Senior Director, Office of the CEO

Chicago, IL
Full Time
Executive
Experienced

The Sr. Director, Office of the CEO is the CEO’s primary liaison to the board of directors. Managing the Office of the CEO team, the role will ensure the efficient day-to-day functioning of the office and that the CEO can successfully meet his daily operational responsibilities. The role will ensure smooth board operations and a positive experience for board members at Opportunity International.

The ideal candidate is a strong planner, executor, and team leader with experience engaging senior executives and board members. They excel at building relationships across all organizational levels and cultures. Acting as a trusted advisor to the CEO, they must demonstrate discretion, discernment, diplomacy, and thorough knowledge of the organization’s practices, structure, policies, and programs. They should exercise good judgment in diverse situations, possess strong communication and organizational skills, be comfortable presenting to large groups and executives, and manage multiple priorities effectively. As a representative of the CEO, they must be collaborative and approachable.

RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Executive Support and Staff Liaison

  • Act as the point of contact for the CEO’s direct reports, understanding organizational issues and providing counsel. 
  • Organize all Direct Reports, Managers, and All-Staff meetings, setting agendas, meeting format, and schedules, keeping minutes, and ensuring follow-up.
  • Manage the Executive Assistant of the Office of the CEO, including performance evaluations and feedback.
  • Oversee and manage the Consultant to the Office of the CEO and their assignments.
  • Guide projects within the Office of the CEO with a hands-on approach, including drafts for the CEO’s correspondence and other tasks that facilitate the CEO's ability to lead the organization.
  • Track assigned tasks to the CEO’s Direct Reports and follow up as needed.
  • Effectively prioritize conflicting needs and handle tasks quickly and proactively, ensuring projects are completed successfully, even under tight deadlines.
  • Inform the CEO of upcoming commitments and responsibilities and follow up as needed. 
  • Maintain effective communication between the CEO's office and internal teams while maintaining credibility, trust, and support with senior management.
  • Monitor and understand the organizational and Chicago office's cultural environment, informing the CEO of relevant developments.
  • Facilitate cross-functional relationships by advising department leaders on teamwork improvements, including enhancing inter-department collaboration to boost performance management, alignment, and engagement.
  • Serve as a thought partner and strategic advisor to the CEO, standing in on meetings, challenging ideas and offering a different perspective, and following up on action items with the team accordingly.
  • Oversee the budget for the Executive department. 

Board Support, Liaison, and External Affairs

  • Serve as the CEO’s administrative liaison to OIUS Board of Directors.
  • Oversee and maintain governance records for the organization.
  • Provide administrative support to the OIUS board chair and committee chairs as needed, including meeting preparation, board materials coordination, and meeting minutes recording.
  • Manage the preparation of board meeting materials and logistics with input from senior management and support from the CEO's Office team.
  • Oversee onboarding of new OIUS board members.
  • Manage successful Board Insight Trips to visit Opportunity’s international programs.
  • Maintain discretion and confidentiality in relationships with all board members.
  • Handle all Board-related inquiries from staff on behalf of the CEO Office team.
  • Communicate on behalf of the CEO with external stakeholders as needed.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

  • Office of the CEO Staff
    • Executive Assistant
    • Consultant to the Office of the CEO, Board Support
    • Temporary consultants/interns working on CEO Office projects and assignments

QUALIFICATIONS  

  • Bachelor's degree required, MBA or master’s degree a plus in Communications, International Development, International Economics, International Relations, or related field.
  • Seasoned Executive Assistant with a minimum of 10 years supporting C-Level Executives. Chief of Staff experience is a plus, preferably 5 years or more.
  • Experience working in the corporate office of a multinational corporation/NGO/public entity is a plus.
  • Comfortable working in a global environment, managing relationships across cultures, geographies, time zones, and languages.
  • Collaborative leadership style in managing projects and work assignments
  • Demonstrated success in building and preserving trust, agreement, confidence, and respect among various constituencies. Seen as a person of integrity. Has a consensus-seeking but decisive approach that can deliver solutions in difficult situations.
  • Ability to work with various stakeholders across functional disciplines and cultures to understand their respective challenges and motivations.
  • Demonstrated ability to work under time and people pressures with composure.
  • Strong analytical mindset using data to support thinking and decision-making.
  • The ability to think strategically to manage multiple projects/initiatives with changing priorities and strict deadlines in a rapidly changing environment is necessary.
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills.
  • Willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work. Experienced in managing day-to-day operations.
  • Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
  • Able to adapt to various competing demands and demonstrate the highest level of customer/client service and response.
  • Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
  • Forward-looking thinker who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
  • Ability to work flexible hours as dictated by the business needs for projects and meetings.
  • Expert skill level in Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, SharePoint, and MS Teams
  • Proficient skill level in:
    • Scheduling & Travel – SAP Concur, Doodle, Calendly
    • Document Management – OneDrive, DocuSign, Box
  • Experience with CRMs, preferably Raisers Edge and PowerBI, is a plus.
  • Passionate about Opportunity’s mission, vision, motivation, and values, and can expertly promote and communicate the organization’s goals and objectives to external and internal audiences.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

  • Fluency in English, both written and oral is required.
  • Additional language skills a plus (Spanish, French)

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
Up to 10% travel per year including international travel with the OIUS Board of Directors.  

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL

Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been empowering people to work their way out of poverty since 1971. Opportunity provides 18.7 million people with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2022, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 5,600 schools that reached 1.6 million children, and they released more than $2.6 billion in capital across 30 countries. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.

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