Chief of Staff

About Room to Grow

Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the vision that one day all parents will have the resources they need to unlock their families’ potential and become champions for babies and their community. Its mission is to offer structured parent support, material goods, and community connections to support parents as they activate their natural strengths and expand their knowledge, so children thrive from the start. Room to Grow was founded in New York in 1998 and expanded to Boston in 2005, currently partnering with over 1,500 families with an annual budget of $8.5M and a team of 50+ passionate and dedicated staff members.

Room to Grow uses a two-generation, preventative, and strengths-based approach to engage families. Through its unique program, parents and caregivers partner with program staff to develop strategies to support their child's development, select the material items that their child needs, and connect with community resources that can expand their support network. Room to Grow program staff work alongside parents and caregivers as they build upon their existing skill sets and parenting styles and promote the well-being of their children and family.

As an entrepreneurial and growth-oriented organization, Room to Grow is in an exciting period of development as it continues to expand its reach and impact in Boston, New York and Chicago.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief of Staff (COS) is an organization-wide support leader who is a high-functioning catalyst for the CEO’s priorities and the organization’s overall effectiveness.

The COS serves as a collaborator, advisor, and implementer of ongoing organizational priorities and special initiatives across a broad range of topics. Internally, the COS will support special projects, advise teams, and address organizational challenges on behalf of both the CEO and the Room to Grow team. The COS not only supports the CEO in their leadership of the organization, but is a key member of the senior team, working in close partnership with Department Heads to ensure alignment in achieving organizational goals. Externally, the COS will build and manage organizational partnerships – both national and local. The purpose of the role is to maximize the effectiveness of the CEO and the team and to drive forward the mission of Room to Grow.

This role has several responsibilities focused on making time, information, and decision processes more effective for the CEO, providing the “glue” between departments to ensure that there are no duplicative efforts across the organization. This individual will serve as a versatile thought partner to help manage the CEO’s various commitments in addition to executing new initiatives independently.

This is a hybrid role requiring 2-3 days per week in-person at one of our Room to Grow locations in Boston, MA or New York, NY.

Position Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Oversees and manages the Central Office budget, including acting as an advisor for other department budgets, lifting up important financial updates, deltas, and expense approvals.
• Supports the implementation of the 2023 - 2027 Strategic Plan, including facilitating monthly meetings with key internal stakeholders and keeping track of progress to goals.
• Supports the CEO with hiring and onboarding all CEO direct reports, as well as ongoing performance management (as needed).
• Supports coordination for Room to Grow’s governance structure, including the Board of Directors, Leadership Councils, Committees, and Working Groups.
• Supports cross-department and region collaboration, drawing connections between shared projects and responsibilities to create efficiencies in the work.
• Acts as the organization historian, researching and understanding pivotal moments of transition in the organization, and drawing learnings for current and future Room to Grow leadership.

External Engagement and Revenue Generation

• Supports the CEO in managing their personal portfolio, including drafting emails, joining meetings, and researching new prospects (as applicable).
• Supports the CEO and Chief External Engagement Officer in the execution of Room to Grow’s public relations and communications strategy.
• Serves as the secondary relationship manager for the Board of Directors, helping them achieve their goals as outlined in Board Annual Plans (e.g. working alongside them to host a cultivation event, reach their event fundraising goal, etc.).
• Serves as a fundraiser for Room to Grow, holding an individual portfolio to cultivate individual, foundation, and corporate donors on the National level; supports regional Executive Directors, staff, and board members in expanding the donor base to raise funds and in-kind donations.
• Serve as an advocate for Room to Grow, ensuring the organization's story, message, program successes, and positions are well articulated to various stakeholders.

Special Projects

• Supports at a high level on special projects and initiatives as delegated by the CEO, spanning across all departments and functions (e.g. Program, Operations, and External Engagement).
• Serves as a key capacity-building resource for the organization, taking on one-time projects or initiatives that may otherwise be deprioritized.
• Manages special committees as delegated by the CEO (e.g. Team Council).

Mission & Vision Stewardship

• Partner with the Director of People and Culture to steward a strong team culture and a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment that fosters team productivity and excellence.

Qualifications and Experience

• A passion for the mission, vision, and core values of Room to Grow
• Track record of success in leading change and innovation with demonstrated results.
• Understanding of current and emerging issues of the organization’s program areas and the ability to quickly gain knowledge in new areas.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a complex team effort.
• History of success in roles requiring creative and critical thinking while managing multiple priorities.
• Excellent research, analytical, writing and presentation skills.
• Outstanding relationship-building and interpersonal skills.

Core Competencies

Mission and Culture Alignment - Allows a candidate to thrive at Room to Grow and to be highly motivated by the organization’s work and mission. A successful candidate:

• Embodies RtG core values, including integrity, respect, growth, collaboration, community and inclusion
• Articulates an authentic passion for and unwavering belief in RtG’s mission, demonstrating a commitment to and literacy around the issues of equity that undergird the work
• Navigates ambiguity and pivots with ease; presents as collaborative and flexible with a strong service mentality and ability to navigate a local/national structure
• Models transparency as a leader and encourages open dialogue and inclusivity
• Demonstrates a growth mindset; approaches work with a learning orientation, continuously seeking to improve his or her own work and the work of the organization
• Possesses a deep appreciation for diversity, equity and inclusion and seeks to bring people together along lines of difference; is able to model this value in Room to Grow’s internal work by treating our diverse population of families with sensitivity, respect, compassion, and dignity, as well as demonstrating this value with an external presence

Relationship Building - Enables a candidate to build deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including Room to Grow community members. A successful candidate:

• Experienced with managing successful partnerships, possessing a bold yet inviting conversational style that enables connections to organically form, grow, and expand over time
• Garners strong support for Room to Grow by enabling new and existing stakeholders to invest in and feel strongly connected to the organization’s mission, short and long-term objectives, and overall approach
• Gains trust and respect from people involved with Room to Grow by embodying and communicating the organization’s mission and culture, illustrating impact and results, and being responsive to questions and feedback

Strategic Thinking - Allows a candidate to synthesize information and extract key findings and trends in order to develop, communicate, and execute strategy. A successful candidate:

• Develops a shared vision while using expertise and resourcefulness to develop innovative plans and opportunities, giving thorough thought to risk and overall integrity to Room to Grow’s mission
• Possesses a deep understanding of financial analysis to create predictive scenarios that drive action and decision-making with multiple stakeholders
• Naturally and effectively translates a vision for a team, department, or organization into effective strategies for execution, setting ambitious goals, and delivering results
• Keeps abreast of emerging trends, local current events, updates from community partners, and feedback from stakeholders to inform and analyze organizational processes and direction
• Acts as a leader by constantly acquiring knowledge and insights and promoting the sharing of knowledge not only across departments, but also across the entire organization

Project Management - Allows a candidate to advance work by establishing clear and actionable plans and managing up, down, and sideways in order to deliver outcomes. A successful candidate:

• Translates concepts into actionable plans and ensures clear communication of goals, responsibilities, and deadlines
• Responsible for setting the pace, tone and overall direction of each project’s objectives, with an eye towards a thorough and meticulous final product
• Galvanizes team members to contribute their best effort to achieve the maximal result possible
• Foresees roadblocks and uses deliberate, yet thoughtful action to keep projects on target and move them toward completion

Organizational Leadership - Enables a candidate to inspire team members at all levels to achieve results, while upholding organizational priorities and operations. A successful candidate:

• Promotes a mission-centric environment that encourages cross-departmental collaboration, team building, strong work ethic, and service to the community
• Ability to lead change management within a department or organization, empowering team members to build on their strengths and pursue innovative strategies that enhance Room to Grow’s mission and vision
• Demonstrates the ability to be highly collaborative and partner effectively with leaders across organizations

Compensation and Benefits

Room to Grow offers a collaborative work environment, competitive compensation, and a comprehensive benefits package including:

• 8+ weeks of paid time off per year
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA
• 403(b) retirement savings with matching program
• Quarterly wellness reimbursement up to $150 per quarter
• So much more!

Salary and benefits will be competitive for our field and commensurate with experience. Room to Grow is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. We encourage you to share any required accommodations with elise.spector@roomtogrow.org, who will treat your requests as confidentially as possible.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We view differences between individuals (e.g., race, gender, age, cultural heritage, physical ability, education, beliefs, and lifestyle) as an asset. We celebrate what makes us unique and strive to create an inclusive environment for all. We are focused on fostering a culture of empowerment in an effort to better understand and serve the multifaceted cultures and identities of all of those within the Room to Grow community.

At Room to Grow, our DEI efforts focus on uplifting the experiences and perspectives of underrepresented groups and doing the work that draws out the best in all of us.

To Apply

Submit your application via Room to Grow’s career portal.