Full-Time

Chief of Staff

Posted on 7/3/2025

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University

10,001+ employees

Private research and higher education institution

No salary listed

Nashville, TN, USA

In Person

Category
Business & Strategy (2)
,
Required Skills
Word/Pages/Docs
Risk Management
Excel/Numbers/Sheets
PowerPoint/Keynote/Slides
Requirements
  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (required)
  • Master’s degree preferred
  • Minimum of 10+ years in a strategic leadership role, preferably within a complex organization
  • Proven ability to lead multiple teams on large-scale, high-priority projects while effectively managing competing priorities
  • Exceptional project management skills, ensuring data driven outcomes and seamless execution in fast-paced environments
  • Strategic, analytical, and execution-driven mindset, with a passion for driving results
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) and experience with data visualization tools preferred
Responsibilities
  • Goalkeeper: Issue Management & Prioritization Triage challenges and opportunities, bringing only the most pertinent issues to the Vice Chancellor with succinct, actionable insights. Anticipate and proactively address potential roadblocks, ensuring the Vice Chancellor’s time is focused on the highest-value priorities.
  • Operator: Structure, Processes & Accountability Establish and refine structures and processes to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and ensure alignment with timelines, budgets, and the division’s mission. Oversee business operations, including budgeting, staffing, and financial management, ensuring fiscal responsibility and compliance. Ensure adherence to legal, regulatory, and institutional reporting requirements, optimizing transparency and strategic decision-making.
  • Implementer: Strategy Execution & Impact Drive strategic initiatives from concept to execution, holding teams accountable for delivery and ensuring measurable impact. Monitor key initiatives, tracking success metrics and ensuring timely, high-quality execution. Champion a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, encouraging creative problem-solving and bold action. Lead large-scale, cross-functional projects and ensure alignment with institutional goals.
  • Integrator: Cross-Functional Alignment & Collaboration Foster trust and engagement across PCB leadership and departments, ensuring alignment of divisional initiatives with institutional priorities. Act as the critical bridge between leaders, breaking down silos and enhancing communication across teams. Build and maintain relationships with trustees, university leadership, and external stakeholders, reinforcing PCB’s strategic influence.
  • Proxy: Confident Decision-Making in the Vice Chancellor’s Absence Serve as a trusted extension of the Vice Chancellor, making informed decisions and providing leadership in their absence. Represent the Vice Chancellor in high-level meetings, ensuring seamless continuity of leadership and decision-making. Maximize the Vice Chancellor’s effectiveness by anticipating needs, prioritizing engagements, and aligning initiatives with broader institutional goals.
  • Advisor: Strategic Thought Partner & Insight Provider Serve as a trusted confidant and thought partner, offering candid feedback, innovative solutions, and strategic insights. Provide data-driven recommendations that enhance decision-making and advance divisional priorities. Lead the preparation of executive presentations, briefings, and reports for the Vice Chancellor’s engagements, including Board of Trust meetings and institutional events.
  • Outstanding Project Management & Creative Development Leadership Lead the creative development process, ensuring alignment with divisional and institutional messaging. Drive multiple teams and stakeholders across large-scale, complex projects to meet deadlines and quality standards. Ensure that creative teams are supported with clear direction, resources, and structured workflows. Balance operational efficiency with innovation, storytelling, and impact-driven execution.
Desired Qualifications
  • Master’s degree preferred
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and experience with data visualization tools preferred
Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University

View

Vanderbilt University operates as a private research institution that provides undergraduate, graduate, and professional education to over 11,000 students. The university functions by integrating classroom instruction with active research initiatives, allowing students and faculty to collaborate on projects across various fields such as information technology, athletics, and the arts. Unlike many large public institutions, Vanderbilt maintains a smaller student body and emphasizes a community-driven environment where diversity of thought and culture is central to the learning process. The university distinguishes itself by operating at a "global crossroads," focusing on a multidisciplinary approach that encourages employees and students to apply their expertise to real-world challenges. Vanderbilt’s goal is to foster a center for growth and discovery where individuals can expand their knowledge and contribute to societal improvements through education and research.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$86.7M

Headquarters

Nashville, Tennessee

Founded

N/A

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Global campus expansion attracts international students and diversifies revenue streams.
  • Strong alumni network and donor base support endowment growth and research funding.
  • 475+ student organizations and Division I athletics enhance recruitment and retention.

What critics are saying

  • Duke recruitment eroding Vanderbilt's Southern elite status among applicants.
  • Title IX sexual misconduct lawsuits risk federal funding cuts.
  • Endowment fossil fuel divestment legal complaints threaten investment strategy and returns.

What makes Vanderbilt University unique

  • Expanded to NYC, San Francisco, West Palm Beach campuses since 2025.
  • 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio with 120+ undergraduate and graduate programs.
  • Top-tier medical school and health sciences research leadership nationally.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Your Connections

People at Vanderbilt University who can refer or advise you

Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Company News

EdSurge
Oct 1st, 2020
Asynchronous Learning or Live Lessons? Which One Works Better for Me?

If you work in education in 2020, you are making tough decisions about how to best reach and teach your learners in the midst of a global pandemic. ...

The Robot Report
Sep 29th, 2020
Exosuit developed at Vanderbilt University found to reduce lower back muscle fatigue

Vanderbilt University engineers have determined that their back-assist exosuit, a clothing-like device that supports human movement and posture, can reduce fatigue by an average of 29% to 47% percent in lower-back muscles. The exosuit could help people who work in physically demanding fields and who are at risk for back pain, including medical professionals, said the researchers.

Hypepotamus
Aug 28th, 2020
36|86 Festival Winners Showcase Tennesee’s Startup Power

For Tennessee startups, being proactive seems to be the key to success this year.  SecondKeys and ARMS Cyber, both Tennessee-based startups, took home first place in LaunchTN’s  and 36:86 Pitch…

EdSurge
Jul 20th, 2020
Revisiting Blended Learning Principles, With School Plans in Limbo

This fall, some school buildings may be open again, but things won’t be back to normal. In all likelihood, students will have to come to campuses ...

INACTIVE