Chief of Staff

Chief of Staff

Permanent

Executive

Union of Concerned Scientists

Remote – MA or DC

Bargaining Unit Position: No

Our Organization

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is an independent nonprofit that puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future. We envision a peaceful, healthy, and just world where science serves people and the planet by guiding policy decisions, reducing risks, and improving lives.

For over five decades, we have been working as scientists, engineers, economists, advocates, and everyday people to create and advocate for innovative, practical solutions to some of our planet’s most pressing problems—from combating global warming and developing sustainable ways to feed, power, and transport ourselves, to fighting disinformation, advancing racial equity, and reducing the threat of nuclear war.  Values informing our work include:

• Science in the service of people and the planet. 

• Justice and Equity for people of all races and incomes—now, and for future generations. 
• Courage to take principled, science-based stands in the public arena. 
• Integrity to always examine evidence critically, openly, and honestly. 
• Democracy to promote a voice for all in government decisions. 
• Action inspiring and mobilizing people to build a healthier, safer, and more just world. 

The Position

Under the supervision of UCS’s President, strategically coordinates information flow and decision-making at the Executive Team (ET) level and provides strategic support to the President and the Board.  Specifically, the Chief of Staff coordinates and supports the executive team and leadership team's efforts and organizational decision-making to ensure the right people are acting on the right priorities at the right time. The Chief of Staff exhibits an instinct for “seeing around the corner” to anticipate and address issues before they emerge, while ensuring the appropriate delegation of responsibilities to relevant Executive Team members and Program Directors. The Chief of Staff supports and provides policy and legislative guidance to the UCS President to ensure she is focusing on the highest-priority activities for UCS, and supports her in integrating UCS’s scientific expertise, so she is well-prepared for her interactions with key external stakeholders. The Chief of Staff serves as the primary liaison to the Board, supporting their regular meetings. The Chief of Staff oversees the administrative and operational staff, as well as the budget, of the Executive Department.  

Responsibilities

EXECUTIVE TEAM & DECISION-MAKING COORDINATION

• Facilitates overall Executive Team and Leadership Team efforts: Develops agendas, directs staff and stakeholders to appropriate Leadership Team members, brings priority issues to the attention of the President, tracks Leadership Team to-dos to ensure accountability, and provides appropriate coordination with Programs.
• Has the authority required to: facilitate decision-making processes, participate in relevant internal meetings, and represent ET and the President in internal meetings.
• Ensures delegation of responsibility when the President is unavailable to the appropriate Executive leader or other staff representative.
• Assists the President in coordinating and prioritizing UCS work over multiple timeframes (e.g., multi-year, annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly) in partnership with other ET members.
• Coordinates with relevant Executive Team members and other senior staff as needed on strategic initiatives and special projects.  

PRESIDENTIAL SUPPORT & POLITICAL GUIDANCE

• Ensures the President is well-prepped for her meetings.
• Identifies opportunities, internal and external, for the President to build visibility and leadership in the field.
• Briefs the President on federal political context and coalition dynamics as necessary, based on experience and knowledge of science policy issues, federal and state politics, and regular contact with UCS staff, to supplement the President’s knowledge in this area.
• Supports the President in integrating and presenting UCS’s scientific expertise across UCS’s issue areas, based on coordination with relevant UCS program experts, to supplement the President’s knowledge in this area.

BOARD SUPPORT

• With input from ET and in conjunction with the President, plans Board meeting agendas, speakers, and materials (for three formal Board meetings each year, plus any ad hoc meetings).
• Staffs the Board Governance committee (for three formal Board meetings each year, plus any ad hoc meetings).
• Supports the Secretary to the Board by assisting with facilitating agendas and meeting preparation for regular meetings of the Board of Directors, Executive Committees and others.
• Coordinates with Chief Development Officer on coordination of Board and National Advisory Board (NAB) strategies, tactics, and event-planning logistics, where appropriate.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

• Ensures UCS staff are well-informed about important organizational news and efforts: by coordinating All Staff communications from the Executive Team; coordinating monthly All Staff meetings by defining agendas and confirming speakers; and supporting the use of the most effective internal communication channels (e.g., SharePoint, newsletters, etc.), in coordination with the Chief Communications Officer.
• Minimizes burden on individual staff by coordinating updates across multiple channels (e.g., NAB, Board, and All Staff meetings).

COORDINATES EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT RESOURCES

• Has formal oversight responsibility for Executive Department coordinators and assistants. Oversee their work to support the Executive Team, prepare for Board meetings, and support organizational initiatives.
• Serves as budget manager for the Executive Department.
• Manages relationship with UCS legal counsel and serves as the primary point of contact for UCS programmatic legal issues. For example, coordinating UCS participation in active litigation, ensuring UCS remains within 501c3 boundaries for lobbying activities, etc.
• Organizes regular Executive Team and Leadership Team meetings and periodic retreats.

LEADERSHIP

• Develop and foster on an ongoing basis, an inclusive, productive, and strong culture that is anti-racist, provides opportunities for a diverse staff to grow, thrive, and succeed in their work and careers.
• Understand, coordinate, and collaborate on organizational anti-racist goals.
• Hire, mentor, and recognize the full value and opportunities of a diverse staff.
• Be responsible for steering, modeling, and ensuring advocacy and program functioning and communications uphold those commitments.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Oversees a small team (e.g., 2-4) of Executive Department Staff who provide support to the President, other Executive Team members, and organizational initiatives and priorities.

Budget Authority

Oversee Executive Department budget, with authority to negotiate contracts with vendors/providers/consultants in support of organizational initiatives and priorities.

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: A bachelor’s degree is required
• Position requires 10+ years of management experience in programs, policy, and/or advocacy strategy in a non-profit, NGO, academic, or government agency. Position requires excellent leadership skills, project management experience, and written and verbal communication ability.
• Demonstrated success as an effective project manager and coordinator in a complex, fast-paced environment with strong organizational, time-management, and multi-tasking skills, including the ability to take initiative, prioritize tasks and duties, pay close attention to detail, work independently and under pressure to meet specific deadlines.
• Strong orientation to exercising authority with diplomacy and discretion:
• Modeling and inspiring high levels of integrity by operating with impeccable integrity, deep commitment to the organization, and acting as a steel trap with confidential information.
• Navigating complex organizational considerations to drive inclusive decision-making processes.
• Quickly building trust based on genuine relationships with a wide range of individuals.
• Excellent interpersonal and strategic communication skills, both oral and written, as a good listener who is both empathetic and pragmatic and as a strong communicator who can quickly summarize themes and next steps to drive forward action. 
• Experience in planning and leading strategic initiatives.
• Ability to supervise and manage a cross-functional team.
• A deep commitment to racial equity that is incorporated into how you work individually and with others.
• Additionally, the ideal candidate will also bring:
• A thorough understanding of U.S. science and policy-making processes at federal and state levels, with strong ability to diagnose power dynamics, and experience navigating complex political dynamics.
• Familiarity with UCS issue areas and the political and advocacy ecosystem in which UCS operates is a plus.
• Understanding of advocacy work: an understanding of – and ideally experience in building and supporting – advocacy campaigns, combining technical analysis, policy advocacy, communications and outreach to generate public support and pressure for action.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for long periods of time. 
• Continuously operate a computer and must have the ability to control a mouse and keyboard.  
• Communicate in verbal and written formats with internal staff and external constituents.  

Hours

Regular office hours, with frequent nights and weekend hours in connection with urgent events or critical deadlines. Position requires the person to be accessible via email / telephone / text outside of office hours when urgent issues arise.

Travel

Occasional travel to support the President’s meetings (e.g., with coalitions or policy makers).  Occasional travel to support in-person Executive Team, Leadership Team, program, and/or staff retreats (estimated 5-10 overnights per year) and in-person Board meetings (estimated 2 days for 2 of 3 Board meetings each year).

UCS is an equal opportunity employer actively seeking to diversify its staff. We’re dedicated to broadening opportunities for individuals from demographic groups that are historically underrepresented in the sciences and in environmental advocacy. We’re also committed to building an inclusive workplace culture where talented people of widely diverse backgrounds can thrive. We believe the inclusion of culturally diverse perspectives will improve our work and produce better societal and environmental outcomes for all, including historically disenfranchised communities.

Details

This is a full-time remote position based near UCS’s Washington, DC or Cambridge, MA office. For those who meet all position requirements, the salary is $174,493.95. UCS offers excellent benefits and a rewarding work environment. *CA Resident Only, we offer a 12% salary differential*

Information about the organization is available at http://www.ucsusa.org.

Comparable training and/or experience can be substituted for degrees when appropriate.

More About the Team

Our team is made up of a dedicated group of researchers, scientists, communicators, campaigners, and advocates from wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and a collaborative and supportive work environment where all staff can thrive. We continually strive to create an environment which is a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, parents, empty-nesters, and people with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds.

To Apply

We know there are great candidates who won’t check all these boxes, and we also know you might bring important skills that we haven’t considered. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. Please upload a cover letter and resume. In the cover letter, please confirm that the listed salary meets your expectations. Upload materials in Word or PDF format only. No phone calls, please.

This position is NOT in the bargaining unit.

Covid Mandate for New Hires

For in office roles, UCS employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees are considered fully vaccinated as defined by the CDC. All new hires who will be reporting to an office location must provide notice of their vaccination status and vaccination documentation, on or before their first day of work. For all others, UCS strongly encourages full vaccinations among its employees, up to and including booster shots, even if working remotely.

All new employees must comply with the mandatory vaccination requirements outlined in UCS policies as soon as practicable. Union of Concerned Scientists will notify candidates for employment of the requirements of this policy before the start of employment.

Deadline: Until filled.