Chief of Staff

Position:                     Chief of Staff

Location:                    Remote

Category:                    Full time, Exempt 

Reports to:                 CEO

Direct Reports:           None

Salary Range:              $130,000-$160,000 annually + benefits

About Benetech  

Benetech is the leading global education technology nonprofit serving learners with disabilities. It is on a mission to eliminate accessibility barriers in education and has directly served a million and half learners worldwide. Building on our impactful programs Bookshare and Global Certified Accessible, we are now investing in new innovations in products and services and bringing them to market as a social enterprise to accelerate the realization of equitable education for all.

Attracting candidates from all backgrounds  

Our Benetech team reflects the diversity of the people we impact. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, including members of historically marginalized or oppressed communities because it makes our organization stronger. 

 
Research shows that individuals only apply to jobs if they meet all of the qualifications. We know there are great candidates who might not check all of the boxes and possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, apply and tell us about yourself!

The Opportunity  

As a member of the leadership team, this role will help that team become more collaborative, engaged and accountable. The role will be the owner of the strategic execution or implementation process, ensuring that OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are used to build alignment, focus and to drive outcomes. The role will help strategic initiative teams remove blockers with leadership support. It will also work with the Data Insights team to help the organization and leadership team become more data informed. This is an execution focused role.

• Support the leadership team in building a more engaged and accountable culture. Ensure that crucial discussions are held and that the team continues to become more collaborative. Ensure that leadership meetings have a clear agenda and that the meetings use precious time wisely.
• Own the Benetech goal setting process, implemented via OKRs and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Continually improving the process to build greater strategic alignment and focus across the organization and ensuring that the OKR process effectively enables Benetech to implement its strategy and drive real change and impact at scale.
• Keep the key strategic goals, in the form of OKRs, in the leadership focus by holding rigorous debates and where required, design special workshops and meetings for the leadership team to address crucial challenges, roadblocks and opportunities.
• Support OKR Navigators to become effective leaders of their bets and coaching individuals to improve their effectiveness. Help identify future leaders from within the organization.
• Actively supporting the leadership and OKR teams to create the right context for success. The right context includes leadership behavior, the data infrastructure, the relationship to performance management and ability to run experiments etc.
• Support the CEO, board and leadership team in the implementation and adaptation of Benetech’s longer term vision and rolling strategy. This includes bringing data to the heart of the strategy.
• Work with the leadership team to ensure Benetech’s strategy has the clarity to inform goal setting and the right level of detail for people to align with. Work with the CEO to create and execute a strategy communication plan.
• Facilitate communications and collaboration between CEO and leadership team, and between the leadership team and the rest of the organization.
• Work with the Data Insights Team to ensure that strategy and execution are supported by data and to make Benetech more evidence-based at every level.
• Work with the Data Insights team to ensure the leadership team has access to a dashboard that allows them to regularly review health metrics alongside OKR metrics. Also, work with that team to develop a Benetech data model that informs and supports strategy.
• Enable follow-through on strategic partnership opportunities and partnership implementation.
• Serve as the liaison for the board. Along with the CEO and the Executive Assistant, coordinate with the board, support creation of and timely delivery of board materials and agendas and effective use of board sessions, surface data to the board on strategy implementation, follow up on action items and questions from the board, etc.

Required:

• At least 5 years of experience in a Chief of Staff or similar role in any type of dynamic organization
• Passion to make social impact
• Willingness to learn and work with the constraints of a non-profit organization
• Have a strong bias to action
• Experience in driving cultural change
• Strong demonstrated project management skills with the ability to multi-task, prioritize, and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to manage conflicts and conflicting priorities with ease and humor
• Technology and strong business analytical skills
• Good written and oral business and technology communication skills
• A strong inquisitive and discerning mindset
• Ability to work well as part of a team
• Ability to work with colleagues with varying skill levels and technical proficiencies, and demonstrated success to effectively communicate complex concepts
• Interest and willingness to uphold and enable the values and truths of the organization
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft office suite, advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel

Preferred:

• Experience in commercialization of tech products
• Experience with data tools (e.g. Salesforce, Power BI, etc.)
• Postsecondary education in business or relevant field

Travel Obligations

Travel for this position may take up to 15%, including for all required meetings. This will include travel for quarterly SLT offsites at locations within the US.

Physical Demands and Working Environment: 

The bullet points below are representative of the physical demands and working environment that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

• Remote office setting: proximity to office equipment that includes electronic devices.
• Must remain at a workstation for at least 50% of the time; will need to use equipment that includes electronic devices.
• Perceive and interact with text, media, and people.
• Communicate and accurately exchange information with text, media, and people.