Vice President of Advocacy, Communications and External Affairs – Chief of Staff

Arnold Ventures Overview

Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy whose core objective is to maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. We are dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing problems in the United States. We invest in sustainable change, building it from the ground up based on research, deep thinking, and a strong foundation of evidence. We drive public conversation, craft policy, and inspire action through education and advocacy.

Position Overview

Arnold Ventures’ Advocacy, Communications, and External Affairs team (ACE) aims to effectively position the Foundation as a trusted champion for evidence-based, nonpartisan policy solutions to America’s toughest challenges. This includes both communications through original content creation and distribution of our policy priorities, as well as direct engagement and relationship building with targeted policy stakeholders.

We are seeking a Chief of Staff to play a key role in setting the team’s annual and multi-year strategies, interacting with key internal and external stakeholders, measuring key performance metrics of the organization, and executing special projects. This individual will be the Executive Vice President of Advocacy, Communications & External Affairs’ (EVP) right-hand, participating in high-level meetings, traveling frequently, preparing briefings, conducting research, and owning targeted initiatives. In addition, the Chief of Staff will interface with the AV Executive team to integrate work across teams and functions. This position will be located in our Washington, DC office and report to the EVP.

Core Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the EVP to determine and prioritize decisions, manage time, prepare materials, and brainstorm strategic objectives.
• Provide high-level, quick, and in-depth analysis of policy, politics, and industry trends.
• Serve as a surrogate for EVP at meetings and presentations, as needed.
• Manage the team’s operations to maximize the team’s impact, efficiency, and alignment.
• Support the EVP in creating external and internal-facing content, including presentation materials, background briefs, talking points, op-eds, articles, speeches, and memos.
• Maintain post-meeting debriefs and communicate with relevant stakeholders.
• Produce consolidated reporting to EVP, including tracking and reporting of internal documents that require coordinating data and information from around the organization.
• Help run team meetings, team building, and culture creation.
• Plan and execute leadership development for the ACE leadership team.
• Manage near- and long-term meeting agendas for the EVP, screen requests for time/opportunities, gather background information on meeting attendees, and ensure needed support from team members in attendance and meeting materials.
• Strategize, develop, and track key performance metrics for the organization to inform status and future opportunities.
• Implement programs, systems, workflows, or processes that strengthen political knowledge and impact, improve tracking and performance evaluation, or reduce redundancies (e.g., designing and maintaining databases with member profiles, historical giving analysis, and political engagement activity).
• Respond to a variety of special projects.
• Manage relationships cross-functionally within AV teams.
• Work with Finance to manage the annual department budget for ACE.
• Coordinate with AV Legal, Finance, and Accounting teams for necessary information, compliance disclosures, and reports.

Required Qualifications

• 10 years of relevant work experience, preferably in policy, campaigns, or government.
• Strong leadership, people management, and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated history of operational efficiency and optimization.
• Exceptional project management skills with extraordinary organization capabilities.
• Outstanding data mining skills, particularly in policy analysis and political insights.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate key takeaways to diverse audiences.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $200,000-$300,000.

Benefits Overview

Arnold Ventures is committed to providing a robust and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our current benefits package includes:

• 100% paid employee premiums for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance.
• 20 days of paid time off, 16 paid holidays (including a winter break from December 24 to January 1), and a 9/80 schedule from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• Paid parental leave.
• 401k retirement savings plan with an employer match, profit-share contribution, and immediate vesting.
• Pre-tax transit benefits.
• Professional development stipend.
• Charitable giving stipend.
• Employee assistance program.

Our Culture and Core Values

Our culture seeks to inspire and empower our people to innovate and develop bold ideas that will help Arnold Ventures achieve lasting impact. Our culture, and the core values that support it, create an environment that encourages our team to think outside the box, feel comfortable pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and signal confidence in our team’s ability to make change happen through our philanthropic efforts.

Some examples of Arnold Ventures’ work culture include:

• Commitment to and passion for racial and social justice.
• Adaptability and comfort with ambiguity.
• Intellectual curiosity, open-mindedness, objectivity, humility, collegiality, and receptiveness to feedback.
• Action-oriented with strong self-direction and self-motivation, and the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects.
• Ability to interact confidently and collaboratively with team members and navigate relationships with external experts, government leaders, advocates, and individuals.

Core Values

Arnold Ventures’ values reflect who we are as an organization, helping us accelerate our strategic goals, strengthen our resolve, and guide our decision-making. The successful candidate will demonstrate these core values:

• Respect for Ourselves & Others
• Audacious Action
• Collaborative Engagement
• Depth of Thought
• Clear Communication

Equal Opportunity Employer

Arnold Ventures is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military/veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Acknowledging the importance of diverse perspectives, Arnold Ventures is committed to employing individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Members of historically marginalized communities and candidates impacted by the systems we seek to change are strongly encouraged to apply.

Learn more here