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Deputy Chief Of Staff 🔥


Location: Remote

Summary

Reporting to the Chief of Staff/Board Liaison, the Deputy Chief of Staff (Board of Trustees) is responsible for the effective operation and strategic execution of the Board of Trustees through its regular meetings, committee work, retreats, and special meetings. The Board of Trustees plays both a strategic and accountability role in the organization, and is essential to the organization’s ability to meet its long-term goals. You will actively support the CEO, Chief of Staff, senior leadership, staff in developing and maintaining strong Board relations, effective Board processes and deliberations, and ensure that everyone has what they need, when they need it. At a time of Board expansion and process improvement, you’ll help us build a more efficient and impactful model of working that centers around strong committee work, clear flow of decisions and work products, and effective communication.

This role engages directly with Trustees and senior leaders across the organization, and collaborates closely across teams and departments. It requires the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, and frequently be comfortable with change and ambiguity. This position requires excellent problem solving, expert judgement and attention to detail, anticipating needs, expert organization, electronic collaboration and document control, and exceptional planning and communication skills. The role requires experience and emotional intelligence as well as capacity to act with discretion while being communicative and inclusive.

Skills and Relevant Experience

  • Mastery of decision-making processes — you know how to help a decision-making body do its best work, prepare exceptional materials to facilitate discussion, and have effective deliberations that lead to timely decisions
  • Ability to take on a project from diagnosing the problem to designing and implementing the solutions
  • Superior collaboration skills — negotiation, relationship management, listening and extracting meaning and intention, discretion, and diplomacy
  • Demonstrated senior-level attention to detail — an ability to ensure every little thing gets done, on time, every time, and get ahead of issues before they impact the outcome
  • Experience working in a policy or program implementation environment is a must — you know what it’s like to help leadership understand an issue, make a decision, and carry it out across an organization.

Key Responsibilities

  • Operational support
  • Scheduling Board meetings, committee meetings, and retreats; manage all necessary logistics (video, notes, backup, facilitator booking, hospitality, travel)
  • On-site or remote support for Board meetings and retreats
  • Operational orientation for Board members (wiki, expenses, travel, etc)
  • Orientation and support for the Board support team’s processes, procedures, structures, and cadence etc. 
  • Board and Committee Meeting Prep/Follow-up  
  • Manage/update board item “hot list”
  • Supporting CEO’s success in preparing for board meetings, including agenda prep for bi-weekly board prep meetings, doc approval processes, scheduling of internal reviews as required 
  • Take scribe notes during Board meetings, w/ focus on decisions and follow-ups
  • Creating and managing the board meeting follow-up checklist 
  • Running point on ensuring the right folks have seen the materials/internal sign off process (Creating a culture of engagement amongst the officers) 
  • Prepare draft Internal communications re: as it relates to the board (e.g., drafting board meeting after-action report for CoS)
  • Documentation
  • Ensure Board wiki is well-maintained and up to date
  • Ensure Board documents are collected, filed, and sorted to be accessible by Trustees, Officers, and relevant staff as required
  • Support revision and updates to Board documents, from operational docs to onboarding guides
  • Committee support
  • Monitor committee activities and maintain tracking document for committee projects, timelines, and deliverables
  • Support major committees as needed in key projects (e.g., managing long list of candidates for appointed Board roles)
  • Board materials development 
  • Plan and implement Board slides development timeline to ensure all content development, review, and finalization is done, with sufficient time for all internal reviews
  • Support Board Liaison in working with staff to prepare their content for the Board, manage content collection (ensure complete submissions, chase down missing content or required feedback)
  • Quality control on board deck production (copy editing, style guide enforcement/design support, hyperlink checking) 
  • Board Development and Engagement
  • Ensure that all Board members have meaningful engagement with appropriate members of the organization on a regular basis, including monthly communications at a minimum. Preparing and drafting communications to the board from the CEO as required.
  • Manage board requests to ensure they are responded to and addressed by appropriate staff, and that all relevant leads are looped in
  • Scheduling quarterly board relationship review meetings between CEO, CoS, and Board Secretary
  • Support identification of potential new Board members, committee chairs, and officers. Working in coordination with the Chief of Staff, CEO, and nominating committee, help identify and track potential new candidates for the Board of trustees.
  • In collaboration with the CEO, CoS, Secretary, and Board Chair, develop a framework for regularly evaluating and tracking the Board’s performance, collective skill level and proficiency, and team dynamics.

The Wikimedia Foundation is... 

...the nonprofit organization that hosts and operates Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge, free of interference. We host the Wikimedia projects, build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content, support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible, and advocate for policies that enable Wikimedia and free knowledge to thrive. The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive financial support from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics.

If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at recruiting@wikimedia.org or (415) 839-6885.

U.S. Benefits & Perks*

  • Fully paid medical, dental and vision coverage for employees and their eligible families (yes, fully paid premiums!)
  • The Wellness Program provides reimbursement for mind, body and soul activities such as fitness memberships, baby sitting, continuing education and much more
  • The 401(k) retirement plan offers matched contributions at 4% of annual salary
  • Flexible and generous time off - vacation, sick and volunteer days, plus 22 paid holidays - including the last week of the year.
  • Family friendly! 100% paid new parent leave for seven weeks plus an additional five weeks for pregnancy, flexible options to phase back in after leave, fully equipped lactation room.
  • For those emergency moments - long and short term disability, life insurance (2x salary) and an employee assistance program
  • Pre-tax savings plans for health care, child care, elder care, public transportation and parking expenses
  • Telecommuting and flexible work schedules available
  • Appropriate fuel for thinking and coding (aka, a pantry full of treats) and monthly massages to help staff relax
  • Great colleagues - diverse staff and contractors speaking dozens of languages from around the world, fantastic intellectual discourse, mission-driven and intensely passionate people

*Please note that for remote roles located outside of the U.S., we defer to our PEO to ensure alignment with local labor laws.

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