Chief Administrative Officer

About Oakland Promise:

The mission of Oakland Promise is to engage the Oakland community to advance equity and economic mobility through cradle-to-career educational opportunities. Founded in 2016, Oakland Promise is a citywide movement with over 50 implementation partners working towards our common vision. Oakland Promise supports children and families from birth through college and career to ensure that postsecondary success is a reality for all Oaklanders. Oakland Promise includes four programs: Brilliant Baby, Kindergarten to College (K2C), Future Centers, and College Scholarships and Completion, that provide a cradle to career continuum of college-focused supports for students. Our goal is to dramatically increase the number of college graduates from Oakland and ensure that all students hold a college-bound identity. We seek a hard working, highly detail oriented individual to join our community in undertaking this important work.

Job Purpose 

Oakland Promise seeks a detail-oriented, strategic, and collaborative Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) with strong organizational, strategic, and relationship-building skills. The Chief Administrative Officer will partner with the CEO to ensure strong planning, project management, communication, and relationships in order to achieve goals and fulfill the mission of Oakland Promise. The Chief Administrative Officer will serve as a senior level thought partner who leads various meetings and serves as an interface between the CEO and the Oakland Promise Board. The Chief Administrative Officer will also work closely with the CEO to manage scheduling, meetings, communications, and engagements, as well as support the management of the CEO’s time and priorities. The Chief Administrative Officer position is an opportunity to help shape the strategy and vision of the organization by serving as a trusted sounding board and to create strategies, actionable steps, and OKRs at an exciting stage in the organization’s growth and development. 

Duties & Responsibilities 

▪ Assist the CEO with projects and/or delegate work on their behalf, partnering with the CEO to determine how best to lead planning, project management, communication, and relationships 

▪ Serve as a both a thought partner and gatekeeper as the first point of contact the CEO, taking on special projects as delegated by the CEO 

▪ Act as a sounding board to the CEO and Management Team for new ideas

▪ Keeps a company-wide perspective and manages projects for a variety of teams

▪ Works with the CEO to create strategies, actionable steps, and OKRs 

▪ Build flow between the CEO and other key stakeholders, both internal and external

▪ Write and/or edit communications on the executive’s behalf, working closely with the Communications Team 

▪ Access and review highly sensitive information and exercise extreme discretion

▪ Manage complex calendars, travel, and expenses

▪ Prepare materials for meetings, including research, agendas, and presentations

▪ Attend meetings, take notes, and follow up with action items 

▪ Prioritize messages and respond on their behalf when possible 

▪ Support team culture initiatives, such as events and celebrations 

▪ Other duties as assigned 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, Master’s Degree preferred
• At least 5 years of executive assistant and/or Chief of Staff experience, demonstrating progressively higher levels of responsibilities and accomplishments 
• A track record of department and team management 
• Strong leadership, management, thought partnership, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and experience with both internal organizational communications and external relations 
• Ability to organize, manage and direct large teams in multiple departments
• Strategic planning and problem-solving skills 
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritize important tasks over others
• Ability to analyze and compile a large amount of data and come up with conclusive results
• Ability to motivate, coordinate, and ensure proper time-management among reports
• Experience supporting and partnering with an organizational leader to achieve goals
• Passion for the OP’s mission 
• Experience managing multiple calendars and scheduling for teams 
• Flexibility and adaptability in work schedule 
• Comfort with ambiguity and entrepreneurship
• Ability to interact effectively with diverse groups

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in the fields of education or college access 
• Experience planning and leading strategic activities 
• Experience with budget preparation and management 
• Familiarity with data analysis and project coordination
• Knowledge of and connections to Oakland communities

Compensation: 

• Full-time non-exempt position
• Pay Band: $80,000 to $100,000
• The Oakland Promise offers medical, dental, and vision benefits, vacation, and sick-time.
• Some evening and weekend hours may be required

To apply: Send a single PDF (NOT a Microsoft Word document) of a resume and thoughtful cover letter to [email protected] with “OP Chief Administrative Officer [Your Name]” in the subject line. Please use your last name and first initial (ex: Doe_J) as the filename of your PDF containing your resume and cover letter.

Failure to follow these instructions may delay the review of your application. Applications will be reviewed immediately and candidates with the best fit will be contacted for interviews. Unfortunately, the volume of applications will prevent us from responding to all applications received.

Oakland Promise is an equal opportunity employer. Oakland Promise is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sex stereotype, race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and transgender), national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military, and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. It also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.