Chief of Staff job description.
A Chief of Staff works directly alongside a senior executive to drive strategic priorities, coordinate cross-functional initiatives, and improve organisational effectiveness. They act as a trusted advisor and force multiplier, managing sensitive projects and ensuring alignment between leadership decisions and execution across teams.
The Chief of Staff job description · $29
The full editable .docx — role summary, 8 worked responsibilities, qualifications, and skills, formatted for your letterhead. Delivered to your inbox within 24 hours — usually instantly.
Role: Chief of Staff Reports to: Chief Executive Officer or other senior executive
A Chief of Staff works directly alongside a senior executive to drive strategic priorities, coordinate cross-functional initiatives, and improve organisational effectiveness. They act as a trusted advisor and force multiplier, managing sensitive projects and ensuring alignment between leadership decisions and execution across teams.
- Partner with the executive to prioritise, track, and drive key strategic initiatives
- Prepare briefing materials, agendas, and communications for leadership meetings
- Coordinate cross-functional projects and hold teams accountable to deadlines
What's inside the document.
One-paragraph plain-English explanation of the role's outcome and scope.
8 responsibilities phrased the way the work is actually done.
4 qualifications a candidate must have to perform on day 30.
3 qualifications that would make a candidate excellent in year two.
6 skill chips you can copy directly into your ATS.
Chief Executive Officer or other senior executive
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
The work, not the title.
- Partner with the executive to prioritise, track, and drive key strategic initiatives
- Prepare briefing materials, agendas, and communications for leadership meetings
- Coordinate cross-functional projects and hold teams accountable to deadlines
- Act as a liaison between the executive's office and other departments
- Analyse business performance data and surface insights to leadership
- Manage sensitive or confidential matters with sound judgement and discretion
- Run leadership team rhythms including planning cycles and offsites
- Identify organisational gaps and recommend process or structural improvements
Required — and what would make a candidate excellent.
- 5+ years of experience in a strategy, operations, or consulting role
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong project management and prioritisation abilities
- Demonstrated discretion when handling confidential information
- MBA or equivalent advanced degree
- Prior experience supporting a senior executive directly
- Background in management consulting or corporate strategy
Eight steps from download to publish.
- 01Open the Chief of Staff job description in Word or your one-click Google Docs copy.
- 02Replace placeholders for company name, reporting line, and location with your specifics.
- 03Tighten the summary to one paragraph that names the team's outcome, not just the role.
- 04Edit the responsibilities to match the actual scope of the seat — aim for 6 to 8 items, not 12.
- 05Separate required qualifications from preferred. Required is what a candidate must have to do the work on day 30; preferred is what would make them excellent in year two.
- 06Add salary range guidance using BLS, Payscale, or your own band data — do not copy generic figures.
- 07Have the hiring manager and one peer read it. Cut anything that wouldn't survive a candidate question.
- 08Publish to your ATS, intranet, and external careers page.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this Chief of Staff job description any time you are opening or reopening a seat at this level. The senior band sets the calibration — copy the document, tighten it to your specific scope, and circulate to the hiring panel before the first interview.
The reporting line (Chief Executive Officer or other senior executive) and skills list are starting points. Override either if your org structure or stack differs from the norm — the template is a draft, not a contract.
Honest answers before you download.
- Is a Chief of Staff the same as an Executive Assistant?
- No. An Executive Assistant manages an executive's schedule and administrative needs, while a Chief of Staff drives strategic initiatives and often has decision-making input across the organisation.
- What background is best suited for a Chief of Staff role?
- Candidates from strategy consulting, corporate operations, or prior chief-of-staff roles tend to succeed, since the role requires both analytical rigour and organisational influence.
Other documents in this neighbourhood.
Chief Executive Officer
The CEO sets and executes the company's strategy, is accountable to the board, and represents the organisation externally.
Chief Operating Officer
The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the day-to-day operational execution of the company's strategy.
Director of Operations
A Director of Operations manages the day-to-day functioning of business operations, ensuring processes run efficiently and teams meet performance goals.
This Chief of Staff job description is a professionally drafted starting point for your hiring process and is not legal advice. Hiring practice varies by jurisdiction (e.g. pay-transparency laws differ across US states and AU jurisdictions). Adapt this document for your specific location and have employment counsel review any clauses you add before publishing. Salary varies by region, employer type, and experience. Reference BLS or current industry surveys for ranges. Full disclaimer.