Chief of Staff / Strategic Operations Manager

Nichols College; Dudley; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading college seeks a Chief of Staff/Strategic Operations Manager to support the Executive Director at the Center for Innovation. This role blends executive support, project management, and strategic research, ideal for a recent graduate passionate about law and innovation. Candidates will engage with high-level policymakers and contribute to impactful work in AI regulation and healthcare access.

Benefits

Generous vacation

Comprehensive medical insurance

Retirement savings plans

Flexible Spending Accounts

Employee Assistance Program

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Legal Insurance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in pre-law, policy, public health, or related field required.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and research skills needed.
• High emotional intelligence and sound judgment required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic partner to the Director, managing a complex calendar.
• Drive execution of projects across C4i’s core verticals.
• Draft and edit content for public remarks and donor communications.

Skills

Organizational Skills

Writing

Research

Emotional Intelligence

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Chief of Staff / Strategic Operations Manager

Recruitment began on May 8, 2025

and the job listing Expires on May 29, 2025

Chief of Staff / Strategic Operations Manager —

This is a unique pre-application process to identify top candidates for a key leadership role at UC Law San Francisco’s Center for Innovation (C4i). The title for this position—either Chief of Staff or Strategic Operations Manager—can be discussed and tailored based on the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate.

Led by The Feinest Consulting , this search offers early access to the Executive Director, providing a competitive edge for candidates advancing to the formal application process.

About the Center

The Center for Innovation (C4i) at UC Law San Francisco is a nationally recognized academic think tank—and action tank—providing high-impact support to Congress, federal and state agencies, and major media outlets. C4i blends rigorous research with hands-on policy engagement, equipping the next generation of legal thinkers and doers.

Operating across three key verticals—The AI Law & Innovation Institute, The Law & Medicine Initiative, and Startup Legal Garage—C4i responds to over 50 government requests annually and plays an active role in national policy conversations.

Led by Professor Robin Feldman, a nationally respected scholar, C4i is frequently cited by the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court.

We’re seeking a strategic, mission-driven professional to serve as the right hand to the Executive Director of C4i. This is a rare opportunity for a recent or early-career graduate passionate about AI, law, public policy, health, technology, or innovation. You’ll work at the intersection of academia, government, and policy, contributing to impactful work that shapes policy, drives media narratives, and supports legal innovation.

This role blends executive support, project management, strategic research, and external engagement. We’re looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, excelling at both strategy and execution. You should be highly organized, intellectually curious, proactive, and capable of synthesizing complex information while managing multiple priorities. You’ll also act as a key connector within the team — coordinating inputs, triaging workstreams, and helping ensure the Director is focused on what matters most.

You might be a strong fit if you are:

• A strategic thinker who anticipates needs and represents the Director externally with professionalism.
• Exceptionally organized and able to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• Adept at synthesizing complex information and driving initiatives forward.
• Excited by high-level exposure to government, legal, and academic leaders.
• Eager to build a career in law, health, tech policy, academia, or public service.

If you’re ready to contribute to shaping the future of policy and legal innovation, we’d love to hear from you.

Why This Role Is a Launchpad

• Mission alignment: Contribute to critical work on AI regulation, healthcare access, IP law, and innovation policy.
• Leadership exposure: Work closely with a nationally prominent scholar and interface with high-level policymakers, journalists, and funders.
• Career acceleration: Excellent preparation for operations or project management roles in Silicon Valley, law school, graduate programs (MPP, JD, PhD), or public-interest careers.
• Credibility: UC Law SF and C4i are recognized as national leaders in law and innovation.

A Day in the Life

Your days will be fast-paced and varied — a blend of high-level strategic work and detail-oriented execution. You’ll start with focus and autonomy, triaging press requests, managing urgent emails, and ensuring the Director and team are fully prepared for meetings and media appearances. You’ll act as gatekeeper and pulse-checker, determining what needs immediate action and what can wait. This role requires both precision and adaptability, as you make key decisions about priorities while keeping long-term goals in view. You’ll regularly liaise between the Director and team members, surfacing needs, sequencing deliverables, and ensuring follow-through on fast-moving priorities. As you grow into the role, you’ll take on more ownership and responsibility in driving key initiatives forward.

Tasks may include:

• Fielding urgent calls (e.g., from a legislator’s office), coordinating press releases, or strategizing outreach to key policymakers.
• Managing a complex calendar, ensuring all meetings and events are well-prepared, and the Director walks into every situation fully briefed.
• Coordinating donor communications, assisting with congressional testimony preparation, and facilitating media outreach.

You’ll also manage the flow of meeting requests, ensuring timely follow-up, and handling operational logistics. This role requires proactive execution while keeping a strategic overview of all moving pieces.

Key Responsibilities

Executive & Strategic Support

• Serve as a strategic partner to the Director, anticipating needs and ensuring preparedness for meetings, media, and public engagements.
• Manage a complex calendar, balancing competing requests from lawmakers, journalists, donors, and academic leaders.
• Triage communications to align with strategic priorities and deadlines.
• Help manage high-level interactions with government, media, and institutional partners.
• Interface and liaise daily between the Director and other team members, including triaging work with Assistant Directors and research team members to ensure efficient coordination and execution of tasks.

Project & Research Management

• Drive execution of projects across C4i’s three core verticals: AI Law & Innovation, Law & Medicine, and the Startup Legal Garage.
• Build and maintain internal systems and workflows for project management and cross-functional coordination.
• Conduct research, draft briefing memos, and prepare policy summaries and internal reports for fast-paced engagements.

Communications & Content Development

• Draft and edit content such as public remarks, memos, testimony, and donor communications.
• Collaborate with media consultants to elevate C4i’s public voice through press releases, interviews, and media inquiries.
• Develop decks and presentation materials for federal and state agencies, legislators, and media outlets.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management

• Serve as a liaison to senior government officials, funders, journalists, and academic partners.
• Track external relationships and manage a steady flow of requests for the Director’s time.
• Support donor strategy, relationship cultivation, and board engagement efforts.

Administrative & Operational Oversight

• Coordinate daily schedules, prepare meeting agendas, and ensure smooth logistics for travel, events, and key convenings.
• Oversee operational tools and systems to support C4i’s work.
• Assist with grant tracking, academic administration, and research support.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree from a competitive institution in pre-law, policy, public health, technology, communications or a related field.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and research skills, with the ability to synthesize and communicate complex information clearly.
• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• High emotional intelligence and sound judgment, especially when handling sensitive information or high-stakes communications.
• Comfortable working independently in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and familiarity with both Mac and PC platforms.
• Willingness to commit to a 3-year term with significant potential for professional growth.

Preferred / Bonus Skills

• Experience in academic, legal, media, public policy, or advocacy settings.
• Exposure to the intersection of law and innovation, especially in AI, healthcare, or intellectual property.
• Press coordination, policy communications, donor relations, or event preparation experience.
• Salary: $70,000–$80,000, commensurate with experience. This range is fixed and not open to negotiation.
• Generous vacation, sick leave, and 15 paid holidays.
• Comprehensive medical insurance coverage.
• Retirement savings plans, commuter benefits, and Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, and Legal Insurance.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit a résumé and brief cover letter that addresses Interest. If the candidate is not already based in San Francisco, please include your earliest availability for relocation.

What to Expect

Applicants who meet the position requirements will be competitively evaluated to identify the individuals whose breadth and depth of experience and education most closely relate to the stated requirements and the needs of the College. Depending on the quality and number of the applications received, only the better qualified applicants may be contacted for an interview. The position is open until filled.

The skills listed above are comprehensive, and we understand there are great candidates who possess only a subset of those skills, or who have other important skills. If you match some of these skills, please do not hesitate to apply.

UC College of the Law is an equal opportunity employer.

Note: This position has been designated as “sensitive” and requires a pre-employment background check.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contactDebra Feinberg if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.