How to Write an Effective Chief of Staff Job Description
A detailed, accurate position description is critical in any hiring process. For a chief of staff role, this is especially true, given how different the role looks across industries and organizations. There is no single answer to the question, “ What does a chief of staff do?” There are several archetypes of a chief of staff, many of which may overlap in a single role. It can also be challenging to capture because some portion of a chief of staff’s role is typically reacting to the day-to-day needs of the leader and can’t always be identified in advance. The role can often morph and change over time, or even through seasons in the year.
While it can be challenging to write, the chief of staff job position description is important in the search process. We use the position description to inform our scorecards and interview questions, so having the right information is critical to finding the right person. We thought we would share some tips on drafting an effective chief of staff position description based on our experience identifying and hiring chiefs of staff.
Steps to write the Chief of Staff job description
- Write a job summary, including the key functions of the position
- Outline the role’s duties and responsibilities
- Detail the qualifications of the ideal candidate
- Review the position description with the leader and his or her team
1. Define the Chief of Staff Job Summary
We include a position summary with every description, which defines the key mission of the chief of staff role and gives an overview of its key functions and the benefits it will provide to the leader, office of the leader, and the entire organization. We usually also include who s/he will work most closely with (e.g., the Board of Directors, leadership team, executive assistant, etc.).
In developing the key functions for your chief of staff, consider the various archetypes and those that make most sense in your context. For example, are they the administrator (creating structure and process for a visionary leader) and advisor (providing strategic thought partnership) or are they more integrator (acting as glue, creating cohesion and alignment) and implementer (getting stuff done, driving priorities and/or special projects on behalf of the leader)? You often have aspects of ALL, but we focus the summary on where they will spend a majority of their time. We then use these key functions to create specific responsibilities.
2. What are a Chief of Staff’s Responsibilities Within an Organization?
Outline the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities for the role. Be specific with what you know, leaving room for what you don’t. Many of the duties for your Chief of Staff should be outlined, but approximately 10–20% of the role may be left undefined until the chief of staff assumes the position.
Below are some sample items that might be included in a Chief of Staff job description:
- Help leader identify priorities, strategically align his/her time with those, and revisit them regularly to assess progress
- Act as a key thought partner, brainstorming & identifying solutions to challenges
- Manage a variety of long-term, cross-organizational projects (include specific examples)
- Plan leadership team retreats, developing objectives and agenda, coordinating with executive assistant on logistics
- Oversee meeting preparation and planning for Board of Directors; support CEO in managing interactions with board chair and committee leaders
- Provide communications support: drafting emails, reports, memos, presentations, internal and external communications, and/or social media posts
Note that these examples specify the kind of work the chief of staff will do, rather than simply using a vague statement like, “Oversees communications.”
Read the complete article at www.virtualchiefofstaff.com
Catherine Berardi is the Founder & CEO of Prime Chief of Staff, which provides high-performing Chiefs of Staff to high-performing companies. They work with fast-growing startups to established corporations across industries to identify, onboard, develop, and coach exceptional talent for this critical role.
Madeleine Niebauer is the Founder & CEO of vChief Virtual Chief of Staff service, which offers part-time and interim chief of staff support to start-ups, nonprofit organizations, and businesses of all sizes.
Article originally published at https://www.virtualchiefofstaff.com.
