Chief of Staff at The People Practice

Our client, a public service institution, is seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff to serve as a strategic partner to the Director, ensuring seamless execution of the organization\'s ambitious mandate to transform Nigeria\'s innovation ecosystem. This role is critical to achieving our 2-year success framework, which includes incubating over 200 high-potential startups, facilitating more than $500M in venture funding, and positioning Nigeria among the top two digital innovation hubs in Africa.

Responsibilities

Strategic Advisory & Executive Partnership

• Participate actively in strategic planning, policy development, and decision-making processes
• Research and recommend new policies and strategies to advance the organization\'s mission and mandate
• Serve as a strategic thought partner, helping team leads cut through complexity and make better decisions
• Evaluate risk factors when making critical business decisions and provide data-driven recommendations
• Steer strategic business initiatives from inception to implementation, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives

Executive Representation & Communication

• Represent the Director in key meetings with government officials, international partners, and private sector stakeholders
• Draft letters, emails, reports, and correspondence on behalf of the Director.
• Amplify the voice of leadership by shaping cohesive, compelling narratives that resonate across internal and external audiences
• Translate complex innovation ecosystem concepts into clear, high-impact messaging for diverse stakeholder groups
• Act as liaison between the Director and other team leads, clients, and stakeholders to ensure consistent communication and proper involvement in decision-making
• Bridge the gap between executives and the broader organisation, ensuring transparency, clarity and shared purpose

Executive Operations & Calendar Management

• Serve as the Director\'s timekeeper, orchestrating their schedule and planning essential travels
• Manage the Director\'s calendar and prioritise their time and schedule for maximum impact
• Support the Director in meetings by taking comprehensive notes and ensuring the completion of action items
• Keep meetings focused and effectively plan and coordinate them for optimal outcomes
• Lead meetings and workshops with meticulous planning and coordination
• Maintain accurate, confidential files and data records
• Ensure the timely and effective completion of projects and initiatives led by the Director
• Act on behalf of the Director to answer inquiries from internal and external stakeholders

Strategic Operations & Program Implementation

• Lead cross-functional coordination of the organization\'s four core pillars: Knowledge Development, Infrastructure Development, Innovation & Capital, and Trade & Digital Economy
• Drive execution across teams, ensuring cross-functional alignment and removing obstacles that slow progress
• Ensure company priorities are clearly defined with owners, timelines and measurable outcomes
• Streamline reporting and surface key insights, ensuring leadership stays focused on what drives business impact
• Establish and maintain standardised processes for program execution, procurement, and reporting
• Drive accountability across teams to achieve ambitious KPIs, including startup incubation targets, unicorn development, and international expansion goals
• Complete special projects and initiatives with skilful oversight and support
• Pinpoint and address core issues within business processes to enhance operational efficiency

Team Leadership & Resource Optimisation

• Coordinate activities across 30+ team members and multiple team leads to maximise organisational efficiency
• Establish standards and procedures for hiring and managing office staff and personnel
• Support the tor in setting key performance indicators to measure and improve team performance across all functions
• Lead the implementation of performance management systems aligned with the organization\'s 2-year success framework 
• Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation in line with the organization\'s core values
• Create and maintain systems and processes to streamline operations across all functions
• Identify areas of improvement across the organisation and make actionable recommendations

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Manage relationships with private sector partners, international organisations and development partners
• Coordinate engagement with government agencies (MDAs) to ensure policy implementation and reduce bureaucratic delays
• Facilitate partnerships with global tech hubs, investors, and incubators to drive ecosystem development
• Support mobilisation of the targeted $50 M+ in ecosystem funding from public and private partnerships

Qualifications

• Bachelor\'s degree in Business Administration, Public Policy, Economics, or related field; Master\'s preferred
• 8-12 years of progressive leadership experience in operations, strategy, or program management
• Proven track record of managing teams of 20+ people and coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives
• Experience working with government agencies, international organisations or public-private partnerships
• Strong understanding of innovation ecosystems, startup development, or digital transformation initiatives
• Strong executive support capabilities, including calendar management, correspondence drafting, and meeting facilitation
• Proficiency in performance management systems and KPI development
• Experience with stakeholder relationship management across diverse organisations
• Experience in strategic planning, policy development, and organisational systems design
• High emotional intelligence with proven ability to work effectively across cultural and organisational boundaries
• Humble yet confident leadership style with the ability to influence 

Must have skills

• Resilience and adaptability in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
• Strategic thinking combined with strong execution capabilities
• Demonstrated ability to drive organisational change and process improvement
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to distil complex information into clear, actionable insights
• Advanced written and verbal communication skills for executive-level interactions and external representation
• Exceptional project management and coordination skills with experience in process standardisation