Chief of Staff

About the Role The Chief of Staff provides strategic leadership, guiding organizational strategy and operational execution; acts as a trusted advisor to the CEO and as proxy manager for regional Executive Directors to align local impact with national metrics, and leads cross-team planning to advance LIFT’s multi-year growth and impact targets. What You'll Do

• Lead the creation and operationalization of LIFT's multi-year strategic plan in partnership with an external consultant, ensuring annual metrics, project management, and team structures designed to support staff to do their most impactful work.
• Manage annual goal setting, organizational planning, and performance measurement within and across teams, with direct oversight for ensuring strategic alignment across departments.
• Work at multiple vantage points, zooming out to set high-level strategic direction and priorities, and zooming in to prioritize, coordinate, and execute on tasks and lead teams through detailed action plans.
• Enhance systems, processes, and detailed project management plans that drive organizational goals, leverage relevant data, define expectations, and intentionally reduce departmental silos.
• Create structured channels to gather team input on major decisions (utilizing the RAPID framework) and share the final outcomes and takeaways with the broader team.
• Work with the National REI Advisor and Talent & Culture Team to champion REI initiatives and implement strategies that strengthen culture and hold leadership accountable for integrating equity benchmarks into programming, internal communications, professional learning, and board management.
• Executive Director Team Management and Coaching: Manage the regional Executive Directors on behalf of the CEO, establish accountability metrics and support to advance organizational effectiveness, while strategically engaging the CEO at key inflection points.
• Serve as connective tissue for the Executive Director team, creating a community of practice and ensuring a clear understanding of organizational priorities.
• Strengthen communication and connection between the regional Executive Directors and the Executive Team.
• Operate as a consultant with Executive Directors to navigate internal relationships and support organizational change efforts, building deep credibility with national and regional LIFT staff and fostering trust across all levels.
• Strategic Partner to Executive Leadership: Serve as a close advisor to the CEO on critical issues, including organizational strategy and design, internal communications, professional development, and institutional learning.
• Manage executive and leadership team meetings, including creating strategic agendas, thoughtful preparation, guiding structured decision-making, and ensuring follow-through.
• Drive alignment across executive team workstreams, systematically gathering information, analyzing data, developing insights, and ensuring institutional follow-through.
• Support the CEO in increasing collaboration across the LIFT National Board of Directors and Regional Advisory Boards, ensuring they are appropriately engaged, coordinated, and have the line of sight needed to advance the work.
• Advise with a learning and listening orientation, filtering priorities effectively so the CEO can focus on macro-strategy, external presence and relationship building, high-level governance, and national growth.
• Supervise, mentor, and support the Senior Executive Office Manager to maximize the CEO's and executive team's time and efforts.