Chief of Staff
About This Role
Pocketbook is seeking a Chief of Staff to direct the management and coordination routines between departments and supervise the implementation of cyclical and ad-hoc special initiatives and projects. The ideal candidate will have comprehensive electoral, issue campaigning, or social movement organizing experience, as well as a robust knowledge of the financial and operational challenges that progressive political organizations encounter. A successful COS will use their knowledge of the progressive political ecosystem and its tendencies to build operating and relational systems that enable Pocketbook’s employees and clients to thrive and grow.
The ideal candidate will be better at people, than systems.
Compensation: The starting salary for this role is $110,000-$115,000 annually, commensurate with experience. This is a full time, exempt position. Information about Pocketbook’s employee benefits can be found here.
Role Location: This role is fully remote (within the United States) with the expectation of attending team retreats and conferences 2-3 times a year. We currently have staff in Pacific and Eastern time zones.
Application Instructions: The application for this position can be found below. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting at the end of March.
Supervision: This role will report directly to Pocketbook’s Founder, Howie Stanger. Supervisory responsibilities will include management of at least 3 roles.
What does success look like?
All Pocketbook employees have consistent alignment between individual goals and company goals.
Pocketbook has a consistent cadence of feedback that is embedded in both the internal operations and client interactions.
You are able to build trust and relationships with key clients so that you can serve as go-to for emergencies, interventions, and/or increased capacity during crisis or moments of the whirlwind.
What questions is this role responsible for answering?
Does everyone know what their job and goals are (in the current period of work) and how they relate to the rest of the team?
How can the team best practice communication and collaboration to execute and excel in the work?
Do we have the right capacity and systems to fulfill our workload now, in 6 months, and in 12 months?
About Pocketbook Strategies
Pocketbook Strategies is the leading finance and operations strategy firm for social movements and power building organizations.
We partner with groups who know that their structure impacts their strategy, and we use our financial, operational, and political compliance expertise to enable their success. We provide fractional CFO/COO advisory services, outsourced accounting & bookkeeping, and financial operations and compliance consulting to a variety of leading political, civic, and charitable organizations.
The application will close on April 7th, 2025.
Scroll below for more information on the responsibilities and qualifications.
Questions? Email hiring@pocketbookstrategies.com
Qualifications
Essential Qualifications
Minimum 3+ years of progressive leadership experience at a progressive political organization, firm, or movement.
Exceptional communicator with the ability to translate between highly technical operations and organizing/social movement technology.
Solution-driven, excited and attuned to quick operational interventions with long-lasting impact.
Strong facilitator mindset and ability to toggle between different delegation and management techniques based on the recipient and level of trust.
Understands the value of strong operations and has the ability to organize a variety of stakeholders into a shared vision of operational excellence.
Excited to be positioned (through their own network, and Pocketbook’s network) to make sector-wide interventions.
Capable of adjusting to diverse client needs, shifting priorities, and varying levels of urgency.
Exceptional organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
Significant experience in leadership, operations, or management roles, preferably in dynamic environments.
Excellent organizational and time management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Previous professional experience managing or supervising (via in-house, or outsourced vendors) finance, operations, or compliance work.
Previous professional experience as a managing director, chief of staff, or coalition director.
Active CPA or JD.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Coordination & Internal Operations - 50%
Act as a central point of coordination for all internal projects and initiatives, ensuring alignment with short- and long-term strategic goals.
Drive progress on strategic priorities by coordinating people and information across departments and actively removing bottlenecks to progress.
Prepare leadership for key meetings and decision-making by gathering insights, analyzing data, and crafting recommendations.
Set and enforce communication and workflow standards as they relate to intra and inter-department (e.g., Operations, Compliance, Finance, and Accounting) client-service delivery.
Oversee department communications and workflows related to client services, ensuring smooth and effective delivery of said services to clients from client-facing teams (Finance, Operations, Compliance).
Human Resources & Team Development - 30%
Alongside the founder, execute Pocketbook’s internal HR/people strategy work by managing employee hiring, onboarding, engagement, and performance management. (Pocketbook has averaged 3 hires per year over the last 2 years.)
Integrate clients’ organizational goals and objectives (organizing and social movement concepts) into internal work, client service delivery, and communication.
Assist with organizational structure management and internal capacity planning.
Special Projects - 20%
Act as a thought partner to Pocketbook’s founder by helping to prioritize, plan, and execute high-impact initiatives.
Measure, track, and implement seasonal initiatives related to client engagement and satisfaction.
Assist with ideation and productizing of additional service lines. Examples of possible service lines include: hiring/recruitment, job placement, and retreat/team facilitation.
Note: Interested in this role but it’s not quite the right match?
Applicants who meet some but not all or exceed the above criteria are still encouraged to apply! We are eager to speak with candidates with diverse backgrounds and can assess role leveling on an individual basis.
Pocketbook is an “at-will” and an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and passionate team, and especially encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, people with disabilities, and other interested people from historically marginalized communities to apply. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of support needs at the time of application.