When you hear the title Chief of Staff (COS), you probably think of a man or woman standing next to a country’s President. And you are not wrong! The most visible and prominent chiefs of staff are those serving highly visible and complex organizations such as governments and the military. The chief of staff job description is identified in connection to leaders of such organizations. It is also the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide-de-camp to an important individual, such as a president, senior military officer, or leader of a large organization.
In general, a chief of staff provides a buffer between a chief executive and that executive’s direct-reporting team. The chief of staff generally works behind the scenes to solve problems, mediate disputes, and deal with issues before being brought to the chief executive. Often chiefs of staff act as a confidant and advisor to the chief executive, acting as a sounding board for ideas. Ultimately the actual duties depend on the position and the people involved.
Corporate Chief of Staff Job Description
In the corporate setting, a Chief of Staff manages the daily affairs of an organization, working and solving problems to ease the burden on the Chief Executive. Chief of staff is essential to productivity and effectiveness. They provide the direction that drives teams forward and serves as buffers in communications and unite people. Another important and often unspoken role of the Chief of Staff is acting as a consultant to the Chief Executive, offering staffing recommendations and measuring progress. This role can hold several different responsibilities depending on the organization’s evolving needs. Despite the many responsibilities associated with the position, the primary function of a Chief of Staff remains to be leading and supporting the entire staff.
Chief of Staff Job Description (Example)
We are searching for a highly qualified chief of staff to work closely with our executive team. From day one, the chief of staff will immediately impact our productivity, streamlining strategic initiatives, overseeing program management, and communicating objectives between departments. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in a business management role, focusing on executive-level advising and interdepartmental collaboration.
Objectives of this Role
- Oversee strategic business initiatives from development through successful execution under the guidance of senior leadership and departmental heads
- Assist and communicate with executives in decision-making, program management, and initiative implementation
- Review, design, and execute on improvements to org structure find knowledge and skills gaps and help address them
- Improve current processes and coordinate organizational procedures for optimized efficiency and productivity
Daily and Monthly Responsibilities
- Serve as liaison between staff, executives, senior leaders, and CEO regarding company climate, employee well-being, project updates, proposals, and planning
- Assist the human resources department with new hires, including documentation and onboarding, and collaborate to address and resolve all employee concerns
- Establishes standards and procedures for hiring and managing the office staff and personnel for the CEO/President.
- Oversee daily operations through collaboration with senior management and department leaders, performing an array of administrative tasks from managing calendars, generating correspondence, maintaining hard copy and electronic files, planning and coordinating annual corporate meetings, and scheduling facilities
- Researches and recommends new and revised policies and strategies.
- Creates and supports systems and processes to streamline operations.
- Build and develop relationships with all employees for increased efficiency and effective responsiveness into existing operations, and help to define new operational strategies, working with CEO and executives on special projects
- Acts as a strategic advisor to the CEO/President and senior management team.
- Represents CEO/President in meetings, by email, and phone calls with internal and external stakeholders.
- Drafts letters, emails, reports, and other correspondence on behalf of the CEO/President.
- Participates with the CEO/President and senior management team in strategic planning, policy development, and decision-making.
- Ensures timely and effective completion of projects and initiatives of the CEO/President
- Serve as a subject matter expert, handling inquiries and developing action plans to address them, and assisting with the preparation and dissemination of communications
- Maintains accurate, confidential files and data records.
Skills and Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Business Administration or similar field
- 7+ years in a business or executive management role
- Proven experience organizing and directing multiple teams and departments
- Excellent communicator in written and verbal form
- Extremely versatile, dedicated to efficient productivity
- Experience planning and leading strategic initiatives
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Time management
- Critical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Relationship-building
- Detail-oriented
- Patience
- Flexibility
- Positive outlook
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with data analysis
- Experience with budget management
- Consulting experience with a focus on operations management
- Proven success in a project coordination role
- Agile business mind with an emphasis on developing creative solutions
- Strong project reporting skills, with a focus on interdepartmental communication
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You might also enjoy these popular chief of staff related articles What Does The Chief of Staff Do?, The Chief Of Staff Responsibilities and A Guide To Working With A Chief Of Staff on the same topic.
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