GIRARD ESTATE
Chief of Staff to the President
GIRARD ESTATE - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19121
Work at GIRARD ESTATE
Overview
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Overview
Job Details
Level Management
Job Location Girard College - Philadelphia, PA
Position Type Regular Full Time
Education Level Bachelor's Degree
Salary Range $150000.00 - $155000.00
Job Posting Date(s)
End Date 07/31/2025
Chief of Staff to the President
About Girard College
Girard College is a historic, full-scholarship, college-preparatory boarding school for students in grades 1-12 located in Philadelphia. Founded in 1848 under the bequest of Stephen Girard, the College serves students from families with limited financial resources and is governed by the Board of City Trusts. The school is a place of opportunity, transformation, and leadership, with a strong commitment to academic excellence and character development.
Position Overview
Girard College seeks a dynamic and mission-driven Chief of Staff to serve as a strategic advisor, operational leader, and trusted partner to the President. This is a high-impact role responsible for ensuring effective execution of institutional priorities, managing cross-functional initiatives, and improving organizational efficiency. As Chief of Staff, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the effectiveness, alignment, and focus of Girard College's mission-driven educational community, acting as a force multiplier for the President and driving strategic initiatives across the organization.
The Chief of Staff will play a key role in coordinating the President's agenda, facilitating communication across departments, and driving projects to completion. This is a highly visible role that sits at the center of executive leadership, requiring exceptional judgment, empathetic leadership, and a systems-oriented mindset. While experience in educational institutions is strongly preferred due to the unique nature of academic governance and operations, we welcome candidates from diverse professional backgrounds who demonstrate the strategic thinking, operational excellence, and mission-driven leadership necessary to excel in this role. The Chief of Staff will be responsible for driving institutional progress, aligning project outcomes with strategic goals, and ensuring efficient operations. The Chief of Staff will report directly to the President and will manage the Director of Governance and Strategy.
Key Responsibilities
Running the Office of the President Partner with the President's Executive Assistant to streamline the President's schedule, communications, and workflow Serve as a strategic thought partner and senior advisor to the President, helping maintain focus on the most critical, high-impact priorities Prepare and manage agendas, follow-ups, and content for executive team meetings, and other strategic meetings Act as the "air-traffic controller" for requests, information, and decisions flowing into and out of the President's office Facilitate internal communication between the President and senior leadership, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders Represent the President in meetings and external engagements when requested
Strategic Planning & Initiative Management Lead and manage the execution of special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Office of the President Partner with the President, senior leaders, and department heads to develop long-term strategy, annual goals, and key performance indicators; track and report progress against priorities Work closely with academic, operations, and advancement teams to align planning and resourcing with budget, staffing, and organizational priorities Coordinate executive-level decision-making by preparing briefing materials, conducting research, and ensuring timely follow-up Monitor progress on key institutional priorities and support accountability for goals and deliverables Facilitate the development of the college's annual report and strategic plan Evaluate the effectiveness of strategic plan initiatives and recommend adjustments as needed Oversee the management of the Middle States Accreditation process
Cross-Functional Program & Project Management
Lead high-priority, cross-functional projects that strengthen organizational performance, culture, and decision-making Identify gaps, surface opportunities, and develop solutions that enable stronger execution and long-term impact Support internal change management efforts, ensuring key initiatives are well-communicated and effectively adopted Facilitate cross-departmental strategic initiatives and working groups Identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve collaboration, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the administration Support change management efforts and help build a culture of operational excellence and transparency
Qualifications
Candidate Profile
Qualifications Commitment to the mission of Girard College and a passion for supporting student-centered work Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Education, Business Administration, or related field preferred 7-10 years of professional experience in educational institutions, with significant exposure to executive support, operations, strategic planning, or administrative leadership roles Exceptional organizational, analytical, and project management skills Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced educational environment Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across diverse constituencies including faculty, staff, students, parents, and board members Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong executive presence High emotional intelligence, discretion, and a strong sense of integrity Deep comfort working with data, strategic frameworks, and organizational metrics
Key Competencies Strategic executor: Able to translate vision into actionable steps and lead others in achieving results Systems-oriented: Brings structure and organization to ambiguous situations and creates systems where none exist High emotional intelligence: Comfortable working across teams and building relationships at all levels of an organization Detail-oriented: Highly attentive to detail and deadline-driven Adaptive leadership: Thrives in both big-picture thinking and hands-on execution Collaborative mindset: Ability to foster collaboration and build consensus among diverse stakeholders
Preferred Attributes Experience working in educational institutions, particularly independent schools, boarding schools, or college-preparatory institutions Familiarity with educational governance structures, accreditation processes, and regulatory requirements Understanding of academic cycles, student services, and the unique challenges facing educational institutions Experience with change management and organizational development in educational settings Ability to foster collaboration and build consensus among diverse educational stakeholders
Compensation and Benefits Competitive salary commensurate with experience Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plan, and tuition remission
Location
Based on the Girard College campus in Philadelphia, PA.
Level Management
Job Location Girard College - Philadelphia, PA
Position Type Regular Full Time
Education Level Bachelor's Degree
Salary Range $150000.00 - $155000.00
Job Posting Date(s)
End Date 07/31/2025
Chief of Staff to the President
About Girard College
Girard College is a historic, full-scholarship, college-preparatory boarding school for students in grades 1-12 located in Philadelphia. Founded in 1848 under the bequest of Stephen Girard, the College serves students from families with limited financial resources and is governed by the Board of City Trusts. The school is a place of opportunity, transformation, and leadership, with a strong commitment to academic excellence and character development.
Position Overview
Girard College seeks a dynamic and mission-driven Chief of Staff to serve as a strategic advisor, operational leader, and trusted partner to the President. This is a high-impact role responsible for ensuring effective execution of institutional priorities, managing cross-functional initiatives, and improving organizational efficiency. As Chief of Staff, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the effectiveness, alignment, and focus of Girard College's mission-driven educational community, acting as a force multiplier for the President and driving strategic initiatives across the organization.
The Chief of Staff will play a key role in coordinating the President's agenda, facilitating communication across departments, and driving projects to completion. This is a highly visible role that sits at the center of executive leadership, requiring exceptional judgment, empathetic leadership, and a systems-oriented mindset. While experience in educational institutions is strongly preferred due to the unique nature of academic governance and operations, we welcome candidates from diverse professional backgrounds who demonstrate the strategic thinking, operational excellence, and mission-driven leadership necessary to excel in this role. The Chief of Staff will be responsible for driving institutional progress, aligning project outcomes with strategic goals, and ensuring efficient operations. The Chief of Staff will report directly to the President and will manage the Director of Governance and Strategy.
Key Responsibilities
Running the Office of the President Partner with the President's Executive Assistant to streamline the President's schedule, communications, and workflow Serve as a strategic thought partner and senior advisor to the President, helping maintain focus on the most critical, high-impact priorities Prepare and manage agendas, follow-ups, and content for executive team meetings, and other strategic meetings Act as the "air-traffic controller" for requests, information, and decisions flowing into and out of the President's office Facilitate internal communication between the President and senior leadership, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders Represent the President in meetings and external engagements when requested
Strategic Planning & Initiative Management Lead and manage the execution of special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Office of the President Partner with the President, senior leaders, and department heads to develop long-term strategy, annual goals, and key performance indicators; track and report progress against priorities Work closely with academic, operations, and advancement teams to align planning and resourcing with budget, staffing, and organizational priorities Coordinate executive-level decision-making by preparing briefing materials, conducting research, and ensuring timely follow-up Monitor progress on key institutional priorities and support accountability for goals and deliverables Facilitate the development of the college's annual report and strategic plan Evaluate the effectiveness of strategic plan initiatives and recommend adjustments as needed Oversee the management of the Middle States Accreditation process
Cross-Functional Program & Project Management
Lead high-priority, cross-functional projects that strengthen organizational performance, culture, and decision-making Identify gaps, surface opportunities, and develop solutions that enable stronger execution and long-term impact Support internal change management efforts, ensuring key initiatives are well-communicated and effectively adopted Facilitate cross-departmental strategic initiatives and working groups Identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve collaboration, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the administration Support change management efforts and help build a culture of operational excellence and transparency
Qualifications
Candidate Profile
Qualifications Commitment to the mission of Girard College and a passion for supporting student-centered work Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Education, Business Administration, or related field preferred 7-10 years of professional experience in educational institutions, with significant exposure to executive support, operations, strategic planning, or administrative leadership roles Exceptional organizational, analytical, and project management skills Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced educational environment Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across diverse constituencies including faculty, staff, students, parents, and board members Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong executive presence High emotional intelligence, discretion, and a strong sense of integrity Deep comfort working with data, strategic frameworks, and organizational metrics
Key Competencies Strategic executor: Able to translate vision into actionable steps and lead others in achieving results Systems-oriented: Brings structure and organization to ambiguous situations and creates systems where none exist High emotional intelligence: Comfortable working across teams and building relationships at all levels of an organization Detail-oriented: Highly attentive to detail and deadline-driven Adaptive leadership: Thrives in both big-picture thinking and hands-on execution Collaborative mindset: Ability to foster collaboration and build consensus among diverse stakeholders
Preferred Attributes Experience working in educational institutions, particularly independent schools, boarding schools, or college-preparatory institutions Familiarity with educational governance structures, accreditation processes, and regulatory requirements Understanding of academic cycles, student services, and the unique challenges facing educational institutions Experience with change management and organizational development in educational settings Ability to foster collaboration and build consensus among diverse educational stakeholders
Compensation and Benefits Competitive salary commensurate with experience Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plan, and tuition remission
Location
Based on the Girard College campus in Philadelphia, PA.