Chief of Staff to the CEO

Partner for Rural Impact's (PRI) work began more than 30 years ago with a place-based partnership in Appalachian Kentucky, where we’ve shown demographics don’t have to determine destiny. Today, we partner with rural leaders and allies across the country to share that work and build local partnerships that put young people on a path to economic mobility.

Position Summary

The Chief of Staff to PRI’s Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer is a senior-level position within PRI that expands the CEO’s capacity while offering close exposure to enterprise leadership, Board stewardship, organizational narrative, and the executive decision-making required to lead a growing national nonprofit.

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Chief of Staff serves as a trusted partner who helps translate the CEO’s vision, priorities, and fast-moving thinking into clear decisions, sequenced action, strong preparation, and disciplined follow-through. This role requires someone who can move easily between strategy and execution, bringing structure and steadiness to a founder-led organization where ideas, opportunities, travel, and external commitments move quickly.

The Chief of Staff leads the Office of the CEO, provides day-to-day leadership for enterprise brand and message integration, and serves as a senior staff lead and relationship holder for Board governance and stewardship. The person who thrives in this role is highly organized, an excellent writer, comfortable with ambiguity, strong with people, fluent in using AI tools to extend capacity, and willing to do the work as often as they direct it.

This role may be especially compelling for someone with rural roots or a deep commitment to rural communities who has built strong strategy, writing, analytic, consulting, organizational leadership, or local outcome-focused experience and is ready to apply those skills at greater scale. PRI values leaders who bring different lived experiences, perspectives, geographies, and ways of knowing to the work. The role is well suited for someone who may want to lead an organization in the future, as well as someone who has learned that their strongest contribution is helping a senior leader and enterprise move with focus, clarity, and impact.

The position leads and operates toward PRI’s result: all rural young people on a path to economic mobility from cradle
to career.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. The requirements of the position are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required, with regular and predictable attendance essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Office of the CEO Leadership
• Enterprise Brand and Message Integration
• Board Governance, Relations, and Stewardship
  

The above list is a summary of role functions. For additional details, please view the full job description here: Chief of Staff to the CEO Job Description

Position Location & Schedule

This position is designated as a remote/home-office position and requires the employee to maintain
an appropriate workspace conducive to performing assigned responsibilities. The role involves regular collaboration with team members working across multiple states and time zones, requiring effective communication, coordination, and responsiveness across geographically dispersed teams.

Due to the nature of the position and its direct support of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the work schedule requires a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. While the position generally operates during regular business hours, work schedules and availability must accommodate the CEO's schedule, Board of Directors' activities, organizational priorities, and time-sensitive commitments. This may include early mornings, evenings, and occasional weekends, as business needs require.

Although day-to-day responsibilities are performed primarily remotely, the Chief of Staff is expected to participate in in-person engagements as organizational needs require. This may include accompanying the CEO or meeting in person to support strategic planning, preparation and coordination, Board activities, relationship stewardship, the Rural Summit, and other priority engagements.

Regular regional and national travel is required to support CEO priorities, Board activities, major external commitments, and key organizational events. Travel may involve frequent overnight stays and adjustments to regular work schedules.

Remote/home-office arrangements are subject to organizational approval and applicable PRI policies. Eligibility for remote work may be limited to states in which PRI is authorized to employ staff and may be subject to additional geographic or operational restrictions.

Minimum Qualifications

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, Communications, Education, Nonprofit Management, or a related field required

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, Communications, Education, Nonprofit Management, or a related field preferred

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• 8+ years of progressively responsible professional experience, including significant responsibility for supporting senior leaders, executive priorities, organizational communications, governance, operations, or strategy.

• Demonstrated experience serving as a trusted partner to a senior executive, CEO, founder, or executive leadership team.

• Experience translating fast-moving ideas, priorities, and opportunities into structured, executable work.

• Experience translating strategy into action through consulting, organizational leadership, executive support, or local or place-based work that advanced outcomes for a community, initiative, or organization.

• Experience leading a small team, coordinating cross-functional work, or managing work through others in a complex, fast-paced environment.

• Experience shaping organizational brand, messaging, executive communications, or narrative, including determining what an organization elevates and how messages are received by different audiences.
  

• Experience supporting board governance, board relations, executive governance, or comparable senior advisory bodies preferred. This may include meeting preparation, materials development, relationship stewardship, follow-through, and support for decision-making processes.

• Demonstrated experience using AI tools to extend executive capacity, including writing, synthesis, preparation, research, workflow design, meeting follow-up, and message development.

• Experience exercising discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential, sensitive, or high stakes matters.

• Experience working with or supporting rural communities is preferred.

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Exceptional executive judgment, discretion, diplomacy, and political savvy.

• Strong emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and communicate effectively across differences with senior leaders, Board members, staff, partners, and external stakeholders.

• Ability to move easily between strategy and execution, translating priorities and ideas into clear, coordinated action.

• Ability and willingness to serve as both a strategic advisor and a hands-on contributor, personally executing priority work while directing or coordinating the work of others.

• Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex ideas into clear executive materials and communications.

• Strong organizational discipline and follow-through, with the ability to bring structure, sequence, and clarity to a wide and shifting set of priorities.

• Ability to anticipate emerging needs, identify matters requiring executive attention, and prepare concise recommendations.

• Ability to work effectively through ambiguity, rapid changes in direction, and a founder-led environment where priorities and opportunities move quickly.

• Strong understanding of brand, messaging, audience, and voice, with the ability to help PRI communicate clearly and consistently across settings.

• Ability to support Board stewardship and governance rhythms with professionalism, preparation, and relationship awareness.

• Commitment to PRI’s For Rural, With Rural approach and respect for the knowledge, leadership, and assets within rural communities.

• Proficiency and sound judgment in using AI tools to extend executive capacity while recognizing when human judgment, relationships, and context must lead.

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Must have access to reliable transportation

• Successfully complete pre-employment background check

Physical requirements:

Duties primarily involve prolonged periods of computer use, including typing, reading, and participating in virtual meetings. The position requires the ability to remain in a seated or stationary position for extended periods, with opportunities to change positions throughout the workday. Occasional standing, walking, reaching, bending, and lifting or moving lightweight office materials may be required.

The position also requires regular regional and national travel, including travel by air and ground transportation. Travel-related activities may involve extended periods of sitting, standing, or walking; navigating airports and other travel environments; and transporting personal belongings and lightweight work materials.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Environmental conditions:

Work is primarily performed in a remote/home-office environment under typical office conditions. The position requires regular use of a computer, telephone, and other standard office equipment, as well as participation in virtual meetings and communication with geographically dispersed team members. The employee is expected to maintain a workspace that supports the effective, professional, and secure performance of assigned responsibilities, including the confidentiality of sensitive organizational and executive-level information.

Regular regional and national travel may involve working in a variety of environments, including organizational offices, conference and meeting facilities, hotels, and other off-site locations. Working conditions may vary based on travel schedules, organizational events, and executive-level commitments.