Chief of Staff & Impact

The Chief of Staff and Impact is a highly strategic executive leader and core member of the Executive Leadership Team, serving as a key architect of organizational success. Reporting directly to the CEO and working closely with the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Organizational Learning & Grants Management, the Chief of Staff and Impact is responsible for driving enterprise-wide alignment, enhancing organizational performance, and stewarding the Foundation through periods of strategic change and growth.

This role holds primary responsibility for translating the President and CEO's vision into grantmaking strategy refinement by overseeing cross-functional integration, spearheading strategic initiatives, and making high-level decisions that position the Foundation for long-term impact. With a strong grasp on organizational change and values-forward organizational design, this leader ensures the organization has the systems, structures, and standard operating practices to reliably advance mission-driven impact, a joyful work environment, and thriving culture. They will lead a high-performing team that influences programmatic and operational excellence, incubates transformative initiatives, and strengthens the Foundation's ability to meet its mission in a dynamic environment.

This is a unique opportunity to serve as a strategic partner to the CEO, CFO and Board, helping to shape and lead the future direction of an organization committed to dismantling systemic inequities in education and deepening its impact in communities, so that all students benefit from an excellent educational experience.

The key responsibilities for the role include but are not limited to:

Organizational Strategy & Executive Leadership

• Serve as a strategic advisor and proxy to the CEO on organization-wide priorities, governance matters, and high-stakes external engagements.
• Represent the CEO and NMEF in key leadership settings as needed.
• Lead and facilitate complex organizational strategy development and execution efforts, ensuring integration across all departments and alignment with mission, values, and long-term goals.
• Drive enterprise-wide learning, adaptive planning, and continuous improvement frameworks that position the Foundation as a leader in results-driven philanthropy.
• Develop and implement decision-making and accountability structures that promote inclusive, timely, and data-informed action at all levels of the organization.
• Oversee development of annual strategic and operational plans, organizational key performance indicators, and multi-year budget for programming in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team.
• Actively partner with the Board of Directors to ensure effective governance and strategic alignment.
• Lead mission-critical initiatives and change management processes that advance organizational resilience and

Strategic Alignment & Program Effectiveness

• Oversee the design and execution of a robust strategic intelligence function that synthesizes data, field trends, and grantee insights to inform investment strategies and institutional priorities.
• Design and implement systems, tools, and dashboards to track program pipeline, grantmaking progress, and strategic priorities.
• Build and refine decision-support systems and institutional dashboards that strengthen real-time visibility into grantmaking progress, portfolio health, and organizational impact.
• Provide executive-level oversight of grantmaking strategy development, monitoring, and evaluation.

Who You'll Work With

You will report to the President and CEO.

You will supervise the Program Team.

You will frequently collaborate with the Chief Financial Officer, Grants Team, and Board.

• At least 10 years of senior executive experience with a demonstrated track record of leading complex organizations or initiatives through change, growth, and strategic transformation with measurable results.
• Proven ability to translate mission and vision into integrated, organization-wide strategies that drive equity, systems change, and long-term impact.
• Deep expertise in racial equity and justice, with a demonstrated ability to apply equity principles to organizational strategy, operations, and programmatic outcomes.
• Extensive experience in the education sector, particularly in advancing equity and redressing systemic injustices; experience in public policy, advocacy, or systems change is strongly valued.
• Strong background in strategic planning, enterprise-level project execution, and decision-making in dynamic, mission-driven environments; management consulting or client-service experience a plus.
• Successful track record of leading diverse, cross-functional teams, fostering collaboration, and building cultures of shared accountability and learning.
• Skilled in data-informed decision-making, performance management, and the development of systems and tools to monitor strategic priorities and operational progress.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence senior leadership, partner with boards, and represent the organization in high-level external engagements.
• Demonstrated commitment to educational equity in New England or similar regional contexts, with experience navigating philanthropic and nonprofit ecosystems.
• Formal academic preparation, such as a bachelor's degree or higher, or equivalent lived and professional experience that aligns with leading an organization of Nellie Mae's size and complexity.

Compensation The salary range for this role is $215,000 to $250,000 and will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Travel and Work Environment This hybrid role offers a unique opportunity to lead transformative initiatives while maintaining strong connections with communities and stakeholders across New England. It combines flexible work arrangements with purposeful travel, empowering a senior leader to advocate for a shared vision for student success, equitable student outcomes, and policies and practices that set enabling conditions for all students.

Candidates must maintain residency in the target geography, New England, and are expected to participate in in-office meetings on Mondays and during the monthly Home Week (calendar published annually). You can expect to travel up to 40% in order to be in community with local, regional, national, grantees, partners, and stakeholders.

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or current employment status, in alignment with federal, state, or local law.