Chief of Staff
UMass Amherst Foundation
Amherst, MA
Anticipated Start Date: 06/02/2025
Description
The UMass Amherst Foundation seeks a collaborative and operationally minded Chief of Staff to complement the senior management team. This role is best suited to a leader with the administrative abilities needed to integrate organizational strategy and vision into the business operation and culture. The Chief of Staff will serve as a force multiplier for the Foundation President and senior leadership team, ensuring that strategic initiatives translate into action and impact.
Acting as a trusted advisor, thought partner, and driver of organizational effectiveness, this role fosters alignment across teams, streamlines decision-making, and enhances communication at all levels. With a deep commitment to collaboration and institutional excellence, the Chief of Staff will help shape and steward the foundation’s priorities, ensuring resources, people, and initiatives are positioned to advance its mission in meaningful, measurable ways.
Reporting directly to the President of UMAF, the Chief of Staff (COS) serves as the President’s principal advisor and operational integrator, ensuring strategic priorities are executed with clarity, efficiency, and impact. The COS leads cross-functional coordination, helping the leadership team bridge long-term vision with short-term execution. This role requires a leader who is equally adept at big-picture thinking and granular execution—someone who can see around corners, anticipate challenges, and refine processes to enhance organizational performance.
The COS must excel at leading through influence, cultivating trust, and aligning diverse stakeholders across UMAF, UMass Amherst, and beyond. Adept in governance, project management methodologies, continuous improvement frameworks such as Lean or Six Sigma principles, and institutional strategy, the COS applies structured approaches to enhance workflows, streamline decision-making, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. They provide counsel on executive matters, policy initiatives, and operational best practices while managing multiple priorities with diplomacy and professionalism.
Responsibilities
Select Responsibilities
Serve as a trusted advisor to the President, ensuring strategic priorities are effectively executed and facilitating collaboration across UMAF.
Contribute to the development and lead the implementation of strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with UMAF's mission and long-term objectives.
Act as a liaison between the President and the greater UMAF and UMass Amherst community to ensure consistent flows of communication and involvement or decision making at the proper time; assume responsibility for follow-up and the completion of action items; make sure that the President is always prepared and rarely surprised.
Execute and oversee key administrative and operational tasks, including drafting agendas, taking minutes when needed, and ensuring seamless coordination of executive-level meetings and initiatives. Balance hands-on execution with effective delegation to ensure efficiency and strategic focus.
Champion a spirit of collaborative and open communication across all departments to prevent the emergence of “silos,” binding together the senior team to maximize impact.
Establish a strong leadership presence and foster a culture that embraces teamwork, seamless communication, constructive feedback, and that nurtures high levels of morale and motivation to overcome obstacles.
Requirements
A proactive and execution-oriented mindset, with the ability to both lead high-level strategic initiatives and handle essential administrative tasks as needed, ensuring follow-through on key priorities.
A minimum of 8 years of progressive leadership experience in a complex organization, preferably in higher education, or nonprofit settings.
Experience in board governance and volunteer engagement, with a deep understanding of best practices for executive leadership support. Familiarity with university fundraising operations.
Knowledge of legal and HR policies related to executive operations, governance, and compliance.
Certification in project management (e.g., PMP, Lean Six Sigma) with a demonstrated ability to apply structured frameworks to improve business processes.
Salary Range and Employee Benefits
$170,000-$190,000
How to Apply for this Job
About the Organization
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