Chief of Staff

About Teach Plus

Teach Plus is a national nonprofit whose mission is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student access. The Teach Plus team exists to breathe life into the Student Opportunity Mandate: All students should have the opportunity to achieve their potential in an education system defined by its commitment to equity, responsiveness to individual needs, and ability to prepare students for postsecondary success. At the heart of our work is advocacy for collective impact, beginning with classroom teachers.

At Teach Plus, we believe in equity-driven teacher leadership. When we invest in developing our most talented teachers into teacher leaders who are well-informed, persuasive, and prepared to lead, they have deep leverage in advancing equity for students, especially for students of color, low-income students, and those from underserved communities. To close the opportunity gap and to ensure equitable access to a world-class education for all students in the schools and communities we serve, we ignite systems change at multiple levels through our Policy Fellowship and Instructional Leadership programs designed to inspire and equip teachers. We are committed to leading change in our Equity Focus Areas.

About the Role

Teach Plus is an organization driving a significant and complex mission with ambitious goals for our impact, culture, and, over time, scale.  We seek to hire a Chief of Staff to support the CEO and leadership team to ensure the whole of our work is more than the sum of the parts. This person will be involved in shaping and supporting organizational strategy, planning, and internal communications with the goal of optimizing all leadership structures. In addition, this role will partner with the CEO in leading board preparation and operations, tracking progress toward goals, and supporting the strategy and planning for key work taking place across the organization. 

Candidates should be motivated by supporting others in producing truly excellent work products and working closely with a dynamic CEO to advance our vision.  This is a fast-paced, versatile, juggle-a-lot-of-balls-with-attention-to-detail role.  It involves uncommon access and peer interaction with all members of the leadership team. This position will report directly to (and work closely with) the CEO. Responsibilities include the following:  

Goals, Strategy, and Plans

• With the CEO and full Senior Leadership Team (SLT), steer organization-wide planning processes, including annual goal setting, initiative development, budget management, and project planning anchored by our mission, vision, and values
• With the CEO and SLT, track progress towards both annual goals and monthly/quarterly success metrics across projects, supporting the leadership team and board to both communicate and make meaning around the progress to goals
• With the CEO, support reflection on our culture as an SLT to continuously improve the modeling of the organization’s core values 
• Ensure all quarterly stepbacks and reflection activities support the SLT to understand and communicate both drivers and gaps to progress
• With the SLT, identify and continuously update priority projects, understand the root causes of challenges, support the development of proposals for solutions, and track through completion
• Ensure effective execution of all projects in the Office of the CEO
• Manage the Executive Assistant to ensure CEO priorities and time are best optimized in accordance with the CEO’s vision for impact 

Leadership Structures

• Manage scheduling, planning, and facilitation of Senior Leadership Team meetings
• In partnership with our People Team, plan and co-facilitate some All Staff Meetings, coordinate with the CEO to ensure that the meetings advance the organization’s impact, values, and organizational culture, as well as ensure effective communication between SLT and staff
• Support planning and materials development for all leadership meeting structures, as well as ensure strong operational preparation and follow-up
• Support the charge definition, selection for, and launch of staff committees and working groups to provide key input and develop proposals for key cross-organizational strategies  

Board of Directors

• Working with the Senior Leadership Team, support planning and materials development for all board meetings and board committee meetings. Work with the Executive Assistant to the CEO to ensure strong operational preparation and follow-up for board meetings
• Working with the chiefs, support board development, including communicating with prospective board members and managing preparation and follow-up
• Working with the Executive Assistant to the CEO, manage all board meeting logistics, including scheduling, attendance, and board minutes
• Partner with the SLT to manage the creation of board meeting materials and pre-reading

Communications, People & Operations

• Work closely across leadership structures to manage internal communications 
• Manage information management within the organization, including transparent communications, org-wide calendar, and other tools and resources
• Partner with the CEO, External Affairs Team, and Executive Assistant to the CEO to ensure timely and smooth communications with partners, stakeholders, and funders
• Partner with the CEO and the SLT to coordinate and manage relationships with partners, stakeholders, and consultants
• Partner with the People Team, including collaboration regarding the team’s leadership of human resources, benefits, staff management, professional learning, performance evaluations, goal-setting, and other responsibilities
• Partner with the People Team to lead assessments of organizational culture and equity, and to coordinate staff retreats and other gatherings
• Be able to add managerial capacity, as needed, to People and Operational functions

Candidate Qualifications and Traits:

• 8+ years of prior work experience in interdisciplinary or management roles (versus individual contributor)
• 2+ years working at a leadership level or regional leadership level for an education-focused non-profit organization
• Prior experience working on a leadership team
• Prior experience working with a board (supporting board operations or serving on a board) 
• Prior experience reporting to and supporting a CEO to advance complex organizational goals preferred
• Prior teaching experience is a plus, but not required

Key Competencies:

• Strong organizational systems, detail orientation, and follow through of the last mile of execution of work (values the details of making something happen rather than just being involved in setting the strategy)
• Able to leverage both tactical skill and emotional intelligence to collaborate well with a large range of people, at times defusing challenging situations
• Strong learning and continuous improvement orientation 
• Proven ability to create highly effective written communications for executive and broader staff audiences  
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills, with an emphasis on upward and lateral communication 
• Ability to consistently monitor and adapt to changing circumstances
• Excellent judgment on when to pull in others / not seeking independent wins – all about the collective wins 
• Strong management capabilities and strong judgment regarding human resources
• Thoughtfulness about people and culture and exemplary model of our values
• Demonstrated track record of demonstrating continuous improvement and a strong growth mindset when experiencing setbacks 

Our Commitment to Diversity 

To better serve the teachers and students at the core of our mission, Teach Plus is committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds and gender identities to apply to our positions.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is between $130,000 and $145,000. The salary offered will be determined based on the selected candidate's specific qualifications, years of relevant experience, specialized knowledge, and internal equity. 

Teach Plus provides a comprehensive benefits package and time off, including 15 vacation days, 3 personal days, 5 sick days, 13 holidays, July break and winter break, paid parental leave, and a 4-week paid sabbatical for every five years of service. 

Location and Travel

This is a remote position. Candidates must be willing to travel approximately four-to-six times per year.

Please complete an online application found here. Teach Plus will receive applications until the position is filled.

Application link: https://teachplus.tfaforms.net/328321