Apply to Be a Chief of Staff

This is a remote position.

The Opportunity
We are searching for independent consultants interested in providing Chief of Staff services to our clients. This work is largely part-time for each client, usually between 20-120+ hours per month, typically averaging 3-9 months. Our clients are incredibly varied, from CEOs and COOs, to small business owners, to nonprofit executive directors, to entrepreneurs, to leaders in government and academia. Their needs are equally varied, so no two Chiefs of Staff have the
exact same set of responsibilities. The one common theme is that our Chiefs of Staff act as key thought partners—a leader’s “right hand” and are perpetually seeking ways to leverage their client’s time so they can be the best leader possible.

Our Organization
Founded in 2016, vChief is focused on connecting business leaders with fractional and interim executives and support to meet their unique needs. We recruit, select and vet proven subject matter professionals with experience spanning from, but not limited to, HR, business operations, project management, strategy, board management, communications/marketing and development. vChief provides fractional and interim services to leaders and executives at start-ups, small and medium businesses, non-profits and education based organizations. This support model is perfect for leaders who need to focus on large strategic initiatives and maximize their impact across the full organization, but don’t need permanent or full-time capacity. Bottom line – Fractional executives and supporters are there to get the job done, providing the benefits of specialization and experience to meet a variety of needs.

Who You Are
Does the description below align with your professional superpowers and past accomplishments? If so, we encourage you to apply!

You Are a First-Class Communicator. You know how to deliver information clearly and efficiently in a variety of formats. In your interactions with clients, you take time to deeply understand their vision and expectations, align on a vision for success, and determine how you’ll communicate as you make progress toward your goals. You keep others informed at the right level on an ongoing basis as you manage projects.

You Are An Autonomous, Strategic Doer. You have a knack for translating a client’s vision into reality through careful planning and tight execution. Data informs your choices and recommendations. You keep the big picture in mind even as you manage the details. Bottom line: You are committed to doing what you say you’ll do, knowing that you’re a brand ambassador for yourself and for vChief.

You Are An Agile Performer. As you monitor progress toward your goals, you shift nimbly to address changes or challenges that arise. You are energized by finding a path forward in situations where it isn’t always immediately clear–in other words, you’re solutions-oriented in your approach to supporting clients.

You Are a Trusted Advisor and Relationship Builder. You invest time up front in getting to know the working styles and preferences of people you work with so you can be responsive to their needs. You are mindful of the ways in which your identities and the identities of others influence your relationships. Clients trust you with confidential or sensitive information because they have confidence in your discretion. You bring experience managing up and across effectively delivering and receiving feedback. You also uphold the obligation to professionally object with leadership team members, to include the CEO, when necessary in support of the
company’s mission, goals, and people.

You Are Able to Navigate Through Ambiguity. In this capacity, you will parachute into scenarios where context or information may not be available or incomplete and will be tasked to act and/or overcome these challenges to achieve a task or project outcome. You are someone who thrives and accepts that change and uncertainty are a normal part of the work environment, initiates action based on available information, even when the final outcome is not clearly defined, and can shift gears when presented with new information, priorities, and/or direction.

Responsibilities

• Complete a comprehensive needs assessment with new clients to identify their unique
  goals and challenges, and create and oversee execution of a plan to address them
• Overseeing strategic business initiatives and large scale projects from ideation to implementation
• Identifying and helping solve core problems or opportunities within business processes
• Help clients identify priorities, strategically align their time with those priorities, and revisit them regularly to assess progress
• Act as a key thought partner, brainstorming and identifying solutions to challenges
• Provide communications support; draft emails, reports, memos, presentations, internal and external communications, and/or social media posts
• Support clients with any of the following: strategic planning; project management; meeting preparation & follow up; action planning; team management; finance; and human resources, fundraising
• Assessing risk when business decisions are made
• Planning, coordinating and keeping contents of a meeting focused
• Improving internal processes and decision-making

Qualifications
Education & Prior Experience:

• Minimum of 12 years of professional experience OR relevant advanced degree and at least 3 years of professional experience
• Typical professional experience within our talent pool is 12-20 years
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; MBA, MPA, or other professional degree a plus
• Experience in management, HR, strategy, operations, and/or project management roles; previous chief of staff experience highly desirable
• History of promotions and progression in roles with demonstrable strong results

Knowledge, Skills & Mindsets:

• You are a strategic thinker, data-driven and analytical in your approach. You are great at identifying solutions to problems.
• You are a stellar communicator in all forms. You can easily learn to communicate in someone else’s “written voice".
• You excel at building relationships and networks, and influencing others, particularly those you don’t directly manage, to achieve outcomes.
• You thrive on improvement of systems and processes, and you love creating order out of chaos.
• You’re obsessed with productivity, managing your time and others’ so that no moment is wasted.
• You are experienced and comfortable working in a fast-paced, virtual environment. You are flexible and available as needed by your client, including in off-hours.
• You are a steel-trap with confidential information.
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and/or Google Workspace.
• You personally exemplify vChief’s core values

Benefits
Compensation for this role is on a contract basis. We offer a starting range of $70-85 per hour and annual increases and bonuses with successful client engagements. The Chiefs of Staff in our talent pool are contractors and receive a 1099 form each year for tax purposes.
Contractors are required to have an LLC and carry liability insurance.

You may be interested and qualified for more than one position. In the application process, we make it easy for you to apply for multiple positions.