Sr Advisor & Chief of Staff

Salary Grade: 34E

Context Of Job

Reporting directly to the Vice President for Student Life (VPSL), the Senior Advisor & Chief of Staff (CoS) serves as a strategic advisor to the VPSL and senior leader within the Division of Student Life. The role supports executive decision making, advances divisional priorities, and strengthens alignment across senior leadership in a complex, multi-college, university environment.

As a member of the Student Life core leadership team, the CoS advises on organizational issues, stakeholder dynamics, emerging priorities, and sensitive matters requiring sound judgment, discretion, and institutional awareness. The role helps the VPSL maintain focus on key priorities by synthesizing information, surfacing risks, and supporting coordinated follow-through across the division.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the Chief of Staff represents the VPSL and the Division as designated and partners closely with the AVP for Administration and other senior leaders to advance VPSL priorities and cross-divisional alignment. The Chief of Staff exercises delegated authority to support assigned initiatives and executive-level work requiring coordination, influence, and institutional judgment.

Major Responsibilities

Executive Advisory & Decision Support

• Serve as a senior advisor and confidential thought partner to the VPSL on divisional priorities, emerging issues, and sensitive matters requiring executive judgment
• Provide analysis, options, and recommendations to inform VPSL decisions on complex, high-impact issues, including assessment of risks, dependencies, and stakeholder considerations
• Anticipate matters requiring VPSL awareness or intervention and surface them in a timely manner
• Advise the VPSL on leadership dynamics, competing interests, and political considerations affecting divisional priorities or institutional outcomes
• Assist with positioning divisional priorities within the broader context of university goals and institutional relationships
  
  

Priority Leadership, Coordination & Execution

• Lead the advancement of VPSL priorities across the division, ensuring work is clearly defined, appropriately owned, and executed in a coordinated and timely manner
• Assume direct ownership of selected strategic initiatives and special projects, leading work from concept through implementation
• Identify barriers, decisions, and organizational risks; intervene or escalate as needed to maintain momentum
• Partner with the AVP for Administration to align priorities, timelines, and executive expectations with operational and administrative realities
  
  

Leadership Alignment & Relationship Management

• Build and sustain strong working relationships across divisional, academic, and administrative leadership to strengthen trust and institutional alignment
• Influence alignment among senior leaders by connecting strategy, decisions, and execution across units and competing priorities
• Facilitate productive dialogue on complex or sensitive matters by surfacing key issues, clarifying tradeoffs, and helping leaders navigate competing perspectives
• Advance work in areas where formal authority may be limited, relying on credibility, influence, and sound judgment
  
  

Executive Office Leadership

• Oversee the Office of the Vice President for Student Life to ensure priorities, issues, and leadership actions are coordinated and executed with consistency
• Prepare and oversee executive briefings, background materials, and decision-support resources for VPSL engagements and leadership actions
• Manage the flow of issues, requests, and follow-up requiring executive attention, ensuring matters are appropriately triaged and advanced to resolution
  
  

Governance, Representation & Institutional Engagement

• Oversee divisional governance and leadership structures on behalf of the VPSL, including agenda shaping, issue framing, decision tracking, and follow-through
• Represent the VPSL and the Division in internal and external settings, exercising professionalism and institutional credibility
• Build relationships with academic units, central offices, and key partners to strengthen institutional coordination and advance divisional priorities
  
  

Supervision & Functional Leadership

• Provide direct supervision to professional staff and student employees
• Provide functional leadership and coordination to staff supporting VPSL priorities and initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the VPSL.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in higher education, student affairs, business, social sciences, or a related field; Masters degree or terminal degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible leadership experience, preferably within a complex, matrixed organization such as a research university; experience in Student Affairs or higher education administration
• Demonstrated experience providing strategic and operational support to senior executives, preferably with experience in university governance, accreditation, and regulatory environments
• Proven ability to lead complex initiatives, manage ambiguity, and exercise sound judgment with a high degree of autonomy
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including executive-level synthesis and briefing
• Strong strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, project management, and change management skills
• Demonstrated ability to build trust, influence without authority, and collaborate across diverse
• Ability to manage staff
• Proven ability to articulate a vision and inspire diverse stakeholders around shared goals
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and conflict resolution skills, with the ability to translate complex information into accessible formats for various audiences
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace and the student experience
  
  

Working Conditions

• Requires flexibility to support executive-level demands, including occasional evening or weekend commitments