Director, Executive Office of the CEO

DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE CEO

Company Overview:

The Commonwealth Foundation is a Pennsylvania-based public policy think tank committed to transforming free-market ideas into policies empowering all Pennsylvanians to thrive. With a vision to make Pennsylvania the leading state for opportunity and prosperity, we work to influence policy through research, advocacy, and engagement.

With a top-notch team of policy analysts and legislative and communication experts, CF transforms free-market ideas into public policies, empowering all Pennsylvanians to thrive. We are a catalyst for prosperity and accountability, dedicated to advancing free-market policy solutions. We are lighting the way toward: excellent education for every child, a thriving economy for every Pennsylvania, and personal empowerment for every person. 

We start with ideas, then leverage our Policy, Government Affairs, and Public Affairs teams to transform those ideas into real policy solutions that become the law of the land in Pennsylvania.

Core Values:

Our core values guide our mission and daily work:

• Integrity – We do the right thing – even when it’s hard. We uphold honesty, transparency, and accountability in all we do, earning and maintaining trust from our team, partners and stakeholders.
• Stewardship – We carefully and responsibly manage the resources entrusted to us, ensuring maximum impact for our donors, our allies, and the mission we serve.
• Mission-Driven. Results Focused.  – We relentlessly focus on achieving policy wins that advance our mission of creating a free-market state, always prioritizing outcomes over activities and continuously measuring our impact. 
• People Matter (Internal & External) – We recognize that our greatest asset is our people. We foster a culture that is welcoming, rewarding, and enjoyable, caring deeply for our team’s growth, well-being, and success. We prioritize relationships and believe all people matter, including those we work with both inside and outside the organization. 
• Engage to Improve – We actively seek feedback and engage with diverse perspective to continually improve ourselves, our team, and our organization. We value robust, candid discussion as an opportunity for growth and progress.

Position Summary:

The Director, Executive Office of the CEO, is a senior-level role responsible for maximizing the effectiveness, external impact, and relationship stewardship of the CEO. This position ensures the CEO’s time and engagements align with organizational priorities and that the stewardship of critical stakeholders—including top donors, policymakers, and allied partners—happens consistently and strategically.

Working closely with the CEO, the Director will manage correspondence, oversee relationship moves management, prepare the CEO for media and public appearances, and serve as a strategic integrator in prioritizing the CEO’s time and commitments. The Director will coordinate with the Manager of the Executive Office & Board Affairs for seamless execution of logistics, travel, and board-related responsibilities.

Please note this is a three day in-person position in Harrisburg, PA and two days remote.

Key Accountabilities:

 1. Relationship Strategy & Stewardship

• Lead the cultivation and stewardship strategy for approximately 100 key external relationships critical to organizational success.
• Develop and maintain a proactive system of touchpoints (calls, emails, visits, texts), ensuring consistent engagement and no missed opportunities.
• Work with the Development team to track and record relationship “moves” in the CRM.
• Serve as liaison with high-level stakeholders on behalf of the CEO as needed to facilitate smooth interactions and convey time-sensitive information.

2. Calendar & Strategic Prioritization

• Strategically prioritize the CEO’s calendar, ensuring time allocation reflects organizational goals.
• Partner with the Manager of the Executive Office and Board Affairs to execute scheduling logistics.
• Maintain awareness of internal and external priorities, filtering and evaluating requests for CEO time.

3. CEO Podcast, Media, Public Affairs & Policy Preparation

• Prepare the CEO for podcast episodes, media interviews, legislative meetings, and public appearances with briefing materials, talking points, and background research.
• Ensure CEO is equipped with policy context, stakeholder background, and organizational objectives for each engagement.
• Identify follow-up opportunities to leverage public appearances for greater impact.

4. Integration Partner to the CEO

• Anticipate needs and proactively manage projects or priorities tied to the CEO’s external role.
• Ensure seamless coordination between the Executive Office and various functions within the organization.

5. Executive Office Management, Correspondence & Communications

• Oversee the Executive Office of the CEO, including the Manager of the Executive Office and Board Affairs, by providing day-to-day management of priorities and task execution.
• Act as primary point of contact for all CEO correspondence, ensuring timely, professional, and mission-aligned responses.
• Prepare and facilitate select communications on behalf of the CEO to key stakeholders, major donors, policymakers, and allied executives.
• Collaborate with public affairs and development teams to align CEO messaging with organizational goals.

Success Measure(s):

• CEO’s key relationships are proactively managed and cultivated with personalized touchpoints/moves planned in advance and executed in accordance with the plan.
•  CEO is always briefed and debriefed before and after key stakeholder meetings to ensure preparedness for meetings and that appropriate follow-ups and CRM updates are completed.
• All stakeholders who interface with the CEO and executive office of the CEO receive world-class customer service, rapid responsiveness, and kindness. Ensure the office of the CEO team maintains a culture of approachability and warmth.
• CEO is always briefed and updated on relevant organizational happenings, world events, stakeholder-relevant news, and organizational media.
• CEO maintains a robust media and digital presence and is well-prepared for media appearances, social media recordings, and podcast productions.

Key Competencies:

Competencies are measurable characteristics such as skills, traits, or abilities that are observable through behaviors and directly contribute to job performance and organizational fit in this role.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to manage competing priorities with responsiveness and professionalism.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, high-profile, publicly visible organization.
• High level of integrity, confidentiality, and discretion.

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred (may be waived based on substantial senior-level experience in a similar role).
• Experience:
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in high level customer service and stakeholder engagement, fundraising, nonprofit management, public affairs, government relations, or related fields preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of public policy; legislative expertise strongly preferred.
• Experience in donor relations, external affairs, or major gift stewardship preferred.
• Proven track record of managing complex projects and high-level relationships with discretion.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, SharePoint, Teams and Adobe Acrobat.

Physical Requirements (ADA Compliance):

• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
• Travel Requirements: Up to 15%.
• Occasional lifting of equipment (up to 25lbs).
• Manual dexterity to operate keyboards, mice, and other office equipment.
• Visual acuity to read technical documentation and screens.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base Salary: $92,337 to $115,000, commensurate with experience.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including bonus program, health, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.

To Apply:

·      Please combine a cover letter and your resume into one document and submit when prompted on this site. Visit the career page of our website at www.commonwealthfoundation.org.

The Commonwealth Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer