Chief of Staff

• Strategy, Alignment & Organizational Effectiveness
• Drive the planning and execution of The Circle’s 1-year and 5-year strategic priorities
• Translate strategy into clear execution plans, milestones, and tracking mechanisms
• Ensure alignment across verticals (Incubation, Labs, Circle U, Fundraising, Operations, Outreach)
• Build and strengthen organization-wide processes, systems, and operating rhythms
• Improve coordination, communication, and accountability across teams
• Oversee leadership cadences, organizational calendar, and central resource planning
• Identify and implement improvements in efficiency, execution quality, and team effectiveness
• CEO’s Office & Strategic Projects
• Act as a thought partner to the CEO on high-priority initiatives and decision-making
• Drive cross-vertical, high-impact projects (e.g., M&E systems, new initiatives, organizational transformations)
• Support prioritization of CEO bandwidth and ensure follow-through on key commitments
• Lead projects that can significantly accelerate organizational progress but require cross-team coordination
• Board & Governance Management
• Manage engagement with the Board and Advisors, including:
• Planning and execution of board meetings and retreats
• Tracking decisions, follow-ups, and strategic inputs
• Support the creation and management of board sub-committees
• Play a key role in setting up and engaging an international/US Board, including structural and compliance elements
• Partnerships & External Engagement
• Support strategic partnerships, including priority donors, institutional partners and ecosystem alliances
• Work on high-priority external initiatives (e.g., PPPs, institutional collaborations)
• Provide advisory support to fundraising efforts, including:
• Grant and award applications
• Pipeline development and donor engagement support

The Chief of Staff will work closely with the CEO and leadership team to drive strategic priorities, improve organizational effectiveness, and enable high-impact decision-making. This role combines strategy, operations, program management, and stakeholder engagement, with a strong focus on execution.