Chief of Staff

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Public Rights Project (PRP) is a national nonprofit organization that helps local government officials fight for civil rights. We build their capacity to protect and advance civil rights, convene and connect them on key issues, and provide legal representation to help them win in court for residents. Since 2017, we've recovered over $46 million in relief for marginalized people; built a network of over 1,300 government offices, elected officials, and community-based organizations in 50 states; trained 130 prosecutors and government lawyers in 24 states; and secured court victories on abortion, immigrant, workers’, and voting rights. Learn more about our work.

Please refrain from reaching out to PRP staff to inquire about the opportunity or your application status. Due to the volume of requests, we are unable to provide individual feedback or information outside of the official hiring process.

JOB SUMMARY:

Public Rights Project seeks to hire a Chief of Staff to support Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Founder Jill Habig in stewarding the organization’s mission. This role is critical for aligning the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), board, and staff towards PRP’s mission and strategic direction, continuing to build a strong foundation and operating infrastructure, and modeling PRP’s core values and desired culture. The Chief of Staff will manage the Executive Office of the CEO and help execute the CEO’s vision and goals. This role will sit on the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). 

The determined salary range for this role is set between $134,477 - $201,715, exact salary will be based on candidate experience. For internal equity purposes, PRP will not negotiate with candidates outside of the role’s designated range.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Executive Office Support

• Serve as an advisor and strategic thought partner to the CEO, and lead the execution of the CEO’s vision and goals. 
• Support CEO in prioritization of time and resources; manage the coordination and preparation of meeting briefs, talking points, and additional research to ensure the CEO is prepared for all internal and external engagements. 
• Act as the main liaison between the CEO and internal stakeholders. Strategically determine when and how the CEO should be engaged on an issue.
• Manage Executive Assistant to support all administrative needs including CEO scheduling, travel coordination, and other logistics. 
• Oversee and/or support drafting of CEO communications in collaboration with the Marketing & Communications department 

Strategic Leadership, Alignment, and Accountability

• Organize and prioritize critical issues and required information for the CEO and ELT to facilitate efficient decision-making. 
• Manage and facilitate ELT meetings, All Leadership meetings, and in-person ELT retreats to streamline information-sharing, decision-making, and strategic alignment across the organization. 
• Collaborate closely with other ELT members to facilitate alignment with CEO priorities and organizational goals. 
• Actively contribute to and foster PRP’s culture. Continually assess and refine PRP’s operating model with organizational leaders to streamline collaboration, decision-making, and resource allocation. 

• Lead multi-year strategic planning that engages the ELT, SLT, all staff, board members, and other stakeholders in an equitable and inclusive manner. 
• Ensure that the organization is collectively accountable to the multi-year strategic plan and annual operational plans. Support annual plan execution and tracking with the Operations team as needed. 
• Act as a liaison between staff and ELT, acting as an additional “pulse check” on organizational health and effectiveness. 
• Maintain high-level awareness of work throughout the organization and serve to connect the dots across departments and projects to improve collaboration and effectiveness. Identify opportunities to improve internal workflows, communication, processes, and systems. 
• Lead and/or manage special projects with minimal oversight

Board Management and Support

• Act as the primary liaison to the Board of Directors. Support the preparation of all materials for board meeting packets, presentations, minutes, and approvals. 
• Support CEO with Board recruitment activities to grow the Board of Directors to a 15+ person board (currently 8 members) with 3-4 standing committees 
• Support the Board’s Executive Committee with the execution of governance requirements and activities as needed
• Support additional board committees as needed

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• At least 8 years of work experience preferred; and 2-3+ years of managerial experience preferred
• Experience advising or supporting senior leaders of an organization, campaign, or government office. 
• Experience managing large, complex projects with multiple stakeholders
• Deep commitment to and experience in building culture and practices centered in equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to think strategically while providing tactical support to bring ideas to life
• Strong skills in change management and achieving buy-in at the leadership level. Ability to build strong relationships and trust across difference
• Strong skills in supporting CEO or C-suite positions, senior appointees or elected officials. 
• Ability to juggle multiple high priority projects simultaneously, with strong judgment in prioritizing and delegating
• Ability to identify and communicate organizational gaps, risks, or challenges in a timely manner
• Possesses a continuous learning mindset, able to share constructive feedback amongst team members, and highly adaptable. 
• Exceptional judgment in discretion and sensitivity in handling confidential matters 
• Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills, capable of leading cross-functional teams and managing complex organizational structures.
• Expert, detail-oriented, and proactive project management skills, including managing multiple work streams concurrently
• Team player with ability and willingness both to complete and to oversee administrative tasks in support of team goals
• Ability to deliver high-quality content and produce results on a deadline
• Ability to conduct research and provide analysis
• Experience or ability to learn the following systems: Office 365, Salesforce, and Asana
• A belief in the power of state and local government to make positive change in the world and a passionate commitment to economic, racial, gender, and environmental justice
• Preferred but not required: Familiarity with or experience working in government or on campaigns, and with PRP core issue areas (economic justice, immigrant rights, reproductive justice, election protection work)

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Other duties as assigned.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP:

Reports directly to the CEO. This position will also work closely with the rest of the ELT – Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, Chief Development Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Program Officer. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Requires sitting, talking and listening for up to 8 hours per day. Certain situations may require lifting items up to 20 pounds. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Based in Oakland with the ability to work virtually