A Chief of Staff is a high-level position that supports executives in their roles by taking over smaller responsibilities and handling other day-to-day items while attending meetings on behalf of the executive leader to write notes for them and lead strategic planning processes across an organization. The role of a Chief of Staff varies depending on the company, but in general, they are responsible for:

• Liaison: Acting as a liaison between executives and employees, and serving as a point of contact for staff, executives, senior leaders, and the CEO regarding company climate, employee well-being, project updates, proposals, and planning.

• Administrative tasks: Supporting executives with administrative tasks such as managing calendars, generating correspondence, maintaining hard copies and electronic files, planning and coordinating annual corporate meetings, and scheduling facilities.

• Communication: Closing communication gaps and gate-keeping and monitoring the flow of multi-platform communications to and from the Office of the Chairman.

• Hiring: Assisting the human resources department with new hires, including documentation and onboarding, and collaborating to address and resolve all employee concerns.

• Organization: Helping executive leaders prioritize special projects and decision-making, and reviewing and adjusting associated metrics to accurately track progress.

• Budget: Maintaining budget authority and managing income and expense reports in collaboration with the CFO and finance team.

• Policy: Assisting CEOs in thinking through and setting policies, anticipating problems, and being especially sensitive to issues that require diplomacy.

The Chief of Staff role is decidedly different from that of the leader’s executive assistant (EA). Unlike an EA, a Chief of Staff works autonomously and does not handle routine correspondence or manage the leader’s day-to-day schedule. The highest-level Chief of Staff should be a full-fledged member of the senior leadership team, albeit without the rank or compensation of a C-suite officer.