Chief of Staff to the President & CEO

Job summary

The Chief of Staff to the President & CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation plays a crucial role in establishing the Office of the President. The Chief of Staff will support the President in all their executive duties, including facilitating efficient and effective day to day engagement, managing important administrative and planning functions, coordinating high impact thought leadership and public advocacy, and advancing relationship-building with funders and external partners.

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The Chief of Staff will act as the President’s representative and advocate both internally and externally, working to advance their agenda in building new strategic partnerships, facilitating cross-functional projects within the organization, and project managing targeted special initiatives at the President’s direction. The Chief of Staff will also lead and build the infrastructure of the President’s office itself. This will involve coordinating with the executive team and all divisions of the National Trust to support the planning, tracking, and implementation of the President’s priorities, as well as leading the President’s strategic engagement with the Board of Trustees.

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Managing the Office of the President involves supervising a team that includes the Director of Presidential Office Communications and an Executive Assistant. This role requires the development of processes and tools to ensure effective coordination both within the Office of the President and across the divisions and subsidiaries of the National Trust. The ideal candidate for this executive position will be dynamic, highly organized, and an effective communicator. They should possess a diverse skill set and will play a crucial role as a key member of the President’s executive team. It is important to note that this role is distinct from that of a Chief Operating Officer. The new President & CEO will be responsible for recruiting a Chief Operating Officer within the next six months.

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(A Resume and a Cover Letter are Required for this role.)

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Duties

Support day-to-day activities of the President & CEO  

• Assist the President by overseeing daily tasks and managing information flow. Act as the primary contact point, both internally and externally, to triage incoming requests for the President’s engagement and maximize the effective use of the President’s time.
• Serve as a representative of the President as needed, both internally and externally. Proactively identify solutions and promote the President's agenda on their behalf, ensuring follow-up to maintain progress on strategic priorities.
• Ensure the President’s preparedness for all engagements in coordination with the executive team, Director of Presidential Office Communications, and other project managers. This will involve creating, editing, and/or collating briefings, talking points, call sheets, and other documents while integrating data-driven metrics.
• Act as a key thought partner to the President on strategic priorities, communications, and management strategies, in collaboration with the National Trust staff.
• Prepare the presentation materials for the President for executive team meetings, Board of Trustees meetings, NTHP all-staff meetings, and other engagements. Collaborate with the Director of Presidential Office Communications to ensure that the presentations align with the overall messaging and to develop accompanying talking points.
• Staff the President as needed at events, meetings, and other in-person engagements.

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Manage the Office of the President department  

• Build operations infrastructure for the Office of the President, including tools and processes for calendar managing, tracking priorities, overseeing departmental budgets, and facilitating other administrative activities.
• Structure and oversee management cadence to coordinate between the Office of the President and other critical functions (e.g., legal, finance, preservation, historic sites, development, marketing).
• Oversee management infrastructure to facilitate President’s coordination with the executive team. Set standing executive team meeting cadence and agendas, facilitate meeting discussion, and facilitate follow-up including dissemination of notes.
• Supervise two direct reports: Director of Presidential Office Communications and the Executive Assistant of the President, and manage project coordination and deliverables, team building, and operational efficiencies for effective performance.
• Work closely with the future Chief Operating Officer and the executive team to align the Office of the President with strategic operational goals, procedures, and frameworks. Coordinate on change management, organizational culture, and reporting with Human Resources and the executive team.

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Oversee special projects at the direction of the President & CEO  

• Scope, plan, and execute special projects and events owned by the Office of the President, at the direction of the President and in coordination with Office of the President staff and divisions across the National Trust.
• Engage consulting firms and assemble project teams that include both internal and external stakeholders to support Presidential priorities, such as developing an organizational Strategic Plan.
• Scope and launch new, cross-functional initiatives with external partners, in coordination with divisions across the National Trust. Lead hand-off of mature initiatives to divisional ownership, in coordination with members of the executive team.
• Join the President in partnership and fundraising relationship-building. Serve as a primary point of contact for strategic external relationships on behalf of the President. Facilitate organizational engagement within the National Trust in response to external opportunities.
• Track metrics and assess impact of activities for reporting and updates to the President, including Board of Trustees engagement, speaking invitations and engagements, media interviews, and more. Problem-solve any issues and identify opportunities to keep these projects on track.

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Lead Board of Trustees engagement and cadence  

• Support President’s engagement with the Board of Trustees, including facilitating preparation for the President’s Update at board meetings, engagement in committee meetings, individual trustee touchpoints, and more.
• Collaborate across the Office of the President and divisions team to lead project management and execution of quarterly in-person and virtual Board of Trustees meetings.
• Become proficient and knowledgeable in organizational governance, bylaws, and charter documents to lead and execute Board of Trustees management with the President, General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer, and other executive management staff members. Work together with the General Counsel to oversee quorums, terms, minutes, and other procedures and duties related to Board governance.
• Collaborate with the President’s office and executive management team to prepare quarterly written reports on organizational performance and impact. In partnership with the Director of Presidential Office Communications, determine alternate formats for disseminating information to the Board of Trustees for concise, clear, and compelling reviews by the Board of Trustees.
• Serve as the Presidential liaison to support the Board Chair, Vice President, and other Board of Trustees members with their questions and information needs.

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Qualifications  

• At least 15 years of professional-level experience, including a minimum of 10 years managing large, cross-functional projects, budgets, and teams. This may be within a national non-profit setting or a large corporate setting.
• At least 8 years of demonstrated experience supporting a C-suite executive with significant management and strategic duties. This may include but is not limited to a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, or Senior/Executive Vice President at a large organization.
• At least 8 years of demonstrated experience supporting board governance and relations duties.
• Proven experience working with external partner organizations to develop project strategies, which involves building and leveraging relationships with culturally diverse entities.
• Demonstrated capability to work effectively within a geographically distributed organization, and across internal departments.
• Advanced analytical skills, along with strong problem-solving abilities (including issue identification and prioritization), communication, and presentation skills, are essential for this role.
• Advanced project-management, team management, and client-management skills. Ability to achieve results with limited supervision.
• Effective presentation design and delivery skills. Excellent writing, spelling, grammar, and proofreading skills, as well as strong verbal communication and customer service skills.
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task efficiently, and respond to a high volume of ongoing requests in a timely fashion. Ability to adapt and be flexible in a dynamic work environment.
• Proven ability to engage a diverse group of colleagues and stakeholders successfully. Experience successfully managing key stakeholders and relationships. Proven ability to collaborate across departments to implement processes and achieve results. Track record of building and maintaining productive relationships with multiple stakeholders.
• Proven ability to continually develop skills related to use of rapidly changing technology and administrative best practices.
• When working in the D.C. office, public contact and the ability to work successfully in close proximity to others is required.
• Up to four days in the office per week will be required.
• Some travel (~15%) is required.

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Pay & benefits  

This is a full-time, exempt level position, eligible for full benefits, including health, dental and life insurance, retirement benefits, paid parental leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation, plus sick time and holidays.

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Hiring Range: $185,000-200,000 per year