Chief of Staff

Ensure the development and smooth implementation of key strategies outlined by leadership and the board

• Work closely with senior leadership to run the organization on a day-to-day basis, from high-level strategy to personnel matters;
• Support COO in strategic planning, policy development, decision-making, project management, and special projects;
• Represent senior leadership with internal stakeholders;
• Advise the rest of senior leadership with internal communication and attending to staff needs, ensuring any problems are resolved;
• Keep the rest of the senior leadership abreast of the current organizational climate (employee well-being, project statuses, new proposals, etc.);
• Prepare presentations, updates, and reports in support of the Board of Directors meetings;
• Lead a consistent organization-wide approach to planning, learning, execution and assessment to increase organizational effectiveness;

Develop, support and maintain a strong, positive and collaborative work culture.

• Help develop and implement leadership’s plan to create, strengthen and/or support CRC’s internal culture, organizational work-related policies, and team structure;
• Represent management, along with the COO, in the labor management council and support the implementation of the CBA;
• Work with the COO to establish and maintain an HR structure for the organization;
  • Develop, implement, and review updated policies and strategies. Maintain a high-level awareness of all ongoing work throughout the organization and build connections across different streams of work to avoid duplication and amplify efforts;
  • Build relationships with staff in order to improve internal communications and increase operational responsiveness;
  • Develop and refine mechanisms for teams to work more effectively together and help ensure team members have the information and tools they need to be successful;
• Generate solutions to personnel conflicts as they arise;
• Design and facilitate effective and equitable hiring processes;

Administration

• Manage leadership team meetings.
• Coordinate and prepare briefing memos, talking points, and background research to prepare leadership for internal meetings and external engagements.
• Handle confidential information.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to write for various audiences on various technical and policy topics;
• Ability to manage a portfolio of duties and projects with various timelines and deadlines;
• Track record of working closely with, and building consensus among, executive level leaders, teams, and outside partners;
• Successful implementation of strategy at different levels of the organization
• A critical thinker who can analyze issues and provide strategic input;
• Strong management skills and ability to navigate interpersonal relationships in a productive manner;
• Ability to guide or oversee the guidance for staff with interpersonal conflict in the workplace;
• Ability to collaborate with individuals and groups to reach solutions to needs or issues; strong intuition and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to think creatively and suggest new proposals for organization-wide and team specific education and professional development;
• Ability to exercise high and strict levels of confidentiality and use professional judgment and discretion;
• Familiarity with G-Suite, Slack and other web-based applications;
• Comfort designing and facilitating conflict resolution processes;
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Qualifications

• JD with prior litigation experience required (civil rights or criminal defense litigation experience preferred);
• Experience working on improving organizational culture, human resources and/or internal policies;
• Experience recruiting and hiring staff as well as supervising and mentoring and providing critical and constructive feedback;
• Experience supervising team members in executing the priorities that have been identified;
• Experience implementing, overseeing or reviewing organizational evaluations;
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice;
• Proven ability to navigate sensitive personnel issues around identity, privilege and equity;
• Prior experience in an organizational leadership function.

A well-qualified candidate will possess the following:

• A recognized leader who elevates others;
• An ability to demonstrate respect, professionalism, and sound judgment clearly and consistently with all people;
• A network of relationships in the social justice movement space, criminal punishment community, or the nonprofit sector more broadly;
• Sophisticated understanding of workplace dynamics, nonprofit governance, and organizational effectiveness and development in social justice movement contexts.
• Strong conflict resolution skills; strong diplomatic qualities; proven capacity to build consensus and compromise within complex structures & teams

What’s attractive to the right candidate?

• The opportunity to strengthen the internal capacity of a young, innovative organization that is a leader in the field in a time of rising authoritarianism;
• The opportunity to support an important mission at a time of internal adaptation and evolution at CRC;
• The opportunity to work within a vibrant team of values-driven individuals;
• The opportunity to create organizational systems;
• A cultural aversion to superfluous internal bureaucracy.