Position Description

Chief of Staff
Location: Austin, TX highly preferred; other locations considered for the right candidate
About Deans for Impact
Deans for Impact is a new, national organization dedicated to improving student-learning
outcomes by transforming the field of educator preparation. We serve as stewards to the
bold leaders of educator-preparation programs who are working together to develop a
collective vision of what effective educator preparation should entail. More specifically, we
will build an organization that supports our member deans to drive a policy and program
agenda that raises standards and focuses on outcomes. We aim to foster a culture of datainformed decisions in the field of educator preparation and we hope to help transform the
expectations of the education profession overall.
The culture we will cultivate
Deans for Impact intends to be a joyous, rigorous place to work. We believe that a great
workplace is one where you are amazed by your colleagues every day. We want to inject
some of the values of start-up culture into higher education by moving nimbly, iterating
quickly to improve, and collaborating constantly. We will live our values and demonstrate
them through our actions.
The role of Chief of Staff at Deans for Impact
At Deans for Impact, the Chief of Staff will serve as a critical thought partner on large
strategic issues and at the same time drive day-to-day operational decisions. The ideal
candidate will enjoy working with a great deal of autonomy, be an outstanding project
manager, and be eager to contribute every aspect of building a new organization. At the
highest level, the Chief of Staff will serve on the Deans for Impact leadership team and help
set the strategic vision of the organization. He/she will oversee the budget, help to manage
fundraising, and serve as right hand to the Founder on critical decisions. The role also will
address critical organization-building questions such as how to structure our human
resources and develop our core values and work culture.
In other words, were looking for someone who has (1) the skills of a highly effective
consultant with (2) the curiosity of an entrepreneur and (3) a passion for contributing to
social change. We expect this to be the most versatile role at Deans for Impact and were
looking for someone extraordinary to fill it.

Expectations of the Chief of Staff

Our ideal candidate will:
Bring a track record of success in project management. You have 5+ years of
experience in an operations or project management role, ideally in a client-service or
consulting environment.
Be an outstanding problem solver and critical thinker. You have exceptional
reasoning, problem solving and strategic thinking skills and ability to think ahead and
plan over a 1-3 year time span.
Effectively manage multiple deadlines while maintaining attention to detail.
You are highly organized, can successfully manage multiple projects and priorities,
and take pride in overseeing the operations of a fast-paced organization.
Be proficient in PowerPoint. You can use PowerPoint effectively to create clear,
concise slides for an internal or external audience.
Be proficient in Excel. You are comfortable using Excel to understand the budget
impact of new initiatives or to run ad-hoc analyses. In particular, you can perform
lookups, create pivot tables, analyze survey data, and build basic financial models.
Have an entrepreneurial mindset. You are energized by launching a new, highimpact effort in education, you are comfortable with the ambiguity and nuances of a
startup, and able to work flexibly with little staff support.
Share a deep commitment to our mission. You believe that great teachers are
critical to students success and you want to help transform the field of educator
preparation.
Have a bachelors degree from a competitive college or university; MBA or masters
degree preferred
Want to work in Austin, TX (strongly preferred). Other locations considered for the
right candidate.
These are the ideal qualities were looking for, but befitting a startup organization, we will
remain flexible. If you think you have a compelling case for why you should be the Chief of
Staff for Deans for Impact...we want to hear from you! Compensation is competitive and
commensurate with experience. Please email careers@deansforimpact.org with your
resume and a brief paragraph on why you are interested in Deans for Impact (no formal
cover letter necessary). In the email subject line, please include the position for which you
are applying. We look forward to hearing from you.
For more information, visit www.deansforimpact.org.
Deans for Impact is an equal opportunity employer.
We encourage diverse applicants to apply.