Chief of Staff with the Institute for Political Innovation

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR POLITICAL INNOVATION

The Institute for Political Innovation (IPI) is a cross-partisan, not-for-profit organization that contributes theory, scholarship, and strategy to catalyze model, modern political change in America.

IPI is the culmination of a multi-year period of scholarship and research – a pivot toward investment and action – with an immediate, laser-focus on Final-Five Voting™, a system wherein the top five candidates are selected from the primary ballot and ranked-choice voting is used in the general election to ensure that politicians are held accountable for delivering results.

In 2016 Katherine Gehl and Prof. Michael Porter co-authored the seminal Harvard Business School report, Why Competition in the Politics Industry is Failing America: A strategy for reinvigorating our democracy, which reshaped the national conversation on political reform. Katherine and Michael have subsequently broadened that work into a book, The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy, which was released in June of 2020.

A critical – if secondary – goal is the establishment and furthering of IPI as a thought-leading institution and producer of new research and scholarship.

For more information about IPI and its greater ecosystem, please see the addendum and visit https://www.political-innovation.org/.

POSITION SUMMARY

Emphasizing growth in 2021, IPI is taking the next step in its startup journey. The organization will transition from a reactive to proactive positioning. With a focus on Final Five Voting, IPI is expanding its team and bringing on new talent to maximize influence and impact.

The new Chief of Staff role will be joining at this pivotal moment. The role will partner closely with IPI’s Executive Director, Solomon Lieberman, to ensure he has more time to achieve IPI’s strategic vision. The Chief of Staff will implement the Executive Director’s key initiatives and support the ongoing growth and scale of the organization.

This role will work closely with director-level staff to support cross-functional integration and strategic alignment. The Chief of Staff will also serve as a culture champion by fostering connections and engagement at all levels of the organization.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief of Staff’s key responsibilities will encompass three primary areas:

Implement the Executive Director’s projects

• Proactively lead initiatives on behalf of the Executive Director; ensure successful execution and completion of his priorities
• Work closely with the Executive Director to develop the organization’s strategic plan; ensure it is integrated into staff practices
• Plan ahead by identifying project obstacles, researching opportunities, and drafting solutions for the Executive Director
• Lead projects across the organization; manage bodies of work that fall outside specific functional roles
• Provide tactical support for individual tasks as they arise (e.g., copy review)
• Maintain regular communication and provide status updates regarding the Executive Director’s projects

Rationalize the Executive Director’s time and priorities

• Stay focused and committed to the Executive Director's effective use of time by establishing procedures and protocols that promote strategic space (i.e., thinking time)
• Measure success against the Executive Director’s current time allocations
• Identify opportunities for continual process improvement; routinely evaluate and calibrate the Executive Director’s time
• Synthesize information and data points to optimize the Executive Director’s decision making and prioritization
• Provide timely updates, deliverables, and briefs to prepare the Executive Director for engagements (e.g., meetings, presentations)

Facilitate cross-functional integration

• Develop strong working relationships with the Directors; attend all Director meetings and ensure timely follow up and completion of action items
• Work closely with IPI Founder & Chair Katherine Gehl’s Chief of Staff to ensure alignment within the broader ecosystem
• Identify opportunities for cross-functional information transfer, process standardization, and communication alignment
• Support the development of best-in-class systems; provide recommendations to optimize operations and processes
• Serve as a culture champion for the organization; ensure IPI values remain intact as the team evolves
• Connect the dots across internal teams; foster collaboration within the small but growing organization

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

The Chief of Staff should possess the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

• At least 7-12 years of progressive cross-functional experience
• Experience working closely with executives
• Strong project management experience and excellence in execution
• Desire to solve a variety of problems; a solutions-first mindset
• Aptitude and enthusiasm for writing and presentation with a keen attention to detail
• Commitment to best-in-class content; penchant for data-driven, crisp, and persuasive visual and written products
• Experience optimizing and scaling processes and procedures for organizational growth
• Ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders
• Passion for and high awareness of politics and/or political reform
• Strong self-efficacy and presence to cultivate team-wide respect and trust
• High degree of emotional intelligence

TO APPLY

Interested candidates may apply through Prime's Career Center.

IPI is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran’s status, citizenship status or any other protected status under applicable laws or regulations.

We encourage individuals of all political backgrounds to apply. IPI’s mission is deeply rooted in cross-partisanship, which makes a diversity of political ideologies an asset.

If you are a qualified candidate who needs reasonable accommodations to apply for this position, please contact us at info@primechiefofstaff.com.