Chief of Staff Full Time

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nonprofit international conservation leader, committed to inspiring a passion for nature and creating a world where all life thrives. Empowering people from around the globe to support our mission to conserve wildlife through innovation and partnerships, we support cutting-edge conservation, and bring the stories of our work back to our two world-famous front doors — the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park — giving millions of guests, in person and virtually, the opportunity to experience conservation in action. The deep and extensive knowledge gained from more than a century of experience in wildlife care, health, veterinary services, nutrition and conservation makes us invaluable in the global effort to save species. Our team members play a crucial role in driving our conservation efforts forward and bringing us closer to a world where all life thrives.

HOW YOU WILL IMPACT OUR MISSION

As a key member of the Executive Office, the Chief of Staff is responsible for supporting the effectiveness of the President & CEO and the overall impact of the organization.

The Chief of Staff serves as a strategic advisor to the President & CEO, driving organizational priorities, ensuring operational excellence, and optimizing executive decision-making. This role requires leadership, cross-functional coordination, and the ability to anticipate challenges, align stakeholders, and execute complex initiatives with precision.

This role also serves as the primary liaison to the SDZWA Board of Trustees.

The position requires a deep understanding of the President & CEO’s vision, priorities, and working style—and the ability to act strategically alongside or on their behalf. Success in this role depends on strong relationship-building skills, as well as fostering close, collaborative partnerships.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Strategic Leadership & CEO Alignment:

• Ensure the CEO’s time is strategically allocated, identifying priorities, tracking progress, and aligning efforts with key objectives.
• Support and direct CEO communications including speechwriting, presentations, messaging, and correspondence with individuals, the Board of Trustees, government officials, and key stakeholders—working closely with the Communications team and Sr. Executive Assistant.
• Prioritize schedules, agendas, and workflows to ensure efficient and purposeful meetings.
• Drive strategic projects to improve organizational effectiveness.
• Streamline executive office operations in partnership with the Sr. Executive Assistant.
• Work closely and collaboratively with the COO and the Sr. Executive Assistant building and prioritizing workflows.

Lead Organizational Collaboration:

• Lead and manage high-impact, cross-organizational projects and strategic initiatives that drive long-term success.
• Organize and escalate critical issues, equipping the CEO with necessary insights for effective decision-making.
• Coordinate and optimize executive leadership meetings, ensuring agenda preparation, prioritization of time-sensitive topics, and executive readiness.
• Provide guidance for cross-organizational initiatives, including government affairs, conservation strategy, philanthropy, and marketing.
• Support and align organization-wide annual planning, ensuring clarity of goals and execution in line with the CEO’s vision.
• Collaborate with the COO on budgeting and financial planning, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.
• Partner with executive leaders and team members to enhance organizational effectiveness, drive measurable business outcomes, and foster alignment, engagement, and collaboration across all levels.

Board Liaison:

• Serve as the primary liaison to the Board of Trustees on behalf of the President & CEO.
• Oversee board and committee meeting preparation, including scheduling, agenda development, pre-meetings with chairs, presentation creation, and logistics coordination.
• Oversee the creation of the Board Digest, ensuring Trustees are regularly updated on organizational priorities.
• Coordinate and execute Board of Trustees Retreat and New Trustee Onboarding to ensure seamless engagement and governance.
• Responsible for taking board minutes at board meetings as well as committee meetings.
• Work in tandem with CEO, COO, Sr. Executive Assistant, Executive Assistant, and Events teams on all Board related activities.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

JOB EXPERIENCE

• Five to ten years of experience leading, coordinating and managing projects under senior executives required.
• Must have at least four years’ experience in corporate governance and compliance.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree preferred.
• Bachelor’s Degree in related field required.

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Impeccable interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, required.
• Exemplary attention to detail is required.
• Top-level leadership, emotional intelligence, and organizational skills required.
• Ability to motivate and influence high-level colleagues and drive toward clear outcomes required.
• Passion to perform and learn every day required.
• Demonstrated passion for conservation and the vision and mission of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance required.
• Demonstrated ability to assembled high quality board or executive-level presentations required.
• Strongly preferred familiarity with both Apple Keynote and Microsoft PowerPoint software.
• Demonstrated strong listening skills required.
• Speechwriting experiences preferred.
• Proven ability to work well with all levels of staff and external stakeholders, particularly in a global setting with well-developed cross-cultural skills required.
• Proven ability to work on multiple multi-dimensional projects at once in a high-pressure environment and meet deadlines required.
• Experiences in leadership roles showing proficiency coordinating and managing events, special projects, board meetings, organization-wide gatherings required.
• Demonstrated experience working in time-sensitive environments and proven ability to perform when under pressure required.
• Experience building high quality Keynote or PowerPoint presentations for executive or board level consumption required.
• Familiarity with board meeting etiquette and appropriate board minutes note taking is preferred but not required.
• Strong understanding of confidentiality requirements for the role, due to the nature of access and information the role will be working with. Discretion is a must and required in the role.

SOME OF THE PERKS YOU WILL ENJOY AS A TEAM MEMBER

• Free admission to the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
• Family Passes
• Complimentary Tickets
• Free Parking at the San Diego Zoo & San Diego Zoo Safari Park
• Local and In-House Discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness Program

IMPORTANT DETAILS

• Location: San Diego, CA
• Position Type: Salary Full-Time Exempt Position
• Salary Range: $173,982 to $195,730

About The Salary Ranges

Please note that the salary range mentioned in this job posting should serve simply as a guide. The final compensation offered may vary based on a variety of factors, including bonuses and/or incentives, or a candidate’s experience and skills. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is committed to providing a fair, equitable, and competitive package that reflects the value an individual brings to the organization.

Fraudulent Recruiting

Beware of fraudulent recruiting. Legitimate San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance contacts will use an @sdzwa.org email address. We do not request money, checks, equipment orders, or sensitive personal data during the recruitment process. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance only conducts interviews via phone, Zoom, Teams or in-person.

If you have been asked for any of the above, or believe you have been contacted by someone posing as a San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance employee, please e-mail sdzwacareers@sdzwa.org. If you feel that you have been the victim of fraud, please contact your financial institution(s) immediately.

Be an ally for wildlife by joining our team!

At San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, we thrive on celebrating our differences. Diversity is vital for the benefit of our team members, our guests, our community, and our wildlife.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, please email your request to sdzwacareers@sdzwa.org and provide the job title and location to which you are applying.

As a Federal Contractor, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is required to participate in the E-Verify Program to confirm eligibility to work in the United States. We are not offering sponsorship for this position at this time.

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a drug free workplace.

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