Chief of Staff, Senior Vice President of Operations

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Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Operations (SVP), the Chief of Staff (CoS) will serve as a trusted advisor, strategic partner and key member of the leadership team, overseeing leadership collaboration, guiding cross‑functional initiatives and ensuring organizational alignment with the SVP of Operations vision. The Chief of Staff is responsible for advancing the SVP of Operations’ strategic agenda and ensuring operational effectiveness across a broad range of responsibilities.

This includes helping to shape and implement strategic goals, monitoring progress, coordinating key initiatives, and serving as a representative of the SVP of Operations in internal and external contexts. Partnering with other chiefs of staff across the institution, this role will help move forward the priorities in an effective manner. Working in a fast‑paced environment with high‑visibility, this role is critical to guiding and consulting with the Senior Vice President on day‑to‑day matters, ensuring the requisite information is provided to effectively make sound decisions.

This role will require exceptional communication skills to effectively communicate with, and on behalf of the Senior Vice President to various stakeholders, including faculty, students and staff, and will triage delicate matters to the Senior Vice President of Operations. This role will also be responsible for leading multiple initiatives across Operations, and in partnership colleagues across the institution. The Chief of staff will be a key partner to the Operations Exec leadership team, the Operations Portfolio Management Office, Human Resources, Communications, other chiefs of staffs, the senior executive assistant, and may be responsible for the management and leadership of key deliverables as identified by the Senior Vice President and in support of Operations and University, and as such represents the office at critical forums.

The Chief of Staff will be expected to manage multiple priorities with composure and flexibility, bringing a proactive and solutions‑oriented mindset. High initiative, empathy, and clarity in leadership will distinguish success. This is a primarily on‑site position, minimum four days per week, and may include after‑hours responsibilities and occasional travel.

• Enterprise Strategic and Operational Leadership:
  Demonstrated ability to lead strategy and operations at the enterprise level, aligning cross‑divisional stakeholders and translating institutional priorities into actionable plans. Proven success balancing competing demands, long‑term outcomes, and risk while maintaining focus on mission, governance expectations, and operational performance.
• Executive Judgment and Decision Support:
  Strong executive judgment with the ability to operate effectively in complex, ambiguous, and politically sensitive environments. Skilled at framing issues, options, risks, and trade‑offs to support timely, informed decision‑making by senior leadership.
• Ability to Influence Without Authority:
  Proven capability to build alignment and drive execution across diverse units without direct authority. Demonstrated success leveraging credibility, trust, relationship‑building, and institutional knowledge to achieve shared enterprise outcomes.
• Governance, Risk Management, and Accountability:
  Knowledge leading governance processes, decision‑making cadences, and escalation pathways. Ability to monitor enterprise risk and ensure accountability through coordinated follow‑through, tracking commitments, and partnering effectively with senior leaders and operational teams.

High degree of professionalism, integrity, and discretion. Advanced political awareness and understanding of complex institutional environments, including shared governance…