Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, Chief of Staff

ABOUT ALLIANCE COLLEGE-READY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is one of the largest and most successful nonprofit public charter school networks in the nation, operating 26 high-performing, middle and high schools that educate nearly 13,000 scholars who make up the heart of Los Angeles’ Latinx, Black, and recent immigrant communities. Alliance schools have been recognized as among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, the U.S. Department of Education, and the California Department of Education. Since opening their first school in 2004, 95% of Alliance scholars have graduated from high school. Alliance strives to uplift our scholars and their communities by fostering unparalleled educational opportunities that encourage scholarly thought, resilient learning, powerful communication, mind-body wellness, and community advocacy. To learn more, visit www.LAalliance.org.

ROLE SUMMARY

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief of Staff (CoS) is a key strategic partner and advisor to the CEO and Cabinet, accountable for driving the execution of Alliance's long-term vision and near-term priorities. The CoS ensures the effectiveness of the Cabinet and Leadership Team by aligning efforts, maintaining productive decision-making, and fostering cohesion and connectivity. This leader will also provide thought partnership to the CEO, oversee governance structures, manage internal communications, and lead strategic special projects, including crisis response and cross-functional initiatives.

This is an ideal opportunity for a seasoned leader with a proven ability to navigate complexity, lead laterally, and cultivate strong organizational culture. The CoS will possess a deep understanding of systems-level change in education, change management, governance, and strategic execution, and will be deeply aligned with Alliance’s anti-racist, pro-Black values.

WHAT YOU WILL DO 

Strategic & Organizational Leadership 

• Ensure the effectiveness of the Cabinet and Leadership Team (LT) through alignment, clear communication, productive decision-making, and a strong culture focused on serving our scholars with excellence.
• Drive organizational-wide priorities forward, track outcomes, and maintain systems for accountability and follow-through.
• Lead Alliance’s Cabinet to set, prioritize, and accomplish ambitious multi-year goals.
• Act as a strategic thought partner to the CEO, helping manage workload, priorities, and external engagements.
• Design and implement systems that gather feedback, needs, and experiences from school sites and ensure that central office structures respond to and prioritize those needs, reinforcing a "schools first" value.
• Lead network-wide tactical rhythms and planning structures to ensure cross-functional collaboration and operational excellence (e.g., Home Office meetings, Leadership Team meetings, Cabinet meetings).
• Guide organizational health and team effectiveness by monitoring culture, collaboration, and crisis response.
• Represent the CEO internally and externally as needed, serving as a buffer and support system to manage political complexities and high-stakes decisions.
• Drive high-priority special initiatives, such as crisis response, complex engagements across internal teams and external partners tied to workforce and operational continuity, and other mission-critical efforts.
• Guide organizational health and team effectiveness by monitoring culture and collaboration.
• Serve as the organization's point person in navigating crises and acute circumstances, as required (historical examples include COVID response in 2019 and the Los Angeles fires in 2025).
• Ensure organization-wide systems, structures, and strategies are grounded in the lived realities of schools by fostering strong feedback loops, centering school experience in cross-functional planning, and strengthening the Home Office’s role in service of schools.

Governance & Board Engagement

• Lead engagement and preparation for Alliance’s Governing Board, including board materials, meeting logistics, fiduciary planning, compliance with governance policies, and facilitating annual board training.
• Provide leadership in ensuring strong governance and accountability practices across the organization by overseeing key compliance areas, partnering with external agencies, and aligning board- and school-level engagement strategies to elevate school strengths and reinforce charter sustainability.
• Provide structure and clarity to board interactions and ensure alignment with governance expectations and regulatory frameworks.

Internal Communications & Team Leadership

• Leads cross-functional strategy for internal communications in partnership with communications and other HO divisions, to reinforce Alliance's values, strategic goals, and staff engagement.
• Ensure communication is aligned, effective, and supports cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Set the vision for internal platforms and knowledge management systems (e.g., intranet); support cross-functional development of aligned network knowledge management systems.
• Manage, coach, and support a high-performing team that directly supports the CEO; supervise and develop 2-4 direct reports.

Organizational Systems & Culture

• Establish and refine internal systems, workflows, and meeting structures to enhance operational efficiency, decision-making, and implementation.
• Promote a strong mission-aligned culture of a learning organization, data-driven leadership, equity, and excellence.
• Codify work structures and processes to improve organizational clarity and reduce inefficiencies.
• Help prioritize initiatives to avoid overcommitment and improve sustainability and focus.

WHO YOU ARE

An ideal candidate will have:

• Deep knowledge of urban education environments, school systems, and the communities Alliance serves. 
• Experience leading from a home or central office context executing across multiple school sites (ideally five or more).
• Proven success advising senior leaders, leading complex projects, and managing large, cross-functional initiatives.
• Expertise in strategic planning, governance, organizational effectiveness, and continuous improvement.
• Experience leading change management and large system strategy execution.
• Outstanding project management, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong emotional intelligence and ability to build trust across stakeholders.
• Ability to navigate strong personalities, push back diplomatically, and lead through influence.
• Deep commitment to Alliance’s anti-racist, pro-Black organizational values.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 8 years of progressive experience in education, public policy, management consulting, or organizational leadership.
• Experience in K-12 education preferred; school site or district experience a plus.
• Experience with strategic planning, change management, or project management.
• Experience leading and managing boards.
• Prior experience in a Chief of Staff or similar executive-level role preferred.

Preferred Experiences

• Executive-level leadership experience in a large, complex organization (e.g., multi-school network of five or more schools, district, nonprofit).
• Board and governance experience, including navigating compliance protocols and regulatory frameworks (e.g., CA Education Code).
• Change management and implementation expertise.
• Political acumen and experience navigating organizational dynamics.

WORK LOCATION

This is a hybrid role, based in Los Angeles. Includes working from home, our network office, and visiting school sites. $400 work-from-home set-up allowance and $100 monthly stipend provided.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Salary range: $205,000 - $260,000, commensurate with experience.
• Relocation bonus: $5,000 (individuals) or $7,500 (families/partners).
• Health insurance: 100% of premiums for individual employees; $1,000/month toward family plans.
• Retirement: 7.5% annual employer contribution.
• Paid leave: 3 weeks PTO + 27 holidays (8.5 weeks total).
• Professional development: $500/year stipend for Home Office staff.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume online at https://apply.workable.com/j/0F69891700/.

** PLEASE NOTE: Alliance College-Ready Public Schools requires all team members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Medical exemptions may be requested.**

Research shows that while men apply when they meet 60% of qualifications, women and underrepresented groups often only apply when they meet all. If you meet most qualifications, we encourage you to apply.

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools are tuition-free public charter schools that do not discriminate based on ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with individuals who have any of these characteristics.