Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia is seeking a Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives(COS). The Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives(COS) supports the Dean's Office in a wide range of duties with the goal of maximizing the Dean's efficiency and effectiveness is advancing the mission and strategy of the Batten School.

Responsibilities include:

• Strategic thought partner and advisor to the dean, helping to set priorities for scheduling, travel, communications, and strategic initiatives. The COS should sustain a well-informed, big picture view of school context, strategy, and challenges plus regular listening for input from faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders. A successful COS will be intellectually curious and proactively on the lookout for new opportunities to recommend and risks to mitigate.A successful COS will be a go-to person for accurate information, creative problem solving, and data-driven decision-making support. The COS will be expected periodically to assess how well the dean's office is functioning and recommend ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Surrogate for the dean, serving as the dean's representative where appropriate in communications and engagement with Batten staff, faculty, and other UVA or external partners. As necessary, providing a soft "gatekeeping" role to protect the dean's time and energy and ensure that materials submitted to the dean are ready for consideration and decision-making.
• Writer/Communications for the dean, providing drafts (likely multiple rounds) for dean remarks, speeches, community messages or statements, and significant correspondence. Overseeing the planning, development, and dissemination of executive communication to advance School objectives. Develop an understanding of the Dean's communication style across multiple media and reflect that style in the different materials prepared.
• Leadership of selected initiatives and projects, as directed by the dean, engaging other staff and institutional resources as appropriate.This includes, but is not limited to, oversight of the Batten2030 strategic plan and associated monitoring and reporting of progress, oversight of the annual Thomas Jefferson Medalist process for the Batten School and other high-profile events, and preparation for Batten Foundation Advisory Board meetings and engagements.This will also include numerous medium and small projects and follow-up opportunities stemming from meetings with or communications received by the dean, staff vacancies, new university initiatives, and more.
• Champion of high performance, helping to communicate and drive a high expectations culture across the organization.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree. MPP, MPA, JD, or other graduate degree strongly preferred.
• Experience: At least eight years of relevant experience or Master's degree with at least six years of relevant experience. Four additional years of relevant level experience may substitute for a degree. Experience in higher education and UVA is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, project management, and organizational skills.
• Service mindset with strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills; ability to work through complex issues with diverse constituencies.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and handle multiple projects of varying complexity simultaneously with impeccable attention to detail and a superior level of excellence and professionalism.
• Flexibility and tolerance for ambiguity. Willingness to handle both complex and mundane matters. Ability to combine strategic thinking with operational follow-through.
• Demonstrated ability to work individually and collaboratively.
• Tact, discretion, and experience handling highly confidential and sensitive information.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently under pressure with professionalism.
• Full proficiency with standard office software (e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

This position is based in Charlottesville, VA and is primarily in-person with some after hours and weekend commitments expected. The ideal start date for this position is July 1 but an earlier or later start date will be considered.

This is a full-time, Exempt-level, benefited position. Compensation for this role is commensurate with qualifications. More information about benefits can be found here: https://hr.virginia.edu/benefits. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

To Apply:
Please apply through UVA job board and search for R0072462. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching 'Find Jobs'. Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV
• Cover letter
• List of links to any publicly available written content, speeches, or other materials authored by the applicant

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

For job specific questions, please contact Craig Lindqvist, Associate Dean for Administration at Craig.Lindqvist@Virginia.edu. For questions about the application process, please contact Jessica Russo, Senior Recruiter, at sxv9zv@virginia.edu.

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville andhttps://embarkcva.com/.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physicians Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experience. We are equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.