Sr. Manager, Chief of Staff - Community Finance

About Global Enterprise Affairs (GEA)

Global Enterprise Affairs (GEA) works to change banking for good through the collective efforts of seven teams and key partnerships across the enterprise. We engage internal and external stakeholders to help build a more inclusive society, strengthen communities, and create financial tools that enrich lives. GEA teams include Community Impact and Investment (CII), Community Finance (CF), CRA Strategy and Program Management, Global Government and Policy Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, and Risk, Innovation, Strategy and Enablement (RISE). We pride ourselves on challenging the status quo and operating with a strong sense of purpose. Our teams work alongside a diverse group of changemakers focused on creating meaningful, lasting impact.

About Global Enterprise Affairs And Community Finance

Community Finance (CF) originates debt and equity to support affordable housing development. We provide debt financing and invest in low-income housing credits through proprietary and multi-fund equity fund structures. We focus on innovation and opportunity—dreaming in disruption at scale—especially for those who have been underserved. Our team partners across Global Enterprise Affairs, Small Business, and the Commercial Bank to provide capital to affordable housing developers and community development institutions.

The Role

We are seeking a strategic, influence-driven Chief of Staff, Community Finance to serve as the key executive advisor, strategic operator, and force multiplier for the Community Finance leadership team. In this high-visibility role, you will sit at the center of strategy, operations, and cross-functional leadership, shaping business priorities and driving operational excellence across the organization.

As Chief of Staff, you will bridge executive vision and business execution—incubating early-stage strategy, evaluating greenfield real estate finance opportunities before formal underwriting, leading high-stakes strategic initiatives, and ensuring horizontal alignment across Community Finance, GEA, and the broader enterprise. You will amplify executive leadership bandwidth, build decision-making frameworks, and ensure organizational momentum across all strategic towers.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Advisory & Executive Bandwidth Acceleration
  • Executive Thought Partnership: Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic sounding board to the Community Finance leadership team, translating macro vision into clear operational and strategic priorities.
  • Pre-Pipeline Strategy & Feasibility: Lead initial strategic vetting and market alignment analysis for early-stage "greenfield" development opportunities and novel financing structures before formal underwriting or pipeline entry.
  • Strategic Incubations: Act as the primary owner for emerging, ambiguous initiatives, incubating business concepts and designing operational models until they can be seamlessly transitioned to functional owners (e.g., Originations or Underwriting).
• Enterprise Connectivity & Organizational Alignment
  • Horizontal Integration: Drive cross-functional connective tissue between Community Finance (CF), Community Impact and Investment (CII), Global Enterprise Affairs, and Commercial Banking partners, ensuring alignment across key business goals.
  • Executive Governance & Cadence: Design, orchestrate, and facilitate executive leadership forums, strategy retreats, and business reviews—ensuring discussions are targeted, outcomes are actionable, and accountability is clearly maintained.
  • Executive Representation & Proxy: Represent Community Finance leadership in key cross-functional forums, executive discussions, and internal/external partner meetings to align interests and maintain strategic momentum.
  • Strategic Communications & Storytelling: Craft executive communications, board-level decks, and internal messaging that align teams around shared priorities, organizational changes, and business strategy.
• Strategic Execution & Portfolio Operations
  • Strategic Roadmap Delivery: Oversee execution tracking for major business priorities, establishing clear milestones, governance metrics, and proactive risk mitigation plans.
  • High-Impact Special Projects: Lead multi-disciplinary initiatives across organizational boundaries, such as process optimization pilots, team operating model redesigns, or new program launches.
  • Executive Decision Support: Synthesize complex business metrics, industry insights, and operational data into clear, high-impact executive summaries to enable rapid, well-informed leadership decision-making.

What We’re Looking For

• Executive Presence & Strategic Maturity: Proven experience working alongside senior leaders, navigating complex organizations, and influencing without formal hierarchy.
• Domain Expertise in Real Estate / Affordable Housing: Deep understanding of commercial real estate finance, affordable housing development, or LIHTC structures to credibly evaluate new opportunities.
• Navigating Ambiguity: High tolerance for fluid environments; ability to take unstructured ideas and transform them into operational clarity and actionable plans.
• Cross-Functional Synthesis: Ability to view the business holistically, connect disparate threads across teams, and translate complex operational details into strategic insights.
• High EQ & Communication Skill: Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal skills with a strong reputation for discretion, trust, and collaboration.
• Mission-Driven Focus: Passion for community development, affordable housing, and social impact within commercial finance.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or military experience
• At least 5 years of experience in real estate banking, commercial real estate finance, affordable housing development, or strategic operations within a corporate or financial setting
• At least 3 years of experience in executive advisory, strategy consulting, business management, or Chief of Staff roles

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Finance, Real Estate, or a related discipline
• 7+ years of experience within commercial real estate, LIHTC equity and debt structuring, or affordable housing finance
• Proven track record of designing executive governance structures, driving large-scale change management, and leading cross-functional strategic initiatives in a complex matrixed environment

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

Pay

McLean, VA: $200,700 - $229,100 for Chief of Staff. Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter. This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.