Chief of Staff

Position Summary About NYU Gallatin Founded in 1972, the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study is a pioneering liberal arts college where students are the architects of their own education. Serving a vibrant community of 1,500 undergraduate and 200 graduate students, Gallatin rejects traditional academic silos in favor of absolute intellectual freedom. Our students design bespoke, interdisciplinary programs of study, drawing from courses across the entirety of NYU to interrogate the world’s most pressing contemporary challenges and investigate compelling questions. Gallatin’s faculty are multidisciplinary scholars, artists, and practitioners whose research is directed at real-world impact, creative expression, and systemic innovation. A Gallatin education community blends committed classroom teaching with hands-on experiential learning, a deeply collaborative spirit, and a robust calendar of public events and cultural programming. The Opportunity The Chief of Staff serves as the principal advisor to the Dean and the primary connective tissue for Gallatin’s administrative leadership. Working closely with the Dean, the Chief of Staff ensures that the school’s resources, spaces, and personnel align seamlessly with its core values. At its heart, this role is about cultivating community, driving alignment, and stewarding Gallatin’s unique legacy. The Chief of Staff leads the Events, Culture (Gallery, Theater), Communications, and Enrollment teams. They also oversee the Office of the Dean. The Chief of Staff ensures that Gallatin’s story is told cohesively, its cultural spaces are activated intentionally, and its student recruitment brings students to Gallatin who understand its distinctive nature and will thrive here. The Chief of Staff ensures that the staff and administrators serving Gallatin are aligned with the Dean’s strategic priorities, and engaged appropriately in shared school goals. Areas of Leadership and Impact Strategic Partnership and Institutional Advocacy . The Chief of Staff acts as a trusted partner and sounding board to the Dean, providing structural oversight, background analysis, and creative problem-solving. This involves co-writing policy briefs and representing the Dean on critical internal and cross-school committees. The Chief of Staff is also an autonomous decision-maker, managing sensitive or confidential inquiries with discretion. The Chief of Staff acts as an ambassador for the Dean for various constituencies internal and external to the school. Operational Stewardship and Organizational Design . Beyond high-level strategy, the Chief of Staff directs the daily administrative engine of the Office of the Dean, supervising staff, managing workflows, and leading annual budget planning and resource allocation for the areas the role oversees. The Chief of Staff partners with the Chief Administrative Budget Officer to make recommendations on organizational design and ensures cross-functional coordination across the school administration. Community Curation and Staff Development . Gallatin is a relationship-driven institution that deeply values its professional community. The Chief of Staff helps design and curate intentional, community-building experiences throughout the academic year. From the annual Faculty Retreat and seasonal Staff Meetings to celebration milestones, the Chief of Staff ensures these gatherings are meaningful, inclusive, and collaborative. The role also provides selective, informal coaching and mentorship to administrators across the school, fostering a supportive workplace culture where individuals can thrive and grow. Qualifications and Core Competencies The ideal candidate is an experienced higher education professional who is energized by a non-traditional, artistically rich, and intellectually demanding environment.  The ideal candidate will match the intellectual curiosity of the community they will serve and bring related experience in executive support, higher education administration, or strategic project leadership. Exceptional oral and written communication skills are essential, specifically the ability to write nuanced policy and strategy documents. The ideal candidate will excel at cultivating authentic relationships across a diverse matrix of faculty, staff, and students. The role requires an individual who thrives under pressure, navigates changing priorities with agility, and demonstrates sound independent judgment. Ultimately, we seek a leader with an innate capacity for collaboration, a deep sense of empathy, and mature judgement. Qualifications Required Education: Bachelor's Degree Preferred Education: Master's Degree Required Experience: 7+ years of increasing responsibility in academic administration, government or comparable setting. Must have prior experience with operational and staff supervision. Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities: Ability to exercise sound judgment and excellent discretion; able to maintain confidentiality; ability to develop, implement and interpret policies and procedures. Excellent organizational, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills. Strong research, writing and presentation skills and the ability to communicate sensitive information diplomatically both orally and in writing to individuals at all levels. Ability to work collaboratively with a wide variety of stakeholders in a multi-constituency environment. Ability to lead diverse, inter-departmental initiatives and manage and prioritize complex projects. Ability to forge partnerships, build relationships, and garner support from community and external constituencies to ensure that people and departments work together smoothly. Advanced word processing, database, and spreadsheet software, and online and traditional information databases. Basic skills in budgeting and financial analysis. Additional Information In compliance with NYC's Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this positio