President’s vision, priorities, and commitments are translated into thoughtful, coordinated execution across the President’s office, WGU’s Salt Lake City headquarters, and key external engagements. This role serves as the primary advance lead for the Office of the President, responsible for anticipating needs, coordinating people and logistics, and ensuring the President is well prepared and supported in meetings, events, travel, and other engagements. Similar to an advance function, this individual thinks several steps ahead—understanding the purpose and desired outcome of an engagement, preparing the environment and participants accordingly, and ensuring details are handled seamlessly. The Deputy Chief of Staff also supports the Corporation’s advisory board and other key stakeholder engagements, helping create a high-quality experience for members and ensuring meetings, communications, materials, and follow-through are well coordinated. As it relates to WGU’s Salt Lake City headquarters, this role contributes to community building and connection, helping create an environment that reflects the President’s vision and fosters engagement among local business leaders and organizations. This is a highly collaborative, hands-on role for an experienced operator who can move fluidly between planning and execution. The ideal candidate is exceptionally organized, anticipates needs before they arise, builds trust quickly, and brings sound judgment, discretion, and a strong service orientation to a fast-paced executive environment.

Requirements

Exceptional organization and execution — able to manage numerous moving pieces simultaneously, anticipate dependencies, and ensure details are handled without losing sight of the desired outcome
Strong advance instincts — naturally thinks several steps ahead, anticipates what could go wrong, and prepares people and environments accordingly
Bias for action and follow-through — takes ownership of work, moves quickly to resolve issues, and sees commitments through to completion
Highly proactive — does not wait to be told what needs to happen; identifies needs, clarifies ambiguity, and takes appropriate action
Sound judgment and discretion — handles sensitive information, executive conversations, and high-stakes situations with maturity and professionalism
Calm under pressure — serves as a steady, solutions-oriented presence when plans change or unexpected issues arise
Relationship-oriented — builds trust quickly and works effectively with people at all levels of the organization
Strong collaborator — understands that successful execution depends on bringing together the right people and resources
Influential without authority — able to coordinate and drive action across teams through clarity, relationships, and persistence
Clear and concise communicator — able to translate information into clear instructions, updates, briefings, and action items
Strong interpersonal awareness — reads the room, understands stakeholder dynamics, and adjusts approach appropriately
Executive presence — represents the Office of the President with professionalism, confidence, warmth, and sound judgment
Highly detail-oriented — understands that small details can materially affect the experience and effectiveness of an executive engagement
Adaptable and resourceful — comfortable operating in a dynamic environment where priorities and circumstances can change quickly
Mission-oriented — understands WGU’s mission and uses that understanding to inform priorities, decisions, and interactions
Discerning — understands what requires immediate attention, what can wait, and when to escalate
Service-oriented — approaches executive and stakeholder support with humility, responsiveness, and a commitment to creating excellent experiences
Bachelor’s degree
7+ years of progressive experience in operations, executive support, project management, events, communications, chief of staff functions, or a related field
Experience supporting senior executives, complex events, high-profile stakeholders, or similarly high-touch environments
Experience operating effectively in a matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree
Experience in higher education, a mission-driven organization, government, or another complex institutional environment
Experience in an executive office, advance function, event operations, or stakeholder engagement role

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary operational and advance lead for the Office of the President, ensuring meetings, events, travel, and other engagements are thoughtfully planned and executed
Anticipate the President’s needs and prepare people, places, materials, schedules, and logistics to support successful engagements
Ensure President’s priorities and direction are translated into clear operational plans, timelines, and follow-through
Coordinate across teams to ensure commitments and action items originating from the President’s Office are appropriately tracked and advanced
Maintain operational rhythms, systems, and standards that support a disciplined and effective Office of the President , in partnership with the Deputy Chief of Staff
Identify potential issues or gaps in advance, develop solutions, and escalate matters appropriately
Provide day-of and real-time support for high-priority meetings, events, and engagements as needed
Stand-up, coordinate and manage operational support for the Corporation’s advisory board , including recruitment, meeting preparation, materials, logistics , communications, and follow-through
Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure advisory board members have a thoughtful, well-organized experience and that commitments are appropriately advanced
Maintain awareness of key stakeholder relationships, preferences, and engagement history to support effective interactions
Help coordinate external engagements and visits involving the President and Advisory board members
Ensure the details surrounding important stakeholder engagements reflect the professionalism, priorities, and vision of WGU and the President
Help cultivate a strong sense of community and connection for WGU’s Salt Lake City headquarters
Support experiences, events, and touchpoints that bring leaders, employees, and visitors together and reflect the President’s vision for the WGU community
Coordinate with internal partners to ensure the President’s presence and engagements with the headquarters is purposeful, well planned, and connected to broader organizational priorities
Develop strong relationships across the headquarters community and serve as a connector between the Office of the President and university teams
Support preparation for executive and leadership meetings by coordinating agendas, briefing materials, logistics , and follow-up
Ensure key outcomes, decisions, and commitments are documented and appropriately communicated
Prepare briefing materials, talking points, schedules, run-of-show documents, and other materials needed for presidential engagements
Provide hands-on support during high-profile meetings, events, and other engagements
Serve as a trusted point of coordination between the Office of the President and teams across WGU
Build and maintain strong working relationships with executive assistants, chiefs of staff, project managers, communications partners, and leaders across the university
Clarify responsibilities, timelines, and expectations to keep work moving
Influence outcomes through strong relationships, communication, organization, and follow-through rather than formal authority
Help resolve coordination challenges and ensure the right people are connected at the right time
Performs other related duties as assigned.