Chief of Staff (COS)

Summary

The Chief of Staff (COS) is a dynamic, motivated, and highly organized individual who is a member of the Executive Leadership Team. The COS provides a unique opportunity to collaborate closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), providing strategic thinking and planning, acting in an advisory role for important decisions about the organization, and instilling an elevated level of efficiency and effectiveness across the organization.

The ideal candidate for this position can think strategically while supplying tactical support to implement ideas. This person will have proven experience in a business leadership/management role, with a special focus on executive-level advising, thought-leadership, project execution, and key interdepartmental collaboration. They must be proactive and take initiative in naming problems and devising solutions and must have strong people skills to help implement those solutions with a keen sense of judgment, discretion and tact.

Success in this role requires strong leadership, communication, organizational, and decision-making skills, as well as a keen attention to detail, the ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks in a skillful and prompt fashion and a deep commitment to Northern’s mission.

Essential Functions:

Leading

• Quickly and effectively grasp and add value to the leader’s vision.
• Excellent skills at navigating both internal and external constituencies.
• Displays organizational, emotional, and relational intelligence.
• Helps lead and start new programs, projects, initiatives, and processes throughout the organization.
• Proactively address pressing business issues that need immediate attention.
• Provide independent, informed, unbiased insight.
• Can anticipate and avert problems.

 Communication

• Manage and improve systems to enable the CEO to work more efficiently and create clear processes by which vital information is issued.
• Represent the CEO in meetings when she is unable to attend. Capture key takeaways and ensure the CEO is briefed and the appropriate follow up is completed.
• Build effective relationships with the Executive Leadership Team and their staff to ensure the CEO is fully informed on matters of significance across all departments and programs.
• Manage CEO’s public speaking schedule and vet all requests in collaboration with the CEO’s Executive Assistant and development staff.
• Partner with the CEO on remarks for internal staff meetings and public appearances.
• Prepare the CEO for internal and external events, including coordination of logistics in partnership with the Executive Assistant to the CEO, and development of content for public speaking engagements and appearances, in collaboration with the Development staff and others where appropriate.
• Work with the Northern’s development staff to ensure the Northern Children’s Informational PowerPoint presentation is routinely updated, metrics are accurate, and the presentation is polished and ready to go on short notice should the need arise.
• Manage all communications with major constituents when the CEO is unavailable to do so. Answer questions independently when able and assure the CEO is informed when relevant.

 Planning & Monitoring

• Research, plan, execute, and report back on special projects as requested by the CEO.
• Improve current processes and coordinate organizational procedures for optimized efficiency and productivity
• Take minutes at meetings as needed and prepare summary action reports.
• Aiding in and ensure the prompt completion of creative projects
• Manges the processes of ideas through to execution.
• Review all new projects to find the potential for new metrics and ensure data capture and new reporting is implemented as part of the project deliverables.

Fundraising and Board Relations:

• Work with the Northern Board of Trustees, as well as Board Executive, Development, Buildings & Grounds, Programs, and other Committees as required, the CEO and the Executive Assistant to the CEO to ensure all board related matters are managed at the highest level of excellence.
• Partner with Executive Assistant to the CEO and the development staff to support all the CEO’s fundraising work and management of relationships with donors.
• Manage and support preparation for Board meetings, taking part in Board meetings as needed.

Supervision

• Provide quality leadership, supervision and support to the Compliance Analyst and the Data Analyst. Serve as staff lead for Northern’s outsourced IT function and Board of Trustee’s Infrastructure Chair as appropriate.
• Work with the CEO to set up metrics and evaluation tools. Direct ongoing data collection, aggregation, and analysis to show impact within and across programs. Leverage this information as program management tools that support real-time, mid-course corrections and lessons that improve individual programs and have application more broadly to other Northern programs as well.

BASIC SKILL SETS

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Able and expected to keep confidentiality and exhibit discretion and professionalism in all activities.
• Commitment to maximizing the productivity of the President & CEO.
• Excellent judgement and high Emotional Intelligence (EQ), with the ability to read and respond to situations quickly and appropriately.
• Exceptionally organized, meticulous and able to manage multiple complex tasks.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, especially across all levels of the organization, and pleasant demeanor.
• Flexible work style with the ability to work under tight deadlines and shifting priorities.
• Motivated initiative-taker capable of working independently as well as within a team environment.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly independent environment and juggle multiple ongoing projects, responsibilities and relationships; thrives in a fast-paced environment.
• History of proving sound judgment by making appropriate decisions and knowing when to take initiative.
• Proficient in all Microsoft Office 365 applications, with the ability to learn new software platforms as needed.
• Creative and conceptual with an ability to “think outside the box”.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from varied groups, including the media.
• Ability to accurately calculate numbers such as in addition, subtraction, and percentages.
• Ability to give clear and concise oral and written instructions.
• Experience planning and leading strategic initiatives.
• Strong interpersonal and team leadership skills
• Comfortable holding team members accountable to project deadlines and finding areas in need of support
• Must be level-headed in emergency situations.

QUALIFICATIONS

A.      Education:  Minimum Requirement – Bachelor’s Degree in related fields; Master’s Degree in human services, education, or organizational management preferred.

B.      Experience: At least four (5) years of experience in a senior managerial/leadership role in a non-profit organization with a minimum of five (5) years of supervision experience.

C.      Deep knowledge about state and Philadelphia human services agencies, regulations, and operations (i.e., the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), the Department of Behavioral Health, and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS), and Community Behavioral Health (CBH) regulations and requirements. Strong relationships with stakeholders in all these agencies.

D.     Enthusiastic about Northern’s mission and able to promote and communicate the philosophy, mission, and core values of Northern to external and internal stakeholders.

E.      Strong relationship builder and communicator with experience leading diverse work teams, developing an organization-wide strategy for program excellence, engaging community partners, and partnering with Northern’s executive leadership team.

The above statements describe the general nature of the work being performed by the individual assigned to this position. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically described in this description. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Northern Children’s Services is an equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to diversity. Northern Children’s Services does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, class, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin.