The Aspen Institute · 1 day ago
Chief of Staff, Energy & Environment Program
Washington, DC
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$145K/yr - $155K/yr
10+ years expThe Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. The Chief of Staff for the Energy & Environment Program serves as a strategic partner to the Executive Director, managing priorities and ensuring alignment across teams to drive effective policy and innovative market solutions for energy and environmental challenges.
Non-profit Organization Management
Responsibilities
Support development, refinement, and execution of EEP strategy in partnership with the Executive Director and senior leadership
Translate long term strategy into tactical priorities with clear ownership, milestones, and success metrics
Stress test ideas, surface risks and opportunities, and support preparation for key decisions
Monitor progress against goals and proactively flag tradeoffs, capacity constraints, and resource needs
Support preparation for key moments such as major convenings, retreats, board interactions, and strategic inflection points
Manage information flow to and from the Executive Director by synthesizing inputs, ensuring organized agendas, and maintaining clear follow-up
Organize, track, and communicate action item decisions and ensure follow through
Identify gaps, inefficiencies, or recurring challenges and propose practical improvements
Support coordination on high priority initiatives that cut across teams or require senior attention
Support the Executive Director in building a strong, aligned, and high performing collaborative leadership team
Help senior leaders translate strategy into executable plans and reinforce accountability across teams
Establish and reinforce operating rhythms such as leadership meetings, goal tracking, and cross team coordination
Serve as a sounding board and coach team leaders on process, communication, and execution challenges
Work with team on onboarding, team transitions, and development as needed
Model and reinforce EEP values, including trust, collaboration, nonpartisanship, and intellectual rigor
Synthesize complex information into clear, concise materials for leadership use
Draft or edit briefing memos, presentations, and internal communications, including for Senior Aspen Leadership and Board of Trustees, as needed
Ensure consistent messaging and clarity around priorities, decisions, and direction; Serve as a trusted point of contact for internal partners on issues related to priorities, process, and execution
Qualification
Required
Minimum 10 years' experience in relevant field
You are a strategic, low ego leader with strong judgment who serves as a trusted partner to the Executive Director
You can challenge ideas constructively, surface risks early, deliver hard messages with clarity and care, and exercise authority on behalf of the Executive Director when needed
You bring strong subject matter fluency across core program areas and can quickly learn new complex topics in service of better decisions
You embody the team's 'Yes, and' ethos
You look for opportunities, experiment thoughtfully, and help the organization move from ideas to action
You are comfortable operating in ambiguity and helping the organization test and refine new approaches
You bring a flexible operational and systems mindset that strengthens smart processes, establishes clear decision rhythms, and reinforces execution standards
You help a growing organization scale with focus and quality while actively minimizing unnecessary bureaucracy
You build trust across teams and help leaders and staff understand how priorities connect across the larger enterprise, improving coordination and shared ownership
You operate with discretion, emotional intelligence, and institutional awareness
You are comfortable working behind the scenes and are motivated by sustaining and scaling the mission and values of the Aspen Institute, including trust, collaboration, nonpartisanship, and intellectual rigor
You must be able to travel regularly, with some peak periods requiring frequent travel
Benefits
Health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits
Retirement benefits
Paid leave
Company
The Aspen Institute
Our Purpose: We ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world.
Founded in 2023Washington, District of Columbia, USA
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
The Aspen Institute has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
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2025 (1)
2024 (3)
2023 (4)
2022 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Dan Porterfield
President and CEO
David Milestone
Co-Founder and Board Chair, AMP Health
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