Chief of Staff

Altum Consulting; Greater London; Remote; GBP 74,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

Altum Consulting, a global health-focused NGO partner, seeks a Chief of Staff to accelerate its next growth phase. The role reports to the Executive Director and collaborates with Acting Co-Executive Directors as a senior leadership team member.

You will drive strategy into deliverable plans, coordinate priorities across teams, and strengthen board/leadership collaboration in a dynamic start-up environment.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience and delivery responsibility.
• Strong strategic judgement; turn complex info into recommendations.
• Experience managing cross-team projects, multinational context.
• Excellent written communication: strategy papers and board reports.
• Experience supporting boards and governance processes.
• Credibility to build trust, influence and challenge constructively.
• Interest in evidence-based, cost-effective health improvement.
• Organised, practical approach with flexibility for changing priorities.
• People-management experience in growth or change.
• Backgrounds may include chief of staff, strategy, consulting.

Responsibilities

• Develop organisational strategy, priorities and delivery plans with the Executive Director and senior team.
• Lead cross-functional projects, coordinate contributions and keep work on track.
• Coordinate input from programmes, research, finance and operations for funding proposals and longer-term plans.
• Write strategy documents, board papers, reports and internal communications.
• Manage the board cycle, relationships, papers, committees and follow-up actions.
• Improve leadership meetings, planning cycles and communications to ensure decisions are acted on.
• Identify dependencies between teams and resolve delivery issues.
• Provide interim oversight of a team or function, including people management.

Skills

Senior leadership

Strategic judgement

Project management

Written communication

Board governance

Stakeholder influence

Evidence-minded

Organization skills

People management

Strategic roles

Job description

Contract: Initial six-month contract, with the possibility of becoming permanent

Location: Globally based / remote, with reliable working-hour overlap with the London head office and flexibility to work across time zones

Salary: Dependent on location and experience. London benchmark £74,000 - £81,000 with flexibility for an experienced interim appointment

Start: As soon as possible

Altum Consulting is partnering with a start-up, global health-focussed NGO with a unique and highly effective approach to solving a major global health issue. The organisation is growing with secure funding and is now seeking a Chief of Staff to support its next phase of development.

Its approach is grounded in evidence, data and cost-effectiveness. As its international work expands, it needs someone who can help the leadership team make clear decisions, turn strategy into deliverable plans and coordinate priorities across a growing organisation.

Reporting to the Executive Director, initially working with the Acting Co-Executive Directors, you will be a full member of the senior leadership team. You will bring judgement, constructive challenge and the ability to take ownership of work that crosses teams and functions.

This is a hands-on leadership role in a start-up environment. Priorities will evolve, and you will need to be comfortable bringing structure to work that is not yet fully defined. Early projects are likely to include coordinating a major funding renewal, developing the narrative for a multi-year strategy and strengthening how the board and leadership team work together.

Responsibilities

• Working with the Executive Director and senior team to develop organisational strategy, priorities and delivery plans.
• Leading cross-functional projects, coordinating contributions and keeping work moving towards agreed outcomes.
• Bringing together programme, research, finance and operational input for funding proposals and longer-term plans.
• Writing clear strategy documents, board papers, reports and internal communications.
• Managing the board cycle, including relationships, papers, committees and follow-up actions.
• Improving leadership meetings, planning cycles and communication so decisions are made and followed through.
• Identifying dependencies between teams and resolving issues that could affect delivery.
• Providing interim oversight of a team or function where needed, including people management.

Requirements

• Experience operating at or alongside a senior leadership team, contributing to organisational decisions and taking responsibility for delivery.
• Strong strategic judgement and the ability to turn complex information into clear recommendations.
• Experience managing substantial projects across different teams, ideally in a growing or internationally distributed organisation.
• Excellent written communication, including experience producing strategy papers, board reports or funding proposals.
• Experience supporting a board and managing governance processes.
• The credibility to build trust quickly, influence senior colleagues and challenge constructively.
• An interest in evidence, analysis and cost-effectiveness, with a commitment to the organisation's approach to improving global health.
• A practical, organised approach and the flexibility to take on unfamiliar work as priorities change.
• People-management experience would be useful, particularly where you have led a team through growth or change.
• Relevant backgrounds could include chief of staff, strategy, consulting, organisational leadership or senior programme roles. Experience in a start-up or growing organisation would be particularly useful; previous NGO experience is not essential.