Chief of Staff & Director of Special Projects

About the role

The Chief of Staff to the CEO is a high-leverage, high-trust role critical to furthering the organization's growth and impact. This individual will be the CEO’s closest thought partner and force multiplier—extending their reach, sharpening their voice, and owning the work that shapes how the organization shows up to the world.

Role Details

• Location: This full-time, exempt position can be done on a flexible schedule remotely from anywhere in the U.S. with access to high speed internet, with a preference for someone who can work PST hours. The candidate should be comfortable and equipped to work efficiently in a remote work environment.

• Up to 40% travel within the U.S. will be required for this role.

• Compensation: The baseline compensation range for this role is $150,000-$175,000 depending on experience.

• Benefits: A comprehensive benefits package is offered, including full health, dental, and vision for the employee and any dependents, plus life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, flexible work hours and location, flexible paid time off, paid parental leave, a generous annual stipend for home office expenses and professional development, and a 401k match of 4% vested immediately.

• Start Date: A candidate to start as soon as possible after receiving an offer is preferred, though there is some flexibility.

About the Opportunity

We are a growing 501(c)(3) non-profit that creates equitable educational experiences to excite and empower learners everywhere with AI literacy. The organization educates students—especially those disproportionately impacted by artificial intelligence and automation—with the conceptual knowledge and skills they need to thrive as future workers, creators, consumers, and citizens. Join the team to make a difference in education and help shape a brighter future for today's and tomorrow's learners.

Your Responsibilities

• Office of the CEO Management

  • Run the office of the CEO, coordinating the CEO's focus and priorities in alignment with organizational needs
  • Provide strategic external communications support — triage incoming communications, draft responses, and ensure timely follow up
  • Field and triage meeting requests on behalf of the CEO, taking meetings independently where appropriate and preparing briefings and materials for high-stakes engagements
  • Act as a proxy for the CEO in decision-making and follow-ups, owning next steps and making sure nothing falls through the cracks
  • Partner with the CEO's EA on scheduling, travel, expenses and inbox management, and optimize travel time for maximum relationship-building across external partners, programs teams, and funders

• Communications & Marketing

  • Lead and own executive communications for the CEO, including the development and stewardship of thought leadership content via Substack, LinkedIn, and other channels, as well as the organization's podcast
  • Lead and own CEO and executive media relations, coordinating with the Comms Lead to respond to inbound and regularly engage proactively with journalists
  • Support the development of presentations and workshop facilitation materials, ensuring the CEO shows up polished and on-message
  • Manage the Lead, Communications, who is responsible for tactical deployment of the organization's marketing and communications strategy — serving as a strategic thought partner and accountability partner for that person
  • Build an analytics infrastructure to measure the impact of communications and marketing efforts, and use those insights to inform strategy and future content decisions

• Special Projects

  • Serve as ad-hoc capacity to incubate new initiatives, partnerships, or projects at their earliest stages before handing them off to the appropriate team
  • Build lightweight, AI-powered tools and workflows that make the Office of the CEO and the comms function faster and more nimble — vibe-coding internal apps and wiring up AI workflows where they remove friction
  • Lead and advance current in-flight projects, which include a specific website project and a full organizational website revamp
  • Program manage the organization's Advisory Board, organizing meetings, regular updates, and coordinating with other teams to leverage individual advisors across the organization's workstreams

About You

• You might be a great match for this role if you have:

  • 7+ years of experience in roles that blend strategy, communications, and fast-paced execution — such as Chief of Staff or generalist at a startup or equivalent; experience at a nonprofit or mission-driven organization is a plus
  • Exceptional written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to write in another leader's voice and produce compelling content across multiple formats and audiences
  • Strong fluency with AI tools, including the ability to build lightweight tools and automations yourself — vibe-coding internal apps, wiring up AI workflows, and standing up systems that make a team faster. You’ve moved beyond just using AI to actually building with it
  • Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple complex workstreams simultaneously without dropping the ball
  • An analytical mindset with comfort building lightweight dashboards, tracking metrics, and using data to drive decisions
  • A high EQ and strong interpersonal skills; ability to build trust with a wide range of stakeholders and represent leadership with discretion and credibility
  • A bias toward action and an ownership mentality — you solve problems proactively rather than waiting to be directed
  • Comfort operating in ambiguity, navigating a fast-paced environment, and wearing multiple hats at once
  • Passion for equity in education and a genuine belief in the organization's mission

Equal Employment Opportunity

The organization is an equal opportunity employer. The belief is that building and empowering a diverse team is a strategic imperative in its work, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. This policy applies with regard to all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits and termination.