Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor

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How to Apply

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended. 

A cover letter, attached as the first page of your resume, describing how your experience meets the job requirements of this posting, is required for consideration of this position. 

Who We Are

At the University of Michigan School of Nursing, you won't just find a job - you'll discover a community. Join a nationally ranked institution where your talents help shape the next generation of health care leaders, fuel groundbreaking research, and make real-world impact across Michigan and beyond.

Whether you're an educator, researcher, or support professional, you'll thrive in a community that values excellence, innovation, collaboration, and lifelong learning.

Please visit http://www.nursing.umich.edu/ for more information about the School of Nursing.

Job Summary

The Chief of Staff serves as the Dean's principal strategic advisor, chief integrator, and senior leadership partner, ensuring alignment and coordinated execution of the University of Michigan School of Nursing's (UMSN) institutional priorities across academic, research, clinical, and administrative domains. This executive leadership role ensures alignment, prioritization, and coordinated execution of the Dean's vision across academic, research, clinical, and administrative domains.

In close collaboration with the Dean and the UMSN leadership team, the Chief of Staff drives the strategic planning process and institutional initiatives, enables high-quality decision-making, and ensures alignment between UMSN strategy, executive communications, and marketing efforts to advance the School's mission, visibility, and impact.

The Chief of Staff facilitates shared ownership of strategic priorities across the School of Nursing and helps ensure coordinated execution of institutional goals. The Chief of Staff operates at the center of the School of Nursing as a trusted strategic partner, connecting leadership teams, aligning stakeholders, identifying opportunities and barriers, and ensuring that institutional priorities translate into measurable outcomes and organizational impact.

Success in this role requires exceptional relationship-building skills, political acumen, sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to influence and align stakeholders in a complex academic environment. The Chief of Staff accomplishes this work primarily through influence, relationship-building, facilitation, and strategic coordination rather than through direct operational authority over academic or administrative units.

Responsibilities*

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP & DEAN'S ADVISING

  • Serve as a Dean's trusted advisor on strategic and organizational matters.
  • Establish regular Dean's listening and feedback mechanisms with UMSN faculty, staff, and students.
  • Synthesize stakeholder feedback into strategic recommendations and actionable plans for the Dean and UMSN leadership team.
  • Translate institutional priorities into coordinated, actionable plans across education, research, practice, and community engagement, working collaboratively with UMSN leadership to advance execution and achieve intended outcomes.
  • Lead and support strategic planning, including goal setting, key performance indicator development and tracking.

EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS & INSTITUTIONAL ALIGNMENT

  • Support the effectiveness of the Dean's Leadership team by ensuring alignment, prioritization, accountability, and follow-through on key initiatives.
  • Serve as the primary coordinator and integrator of strategic priorities across the Dean's leadership team, helping leaders identify interdependencies, remove barriers, and advance shared goals.
  • Facilitate effective communication among UMSN teams to promote collaboration, identify overlapping efforts, reduce duplication, and ensure strategic priorities are coordinated and advanced across the School.
  • Establish and manage systems for: 
    • Decision tracking and accountability
    • Leadership coordination and decision support
    • Goal progression monitoring and reporting
  • Support governance and leadership forums to drive clarity and decision-making.

STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & INSTITUTIONAL PROJECTS

  • In partnership with unit leaders, lead and coordinate high-impact, cross-functional initiatives aligned with the Dean's priorities, ensuring clear ownership, accountability, and measurable outcomes (e.g., community engagement, research growth, academic innovation, accreditation efforts, and faculty and staff advancement).
  • Develop scopes, timelines, key performance indicators, and reporting approaches that provide transparency, support decision-making, and enable accountability for strategic initiatives.
  • Monitor progress of strategic initiatives and elevate barriers, risks, and opportunities requiring leadership attention.

MARKETING, COMMUNICATION & INSTITUTIONAL NARRATIVE 

  • Advise on reputational strategy, issues management, and high-stakes communications.
  • Ensure consistency and alignment across:
    • Internal communications
    • External messaging
    • Advancement and campaign narratives

ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS & CHANGE LEADERSHIP

  • Identify structural, administrative, and cultural opportunities to improve effectiveness across the School of Nursing and recommend strategies to address barriers to organizational performance.
  • Lead or support organizational design, process improvement, and systems modernization efforts.
  • Support change management initiatives that strengthen culture, engagement, and performance.
  • Promote alignment and transparency among strategy, structure, decision-making, and resource allocation.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT & EXTERNAL RELATIONS

  • Build and sustain trusted relationships across the School, University, and external communities to facilitate collaboration and advance shared institutional goals.
  • Support the Dean's Office in advancement and partnership activities.

  • Serve as the Dean's designee in selected meetings, committees, and institutional initiatives, representing the Dean's priorities and facilitating follow-through on strategic decisions.

DEAN'S OFFICE COORDINATION & LEADERSHIP

  • Ensure the Dean is positioned for success through strategic prioritization, executive briefing, and coordination of key leadership engagements and decision forums.
  • Partner with executive support staff and the Director of Executive Communications to ensure smooth operations of the Dean's Office.
  • Provide leadership and supervision for Dean's Office staff.

RISK, ISSUE MANAGEMENT & SPECIAL SITUATIONS

  • Identify and assess emerging issues with institutional, administrative, or reputational impact.

  • Advise on sensitive institutional matters and coordinate response strategies in partnership with University and School leaders.

  • Support crisis and issues management in partnership with communications and leadership.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed and are not an exhaustive list of all associated responsibilities.

Required Qualifications*

Education/Experience: 

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience. 

  • Eight (8) to ten (10) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education, healthcare, or complex organizations. 

  • Demonstrated success in:

    • Strategic planning and execution

    • Executive advising

    • Leading cross-functional initiatives

    • Institutional communications strategy or institutional positioning (strongly preferred)

  • Proven ability to operate in complex, matrixed environments, build trusted relationships, and influence outcomes without direct authority.

  • Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office products (including Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint).
  • Must have exceptional oral and written communication skills. You will be expected to write clearly and concisely for various mediums.

Attributes:  

  • Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.
  • Proven analytical skills and follow-through; a high degree of creativity, initiative, resourcefulness, and the ability to anticipate needs.
  • High level of discretion, judgement and professionalism.
  • Must have excellent attention to detail and critical thinking skills. 
  • Must be able to work independently as well as effectively on teams.
  • Ability to promote the School of Nursing's Declaration of Values to Empower each other to interrupt or disrupt disrespect; Practice communication that is beneficial, kind and true; Inspire and be inspired by our members' worth, significance and integrity; Cultivate respect for ourselves and others routinely, publicly and privately.

Desired Qualifications*

  • Advanced degree (e.g., PhD, DrPH, JD, MBA, MHA, MPH).
  • Experience supporting executive-level communications in a Dean's, Provost's, or healthcare CEO-level office.
  • Familiarity with development, stakeholder engagement, or public-facing institutional strategy.

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Additional Information

Shift/Hours/Days: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; may include some occasional weekend and/or evening hours. This position is hybrid. 

Salary Range: Salary is commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. We encourage all interested parties meeting requirements to apply.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.