Chief of Staff

The Chief of Staff Association has been retained by a leading national financial institution to identify the Chief of Staff to the CEO. Our client is one of the largest credit unions in the United States, a roughly $30 billion, not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative serving more than two million members nationwide. Recently formed through a merger of equals, the combined organization employs approximately 3,500 people and ranks among the top 75 of the country’s ~8,000 credit unions and banks. It operates from two national offices, on the East and West Coasts. The Role The Chief of Staff serves as the trusted right hand and strategic operator for the Chief Executive Officer, acting as a force multiplier who extends the CEO’s reach across a newly merged executive team. The role drives alignment and decision velocity at the top of the organization, keeping priorities focused across leadership and making sure the most important work moves forward with speed, clarity, and accountability. As the connective tissue across the executive team, the Chief of Staff converts the CEO’s direction into coordinated action, anticipates where ambiguity or competing priorities could slow progress, and resolves them before they become friction. This is a high-impact building role. The successful candidate will stand up a mature Chief of Staff and Office of the CEO function for a national organization that is now significantly larger and more complex, designing the operating rhythms, governance, and communication systems that allow the executive team and the broader organization to run with intention and transparency. The Chief of Staff is the CEO’s connective tissue into enterprise program management, providing executive-level oversight, visibility, and alignment across the organization’s most important priorities. The role does not duplicate ownership of delivery and integration, which sits with the enterprise program management function; instead, it keeps that work aligned to the CEO’s priorities and makes sure decisions move at pace. Today the partnership centers on integration, and as that body of work matures it continues as the engine for strategic execution. More than a strategist, the Chief of Staff is a governance architect, shaping how decisions get made, sequenced, and communicated across the executive team. Success in the first six to twelve months is observable: priorities are clear and shared, an operating cadence is in place that the leadership team relies on, decisions are faster and better informed, the executive team is aligned, and there is visible progress against integration milestones. This is a full-time, VP-level position based in one of the organization’s two national offices (Hillsboro, OR or Chelmsford, MA), on a hybrid basis with several days each week on site. The role includes periodic travel between the two offices. Responsibilities Business Planning & Management Establish and maintain the foundational operating systems: planning frameworks, communication cadences, accountability structures, and meeting rhythms for the executive team and the leadership team beneath it. Drive alignment and decision velocity at the top, keeping priorities focused across a newly merged leadership team, and leading prioritization and realignment as goals evolve. Support the CEO in setting, tracking, and following through on enterprise priorities. Own and drive special projects end to end, making things happen in a complex, multi-site environment. Act as the CEO’s connective tissue into enterprise program management, providing executive oversight, visibility, and alignment without taking ownership of delivery and integration away from that function. Change Leadership & Transformation Serve as a steady force for change across the organization, helping the executive team build a shared understanding of major transitions and converting them into a clear, organized body of work. Help leadership align on priorities and sequencing as the organization continues to integrate and grow, anticipating what complex transformation can miss and getting ahead of it. Bring a proven, disciplined toolkit to organizational change, while embedding and scaling the leadership and operating model the executive team has been building since the merger. Partner with the executive team to make change durable, so new ways of working, cadences, and decisions take hold across both offices and cultures. Communications & Executive Presence Build and own Office of the CEO communications, including drafting executive communications on the CEO’s behalf and carrying the CEO’s voice with consistency and gravitas. Create the systems and cadences that cascade decisions and priorities across the organization, so the broader team consistently understands what leadership is working on and why. Make sure meetings are well run, with agendas set, decisions and actions captured, follow-ups tracked, and relevant information shared appropriately. Prepare executive- and board-level materials, working closely with the team that manages board and supervisory-committee relations, and bring an awareness of board and regulator expectations to how information is framed and shared. Serve as the connective tissue across the executive team, orchestrating across leaders rather than simply supporting the CEO, and bringing a diplomatic, tactical, and empathetic presence to every interaction. Performance Visibility & Reporting Build and maintain an executive dashboard that brings financial, operational, and integration KPIs into a single, holistic view. Establish a consistent management-reporting cadence that gives the CEO and leadership real-time insight into performance and progress against goals. Support the monitoring of enterprise performance against targets. Operational Management & Team Alignment Make sure the CEO’s time is tightly aligned to enterprise priorities, applying judgment and nimbleness to where the CEO’s attention is spent, with day-to-day execution flowing through the support team the Chief of Staff leads. Lead and develop two direct reports along with the broader support team. Develop the support team toward project-management and business-analyst capabilities, using AI and modern tools to elevate how executives across the organization are supported. Create the operating rhythms, systems, and cascades that scale as the organization continues to grow and transform. Minimum Qualifications 10+ years of professional experience, with meaningful time as a Chief of Staff or in a senior strategic-operations, transformation, or change-leadership role. A demonstrated track record of leading organizations through change, transformation, and transition. The gravitas and interpersonal skill to earn the confidence of a senior, newly merged executive team and to lead through influence, including the standing to operate as a credible proxy for the CEO. Cross-functional fluency across finance, vendor management, operations, and integration, enough to represent the CEO’s interests and make sound calls across the business. A proven ability to balance strategy with execution, converting direction into delivered results. Strong project-management discipline and a business-analyst and data-synthesis orientation, comfortable synthesizing information and shaping it for executive decision-making. Executive-grade written and verbal communication, with the ability to produce board- and C-suite-level materials with clarity, precision, and strong visual storytelling. Comfort using AI and modern tools to drive efficiency and elevate the support model. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience; capability and skill set are valued most. Preferred Skills & Attributes Experience in financial services or an adjacent, heavily regulated industry such as insurance, with familiarity navigating regulator expectations. Experience with M&A or post-merger integration. Experience standing up or maturing a Chief of Staff or Office of the CEO function. Experience operating within complex, multi-site, or newly merged organizations. Familiarity with board expectations and board communications at a regulated institution. Compensation VP-level. DOE $250,000 to $300,000/yr base, plus 30% target annual bonus. What are the Benefits of Joining Our Team? Our client offers a full, total rewards program. Highlights include: Full medical, dental, and vision coverage, with multiple plan options and strong preventive and behavioral-health benefits. A generous 401(k) with a substantial employer match and additional discretionary contribution, plus financial-planning support. Unlimited paid time off for VP-level and above, paid holidays, and paid parental leave. A distinctive lending benefit: a meaningful rate discount on mortgage, auto, and other consumer loans. Education and tuition assistance, plus dedicated paid professional-development time. Company-paid life and disability insurance, plus voluntary accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity options. Flexible spending accounts, an Employee Assistance Program, wellbeing programs, and a range of additional perks and discounts. Specific plans are determined by your office location. #J-18808-Ljbffr