Overview
The Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs opened in July 2022 and is the first professional school that has been established at Yale since 1976. The Jackson School of Global Affairs offers interdisciplinary academic programs that inspire and prepare Yale students for global leadership and service.
The Chief of Staff (COS) serves as a senior advisor to the Dean, providing high-level strategic counsel and administrative leadership to advance the School’s mission, strategy, and programs. As a member of the School’s senior leadership team and a representative of the Dean, the COS helps set priorities and shape the Dean’s School-wide agenda.
As a key representative of the Dean, the COS manages relationships with internal and external constituents-including faculty, staff, students, visiting dignitaries-and serves as a liaison to Yale offices and external institutions and stakeholders. Represents the Jackson School at University-wide meetings and events.
Essential Duties
Serves as Advisor to the Dean and Resolves Issues
- Proactively anticipates political and operational challenges, serving as a trusted and confidential advisor to the Dean on emerging issues, sensitivities, and institutional concerns
- Triages and resolves complex, sensitive matters brought to the Dean's Office with discretion and sound judgment, escalating issues to the Dean as appropriate and coordinating timely resolutions
- Ensures the Dean remains consistently informed on critical matters and that institutional priorities are effectively advanced and aligned across the School
Participates in Strategic Planning and Develops Policy
- Leads and manages a broad and dynamic portfolio of special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Dean, establishing clear accountability, monitoring progress, and ensuring timely and effective follow-through
- Develops, implements, and oversees School-wide policies in close collaboration with the Dean and senior leadership, ensuring alignment with the School's strategic direction
Acts as Communication Liaison
- Partners cross-functionally with departments, centers, and offices across the School to ensure the seamless implementation of key initiatives and operational priorities
- Strengthens coordination, communication, and connectivity among staff, centers, and offices to foster a cohesive and well-integrated institutional culture
Oversees Communications Office
- Oversees the School's comprehensive communications and public information strategy, advancing its mission and positioning its programs and reputation effectively with both internal and external audiences
- Provides strategic oversight of the School's Communications Office, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, impactful, and consistent messaging
Additional Responsibilities include assumes additional responsibilities and special assignments as directed by the Dean.
Required Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrates a high level of flexibility, independent judgment, and ability to work with own initiative to represent the Dean and advancing the Dean’s priorities across multiple stakeholder groups including senior staff, faculty, and university representatives. Possesses superior written and oral communication skills with a proven ability to engage, influence, and frame complex ideas for deans, faculty, university administrators, staff, students, and other stakeholders.
- Exercises sound judgment in complex, ambiguous, and politically sensitive situations; skilled at framing issues, evaluating options, and articulating risks and trade-offs to enable timely, well-informed decisions. Brings strong emotional intelligence, professionalism, and a sophisticated awareness of the political dynamics and cultural nuances inherent in complex academic environments.
- Demonstrates exceptional research, analytical, and problem-solving capability; synthesizes complex information into clear, actionable insights that inform institutional strategy and high-level decision-making.
- Maintains strict confidentiality and handles high-stakes matters with professionalism, integrity, and collegiality; consistently models discretion, trustworthiness, and integrity in all interactions, responsibilities, and relationships.
- Manages multiple competing priorities with high-quality outcomes within established deadlines; works effectively both independently and in teams, showing initiative, resourcefulness, and a consistently helpful, facilitative approach that supports the success of colleagues, teams, and the school as a whole.
Preferred Experience
Knowledge of current affairs. Experience leading projects in higher education that engage many stakeholders.
Principal Responsibilities
- Oversees the execution and implementation of detailed project plans in concert with stakeholders.
- Manages several routine projects simultaneously and ensures that the design, testing, training, documentation and prioritization objectives are met.
- Assists in refining and re-sequencing during the implementation and execution phases of assigned projects, as needed.
- Works closely with business analysts, technical professionals, end users and project stake holders during the requirements, solutions design and implementation phases to develop detailed project plans for implementation.
- Works on risk assessment, communication planning, development of performance metrics, and project entry criteria.
- Creates detailed project plans including timelines, budgets, and resource allocation to ensure successful project completion.
- Manages client expectations and provides issue/risk identification and escalation pathways.
- May supervise the implementation team of cross-functional project and technical resources.
- Designs, develops, and executes communication systems to ensure effective exchange of information between project stakeholders, senior management, and staff.
- Resolves complex project issues that involve representatives from multiple organizations.
- Complies with standard policies and procedures.
- May supervise and train junior project managers.
- May perform other duties as assigned.
Required Education and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and five years of related work experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
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