Chief Of Staff
Hours : Full Time
Location : Flexible, work from home (remote)
Start date : December 2025
Reports to : Executive Director
This position is not eligible to participate in Sunrise's CWA Labor Union.
Compensation : $90,000-$115,000 annually depending on years of experience and whether the candidate lives in a high-cost metro area.
Sunrise offers a benefits package with 100% paid premiums for health care, dental, and vision. We offer unlimited paid vacation days with minimum 20 days per year, parental leave, caregiver leave, unlimited sick time, and additional paid and unpaid time off. We also offer an annual professional development fund and tech office budget. Option to contribute to 401k.
One Sentence Purpose : The Chief of Staff is responsible for keeping the organization and staff focused on strategic goals, is the cross-functional glue of the organization, and helps the executive director stay focused on the right things at the right time.
The Chief of Staff is a decisive senior leader who is able to make high level, complex decisions, while weighing both the needs of the staff and the sustainability of the organization, connecting dots across teams and understanding the full picture of how to navigate various risks and threats to foster a strong and healthy organization. The ideal candidate is an effective communicator and strong manager and trainer of other managers and staff, and they have the ability to use discretion while navigating complex dynamics.
We're looking for candidates who have a demonstrated commitment to supporting and maintaining a diverse staff body that is committed to multiracial organizing. They should ensure all staff have access to personal and professional growth, and have experience giving honest feedback to support others' development and ensure that the organization stays focused on our mission.
Responsibilities
Management Duties 10%
- Manage Team Support (HR) Director
- Co-Manage Executive Director
- Manage Deputy Chief of Staff
Organizational Management and Organizational Risk 25%
Oversee goal setting for organization using OKR framework or similarQuarterly stepbacks to evaluate progress
Support other leadership teams to set goals and evaluate periodicallyEnsure our priorities are communicated, visible, and that we have systems for tracking goalsCoordinate the Executive Risk Team to guide informed decisions about strategic and operational risks at the highest level of the strategyConduct ongoing threat assessment and guide structural shifts to protect from internal and external threats
Lead, facilitate and project manage risk assessments across teams, training, events and resources for staff and leadership, and ability to discern when to communicate appropriately.Liaison with legal counsel, organization board members, staff, and other relevant parties to gather accurate risk assessments, and advise the Executive Director (ED) on decisions affecting big picture organizational health and strategic goals.Support with Program PlanningManage ED and Campaign Director to own and move forward planning our programs year by year.
Ensure program planning is coordinated smoothly with budgeting and involves operations team for consultation and feedback in the appropriate placesCreate trainings, resources, & guides where needed to foster an aligned staff and organization culture around safety, security & risk as needed.Union Coordination 10%
Serve as main point of contact with the Sunrise staff union and lead negotiator for contract with staff unionConflict and grievance supportCoordinate with union primary contactRun Labor Management committee with Bargaining Unit and run the Management Bargaining Committee to re-open and bargain our contract.Personnel 30%
Sense for needed communications across the organizationLead on navigating and handling when there are complaints reportedCoordinate staff trainings and retreatsPlan schedule for and run weekly allhands calls
Run annual staff retreatFinal Approver of changes to roles, salaries, promotions, and separation pay.Overseeing yearly hiring timeline and general personnel management, approve all hiresTracking budget : ensure budget aligns with staffing changes and needs
Teams - 25%
Support ED to run Senior Leadership Team (SLT)Help set agendas and do coordination of team if needed
Participate as SLT member and guide conversations around Organizational Operations, specifically around Risk, Compliance, Finance as it relates to our StrategyServe as a backstop for top-level Financial and Operational health of the organization and ensure this is effectively communicated with SLTEnsure short, mid, and long term priorities are being accounted forEnsure that SLT have the financial health of the organization on its radar in regular rhythms by working with the Finance Director to assess and understand organizational finances and projectionsSupport the Senior Leadership Team to make strategic hiring decisions; to assess staffing caps and capacity, while ensuring we do not grow our staff too quickly or without consulting our operational capacity and budget.Make sure Sunrise 2025 HQ is well-maintained and staff are updated on changesParticipate on Operations Management Team (OMT)Work closely with Operations leadership staff to integrate compliance, finance, fundraising and other operations work streams seamlessly throughout the organization.
Qualifications
Must Haves
At least 3 years in organizational leadership, working in a collaborative setting where required to make decisions at a high level.Experience dealing with confidential grievances and HR violations.Experience line managing staff.Training skills; can train others to develop new manager skills.Able to focus on the big picture and be detail oriented.Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.Comfortable in a fast-paced, continuously evolving environment with multiple tasks and competing deadlines.Excellent diplomacy and tact.Willingness to learn and ask questions.Excellent time management skills, the ability to prioritize work, pay attention to detail, and troubleshoot problems.Strong facilitation skills.Familiarity with the financial and compliance systems necessary to running 501c3, 501c4, and PAC organizationsExpertise in project management, with experience managing multiple complex projects and diverse teamsNice To Haves
Familiarity with union contracts and labor- management relations.Experience working in youth climate movement.Experience in conflict mediation.Sunrise and Sunrise Movement Education Fund are Equal Opportunity Employers. We will consider applicants for this position without regard to any category protected by applicable federal, state or local law, including but not limited to : race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status or uniformed service member status. Women, people of color, LGBTQ people, young people, and members of other historically disenfranchised populations are strongly encouraged to apply.
To apply, please upload your resume and respond to the application questions on this form. Applications will be accepted for this position until November 24, 2025. NRG Consulting Group is supporting this search. Please reach out to jobs@nrgconsultinggroup.org with any questions.