Chief of Staff to the CEO (Inaugural Role)

ABOUT NORY

NORY is NYC’s largest STEM education company for early childhood learners (ages 3-12). We are a fast-growing organization delivering hands-on, maker-driven STEM education at scale, with a mission to nurture the next generation of purposeful changemakers.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are hiring our Inaugural Chief of Staff, the first person to hold this role at NORY.

This role exists so the CEO can scale beyond physical presence. You will act as a true extension of the CEO’s judgment, priorities, and execution, ensuring that critical work moves forward at the same standard even when the CEO is not in the room.

This is a role for an Operator. By operator, we mean someone who takes ambiguous goals, turns them into concrete plans, and drives them to completion without waiting for permission. Impact matters more than title, and ownership matters more than comfort.

Because our work involves complex, high-touch operations and real-time decision-making, this role is intentionally in person.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

• CEO Proxy and Execution Authority:

You act as a direct extension of the CEO. You represent the CEO in internal meetings and communicate decisions with clarity and authority. You translate CEO direction into clear action plans and ensure follow-through. You hold leaders accountable to commitments and timelines.

You are the driver of execution, not just an assistant.

• End-to-End Follow-Through:

You ensure meetings turn into outcomes, not notes. You track decisions, assign ownership, and close loops relentlessly. You identify risks early and resolve them before escalation is needed.

• Operational Leverage

Operational logistics are a primary lever of effectiveness. You actively manage the CEO’s calendar, information flow, and preparation to protect focus on the highest-impact priorities. You triage requests, messages, and decisions with sound judgment. You coordinate logistics such as scheduling, preparation, and travel so execution moves quickly and cleanly.

This remains a core responsibility of the role as scope and authority grow.

• Cross-Functional Operations:

You drive execution across the organization. You lead or support initiatives related to organizational execution and leadership alignment, hiring pipelines and onboarding systems, customer experience escalation and resolution, and internal operating rhythm, including SOPs, reporting, and planning cadences.

• Decision Rights:

With context and trust, you will be empowered to make priority and scheduling tradeoffs on behalf of the CEO. You will communicate decisions without requiring constant approval. You will escalate only what truly requires CEO involvement. This role is designed for high-agency ownership, where you execute, communicate, and enforce decisions once direction is set.

WHO YOU ARE

• Outcome-oriented & high-agency: You care more about results than how work is labeled. You move seamlessly between strategic discussions and hands-on execution. You move work forward without waiting for permission. You have a strong drive to learn, take on new challenges, and help others get things done.

• Systematic & judgment-driven: You remain calm and logical, even when things go wrong. You prevent problems beyond fixing them through system-building. You make decisions based on data and logic, even when it feels uncomfortable.

• Reliable & disciplined: You lead with kindness and empathy while confidently holding your team to clear standards and deadlines. You create positive interactions with staff and families at all levels, operating with professionalism. You are connected to the organization and attuned to team morale, raising concerns proactively and appropriately.

• Kind & empathetic: You lead with kindness and empathy while confidently holding your team to clear standards and deadlines.

• Resilient and adaptable: You demonstrate flexibility and resilience in a rapidly expanding organization. You adapt quickly to shifting priorities, handle high-pressure requests and frequent interruptions diplomatically and constructively, and deliver results effectively in a fast-paced environment.

HOW WE OPERATE (CULTURAL VALUES)

At NORY, our "Ways of Being" guide every decision we make. As Chief of Staff, you will embody these principles:

• We are purposeful in our actions, always asking why to cultivate inner motivation.

• We ask how to make it work before questioning whether it is possible.

• We ground decisions in logic, data, and clear reasoning.

• We take ownership and follow through. No dropped balls.

• We build systems that scale, not quick fixes.

Learn more about our Ways of Being: www.nory.co/value

JOB DETAILS: COMPENSATION

• Compensation: $80,000 to $120,000 per year, depending on experience.

• Location: New York, NY (In-Person)

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your resume and a letter or a short video describing a time you had incomplete information, made a decision that affected others, and were accountable for the outcome.

Email: [email protected]

NORY, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.