Chief of Staff

Acumen is seeking an experienced Chief of Staff to serve as a strategic advisor and execution partner to our Founder & CEO, working in close partnership with the President & Chief Investment Officer. This role requires a highly strategic operator with strong judgment, exceptional communication skills, and demonstrated experience translating complex ideas into clear priorities and coordinated action. The Chief of Staff will support executive decision-making, drive cross-organizational initiatives, steward critical relationships, and ensure alignment across external engagements. This role is based in New York City and operates in a hybrid model, with three days in the office per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), and some global travel.

About Acumen

Acumen is a global force of entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and social innovators working together to build a world based on dignity. We were founded by Jacqueline Novogratz on the radical idea that business, when cultivated with moral imagination, can break the cycle of poverty. We invest in transformational companies, build sustainable markets, and prepare leaders with the tools they need to create a more just and inclusive future. Since 2001, we have scaled companies and shaped markets in some of the hardest-to-reach communities on the planet, impacting over half-a-billion lives. To learn more visit acumen.org.

About the role

The Chief of Staff to the CEO is a senior, trusted advisor and execution partner to Acumen’s Founder & CEO. This role operates at the center of Acumen’s leadership, strategy, and institutional priorities, enabling the CEO to operate at maximum effectiveness internally and externally.

The Chief of Staff functions as an extension of the CEO—providing strategic counsel, translating vision into execution, managing complex cross-organizational initiatives, and stewarding critical internal and external relationships. The role requires exceptional judgment, discretion, intellectual rigor, and the ability to operate seamlessly across strategy, operations, communications, and influence.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Partnership & Executive Support

• Serve as a thought partner to the CEO on institutional strategy, priorities, and long-term positioning.

• Translate Acumen’s strategic direction into clear, actionable priorities across teams and leaders.

• Shape where and how the CEO shows up so as to enhance her effectiveness as a leading voice for reimagining philanthropy, finance and entrepreneurship to solve problems of poverty and climate at scale.

• Synthesize complex information, surface trade-offs, and drive high-quality executive decision-making.

• Act as a proxy for the CEO in select meetings and engagements, representing her voice, intent, and values.

• External Engagement, Communications & Influence

• Coordinate the CEO’s external presence across key moments and platforms, including UNGA, COP, Davos, and other high-level convenings.

• Partner with the Communications team to steward and refine the CEO’s voice internally and externally.

• Prepare strategic briefings, talking points, and context for engagements with donors, investors, policymakers, and peer leaders.

• Ensure alignment between Acumen’s strategy, values, and public narrative.

• Support relationship strategy and follow-up for priority external stakeholders.

Office of the CEO Leadership & Coordination

• Lead the day-to-day functioning of the Office of the CEO, ensuring clarity of roles, cadence, and execution across priorities.

• Coordinate closely with the President/Chief Investment Officer, and senior leadership to ensure alignment and follow-through on organizational goals.

Institutional Strategy & Special Initiatives

• Drive high-priority, cross-cutting initiatives on behalf of the CEO, including institutional strategy shifts, major partnerships, governance transitions, and flagship programs.

• Own planning and execution for complex, multi-stakeholder projects that span regions, funds, and functions.

• Track progress against CEO and organizational goals, flag risks, and unblock issues as needed.

Board & Governance

• Partner closely with the CEO on board engagement, governance matters, and trustee relationships.

• Coordinate board processes, including meeting agendas, materials, annual planning, and board trips.

• Drive board recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing stewardship in collaboration with senior leadership.

Skills and Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of relevant professional experience, ideally spanning strategy, operations, investing, philanthropy, or executive support.

• Demonstrated experience working directly with C-suite or founder-level leaders in complex, mission-driven organizations.

• Exceptional strategic thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize across finance, impact, operations, and narrative.

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with financial literacy and comfort with investment and philanthropic models.

• Strong organizational judgment, discretion, and emotional intelligence.

• Proven ability to manage ambiguity, competing priorities, and high-stakes situations.

• Comfort operating globally across cultures and time zones.

• Deep alignment with Acumen’s mission and values.

• Permanent work authorization in the U.S.

Location
New York City

The salary range for this role in New York is $150,000 to 200,000 USD plus a performance-based bonus. This range represents the present low and high end of pay range for this role. Actual compensation will vary based on various factors including but not limited to experience and levels of accountability. Acumen has equal pay, so pay is determined through comparison to a cohort of employees in the market at the same level of accountability.

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