Chief of Staff

The Rockefeller Foundation; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 300,000 - 345,000; Full time

Job summary

The Rockefeller Foundation in Washington, DC or New York, NY seeks a Chief of Staff to serve as a trusted advisor to the President and executive leadership, aligning strategies and guiding the Executive Office toward the Foundation’s highest-priority initiatives.

You will coordinate across the Executive Team, Senior Leadership Team, and Board of Trustees, advancing informed decision-making and helping translate priorities into actionable results, including integrating AI into key workstreams.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of relevant experience advising senior executives and leading teams, functions, or complex bodies of work.
• Bachelor’s degree.
• Exceptional judgment and ability to assess competing priorities, anticipate emerging issues, and provide clear recommendations in complex or sensitive situations.
• Ability to think strategically, ask probing questions, critically assess potential impacts, and translate research, ideas, and insights into actionable recommendations.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple complex priorities and initiatives simultaneously.
• Strong ability to develop, nurture, and maintain effective relationships with senior leaders and external partners across sectors and regions.
• Experience facilitating senior-level discussions, decision-making, and alignment across multiple stakeholders with differing perspectives and priorities.
• Strong understanding of the philanthropic, public-sector, economic, and development contexts in which the Foundation operates.
• Significant leadership experience, including developing, coaching, and managing staff and creating accountability for results.
• Highly developed written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to listen and learn from diverse constituencies.
• Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and to the values of equity, fairness, diversity, voice and participation, knowledge and creativity, humility and respect, and honesty and integrity.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key advisor to the President on all aspects of the Foundation's business, helping assess priorities, emerging issues, and opportunities requiring the President’s attention.
• Provide strategic oversight of the President’s activities and schedule, ensuring the allocation of time and attention reflects the Foundation’s highest priorities while directing the Executive Office team responsible for day-to-day calendar management.
• Represent the President and The Rockefeller Foundation as required, both internally and externally, and serve as a senior ambassador with the Foundation’s partners.
• Develop and maintain an ongoing agenda of strategic and organizational priorities for the President, working in collaboration with leaders across the Foundation to advance high-priority initiatives and resolve issues requiring senior-level attention.
• Work across the Foundation to ensure the effective flow of information and decisions between the President’s Office and other functions and to drive timely follow-through on priorities and commitments.
• Lead engagement with the Executive Team and Senior Leadership Team, using these forums to surface and address critical issues, facilitate decision-making, strengthen organizational alignment, and drive progress against institutional priorities.
• Collaborate with the SVP, Communications and team on the strategic use of the President’s voice, including external engagements and internal and external communications

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication

Problem solving

Team leadership

Relationship building

Advising senior executives

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Position Overview

The Chief of Staff (COS) is the central liaison working with the President of The Rockefeller Foundation and the rest of the organization to advance the Foundation’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities. The Chief of Staff is a trusted advisor who supports the President and executive leadership team and ensures that the organization is aligned and executing against its various strategies. Working across the Executive Team, Senior Leadership Team, and Board of Trustees, the Chief of Staff ensures alignment on institutional priorities, facilitates informed decision-making, and drives execution of the Foundation's highest-impact initiatives. Through active engagement across these groups, the Chief of Staff connects priorities, decisions, and action across the Foundation, creating the clarity and momentum needed to advance its most important work.

Position Overview

The Chief of Staff (COS) is the central liaison working with the President of The Rockefeller Foundation and the rest of the organization to advance the Foundation’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities. The Chief of Staff is a trusted advisor who supports the President and executive leadership team and ensures that the organization is aligned and executing against its various strategies. Working across the Executive Team, Senior Leadership Team, and Board of Trustees, the Chief of Staff ensures alignment on institutional priorities, facilitates informed decision-making, and drives execution of the Foundation's highest-impact initiatives. Through active engagement across these groups, the Chief of Staff connects priorities, decisions, and action across the Foundation, creating the clarity and momentum needed to advance its most important work.

Location and Travel

The position may be based in The Rockefeller Foundation’s Washington, DC, or New York, NY office. The duties require an office presence for a min. of four days per week, Monday through Thursday. Frequent domestic and international travel is required.

Hiring Range

$300,000- $345,000. This represents the present low and high ends of the Foundation’s pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to experience.

Principal Duties And Responsibilities

Executive Management

• Serve as a key advisor to the President on all aspects of the Foundation's business, helping assess priorities, emerging issues, and opportunities requiring the President’s attention.
• Provide strategic oversight of the President’s activities and schedule, ensuring the allocation of time and attention reflects the Foundation’s highest priorities while directing the Executive Office team responsible for day-to-day calendar management.
• Represent the President and The Rockefeller Foundation as required, both internally and externally, and serve as a senior ambassador with the Foundation’s partners.
• Develop and maintain an ongoing agenda of strategic and organizational priorities for the President, working in collaboration with leaders across the Foundation to advance high-priority initiatives and resolve issues requiring senior-level attention.
• Work across the Foundation to ensure the effective flow of information and decisions between the President’s Office and other functions and to drive timely follow-through on priorities and commitments.
• Lead engagement with the Executive Team and Senior Leadership Team, using these forums to surface and address critical issues, facilitate decision-making, strengthen organizational alignment, and drive progress against institutional priorities.
• Collaborate with the SVP, Communications and team on the strategic use of the President’s voice, including external engagements and internal and external communications

Board of Trustees

• Provide strategic oversight of the Foundation’s engagement with the Board of Trustees, serving as a key liaison between the President and Trustees and ensuring effective governance, communication, and engagement.
• Lead the planning and execution of Board meetings and retreats, working with the President and EVPs to shape agendas around the Foundation’s strategic priorities and overseeing the preparation of materials, required approvals, and meeting execution.
• Lead trustee recruitment, orientation, and retirement activities and oversee ongoing trustee engagement.
• Build and manage an alumni network of Trustees that is aligned with our Connected Leaders platform.

The President's Office

• Lead and manage the President’s Office, establishing priorities and ensuring the team operates effectively in support of the President and the Foundation’s institutional priorities.
• Hire, develop, and manage the President’s Office staff, providing clear direction and accountability for individual and team results.
• Lead the continued evolution of the President’s Office practices and ways of working, including the integration of AI into key workstreams.

Education, Experience, And Skills

• 15+ years of relevant experience, including significant experience advising senior executives and leading teams, functions, or complex bodies of work.
• Bachelor’s degree.
• Exceptional judgment and ability to assess competing priorities, anticipate emerging issues, and provide clear recommendations in complex or sensitive situations.
• Ability to think strategically, ask probing questions, critically assess potential impacts, and translate research, ideas, and insights into actionable recommendations.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple complex priorities and initiatives simultaneously.
• Strong ability to develop, nurture, and maintain effective relationships with senior leaders and external partners across sectors and regions.
• Experience facilitating senior-level discussions, decision-making, and alignment across multiple stakeholders with differing perspectives and priorities.
• Strong understanding of the philanthropic, public-sector, economic, and development contexts in which the Foundation operates.
• Significant leadership experience, including developing, coaching, and managing staff and creating accountability for results.
• Highly developed written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to listen and learn from diverse constituencies.
• Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and to the values of equity, fairness, diversity, voice and participation, knowledge and creativity, humility and respect, and honesty and integrity.

Competencies

• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Nimble Learning: Learns through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
• Strategic Mindset: Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.
• Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity in food, health, energy, and finance, including through our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation .

The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, a generous 401K, parental leave, and various forms of paid time off, all to help our employees feel energized, cared for, and engaged.

As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status.

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.