Chief of Staff

Position description

Founded in 1981, the Committee to Protect Journalists (“CPJ”) is an independent, non-profit organization defending journalists worldwide without regard to their political ideology. Through its work to safeguard journalists, CPJ protects the rights of all people to have access to diverse and independent sources of information. For nearly four decades, CPJ has helped win the early release of imprisoned journalists, secure convictions in journalist murders, and enable positive legal reform in countries where the climate for free expression has deteriorated. Learn more about CPJ’s fight to defend freedom of the press here: http://cpj.org

At CPJ, we are dedicated to upholding values of equity and free expression in both our internal operations and external endeavors. As an organization headquartered in the United States, we aspire to build a diverse workplace and foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. As an international organization, we strive for our people to be representative of the global community on which we report and to equip them with the opportunities and resources they need to learn and succeed.

Job Summary:

The Chief of Staff is part of CPJ’s Senior Leadership Team and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief of Staff will help improve collaboration and accountability across departments, facilitate strategic thinking at all levels of the organization, and oversee initiatives aimed at helping CPJ better assess and improve our impact. The Chief of Staff will serve as a confidante and advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and a collaborative and strategic thought partner to the Senior Leadership Team.

This is a new role for the organization, and the Chief of Staff will play a key role in developing and implementing CPJ’s next long-term strategic plan, which we will develop over the course of 2025.

The Chief of Staff will be a strong problem solver, a wizard in diplomacy, and excellent at ensuring projects are developed and delivered to plan. The Chief of Staff will have excellent people management and communication skills and a keen eye for detail and the bigger picture. A working knowledge of press freedom issues is essential for this role.

In addition to overseeing special projects, the Chief of Staff will manage strategic planning and other change initiatives at the direction of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer and will foster collaboration and communication across departments and functions.

The ideal candidate can handle complex situations and multiple competing demands simultaneously and will need to be able to work effectively with an international workforce, balancing the delivery and development of long-term projects with the urgency of immediate demands. The Chief of Staff must be able to handle confidential information and act as a liaison between the Chief Executive Officer and all other stakeholders across the organization. An innate problem solver, the Chief of Staff must be able to identify strategic needs within the organization and work effectively with others to identify solutions.

The Chief of Staff should be confident in questioning organizational decisions and ingrained ways of thinking and humble enough to know how and when to seek input from others in developing solutions. The ideal candidate will be able to communicate transparently and openly in a fashion that promotes inclusiveness, cooperation, and teamwork.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee all strategic initiatives within the organization.
• Promote cross-departmental and cross-functional collaboration, including the development—where necessary—of systems and effective processes to improve this.
• Work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to deliver flagship reports, programmatic projects, and initiatives.
• Develop thought leadership papers and proposals.
• Lead and manage direct reports, overseeing daily tasks, goal-setting, and professional development.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Education/Qualifications & Work Experience:

• Minimum of ten years of increasingly responsible experience in complex, international non-profit institutions, preferably those working in human rights/democracy/media.
• Knowledge and nuanced understanding of geopolitical, social, economic, and legal issues affecting press freedom.

Additional Qualifications, Characteristics, and Competencies:

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace applications is essential.
• Excellent management skills, including managing diverse teams across multiple time zones and within a matrix structure.
• Collaborative working style with demonstrated ability to work with colleagues to balance programmatic and administrative needs, concerns, and perspectives.
• Commitment to communicating in an open, engaged, and responsive manner.
• High degree of emotional intelligence and the ability to interact effectively with the senior leadership and management teams, CPJ Board, staff, and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to the mission and goals of CPJ.
• Creativity, flexibility, and a sense of humor.

Physical Requirements:

This position’s physical demands reflect work in a typical office setting. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Occasional travel, including international travel (a maximum of 3-4 trips a year) is required.

Vaccination Requirement:

Employees who work in the NYC office must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they qualify for reasonable accommodation for medical or religious reasons. Accordingly, new employees must submit proof of vaccination before the commencement of employment unless a reasonable accommodation is granted.

Location:

This position requires working at least two days a week from our New York office, located in midtown Manhattan.

We promote a flexible working environment with hybrid and flexible work schedule opportunities. Our NYC office, located in midtown Manhattan, was designed to be a place where we can work effectively and collaboratively, bringing energy, inspiration, commitment, and deep learning to our mission. The NYC office is currently working on a schedule of two days in-office (Wednesday and one other day of the employee’s/ manager’s agreement), with the option of working up to three days remotely, subject to adjustment based on business needs.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

CPJ provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit-based factors.

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Benefits

Benefits:

• Health Care Plans (100% employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision plans for employee coverage)
• Health Reimbursement Account (employer-funded HRA of $5,000 annually)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan (employer contribution of 4%. Additional employer dollar-for-dollar match of elective employee contribution up to 3%)
• Life Insurance and AD&D Plans (100% employer-sponsored with the option to elect additional voluntary plans)
• Paid Time Off (vacation, sick, and paid holidays)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability (employer-sponsored with the option to elect additional voluntary plans)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pre-Tax Flexible Spending Accounts (medical, dependent care, and commuter expenses)
• Voluntary benefits plans (accident, hospitalization, critical Illness, pet, and legal insurance)
• Flexible Work Schedules, including hybrid options with two required in-office days per week and remote work flexibility. Longer remote working periods are…

Application instructions

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