Chief of Staff
Gold Standard is a not-for-profit organization that helps companies understand the role they should play in creating a net-zero, sustainable nature future and provides tangible ways for them to contribute. This includes investments in their value chains, carbon credits, and other mechanisms for high-integrity climate action that delivers real impact for people and nature.
ONG Association & Organisation internationale
Suisse
Notre client
The Gold Standard Foundation was established in 2003 by WWF and other international NGOs as a best practice standard to ensure projects that reduced carbon emissions under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) also delivered sustainable development benefits. Today, our standard, ‘Gold Standard for the Global Goals’, allows climate and development initiatives within carbon markets, corporate supply chains, and sustainable finance to manage, measure and maximise their impacts toward the Net Zero ambition of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.Our Values
* Pioneering
For over 20 years, Gold Standard has shown how carbon finance can achieve its highest potential. We’ve created innovative new standards, programmes and tools that raise the bar for quality across a broader range of applications than carbon markets. We focus on those that have the most promise to contribute to our vision and mission, bringing them to market with the requisite planning and resources.
* Rigorous
We build on our reputation for quality and rigour with more robust measurement of outcomes, stronger safeguards and greater impact across the Sustainable Development Goals. Our objective is to make rigour simpler and more achievable at scale.
* Collaborative
We work with key partners who share our goals and complement our strengths. Our partnership strategy aims to move beyond working opportunistically as a delivery partner in favor of collaborating in long-term strategic synergy.
* Transparent
We were established to bring confidence, trust, and accountability to carbon markets. We will continue to take strides to improve transparency in our own processes, in the broader market and in non-market mechanisms.
The Gold Standard Foundation is looking to build our team with exceptional people who are excited and driven to shape and deliver this ambition and uphold our values.
Définition de poste
ROLE PURPOSE:
The Chief of Staff is a trusted strategic advisor and execution partner to the CEO and Executive Team. This role ensures organisational coherence, alignment of cross-functional initiatives, and operational delivery of the CEO’s strategic agenda. The Chief of Staff enables high performance across the executive office by managing key priorities, coordinating decision-making processes, and facilitating internal and external stakeholder engagement. As a force multiplier, the Chief of Staff provides leverage to the CEO, maintains discipline around performance monitoring, and drives operational excellence, culture, and impact delivery.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic Leadership & Organisational Alignment
- Act as a strategic thought partner to the CEO, supporting the design, implementation, and monitoring of the organisational strategy.
- Translate strategic objectives into operational plans and ensure execution through coordination with relevant departments and project leads.
- Lead and operationalise the annual business planning process in collaboration with the Strategy Director and CFO.
- Establish a rhythm of accountability through executive dashboards, performance reviews, and board reporting support.
- Coordinate preparation and quality assurance for executive and Board-level briefings, ensuring coherence across departments.
Executive Office Management
- Manage the CEO’s priorities and information flow, ensuring focus on high-impact opportunities and clarity on trade-offs.
- Lead special projects on behalf of the CEO and ensure follow-through of critical executive decisions across departments.
- Ensure CEO engagements (internal/external) are strategically aligned and efficiently executed.
- Act as liaison between the CEO and senior leadership team, translating executive vision into team actions and outcomes.
- Drive interdepartmental coordination, helping to resolve bottlenecks and promote timely, evidence-based decision-making.
Stakeholder Engagement & Communication
- Manage key internal communications to ensure consistent messaging and alignment across teams.
- Support CEO in external engagements by developing talking points, speeches, and briefings with input from relevant teams.
- Facilitate strategic engagements with board members, funders, and partners to elevate organisational visibility and alignment.
- Oversee crisis communications planning, working with leadership and communications leads to ensure proactive preparation.
Operational Oversight & Project Delivery
- Lead prioritised cross-functional initiatives from the CEO’s office—monitor timelines, outputs, risks, and outcomes.
- Support implementation of change initiatives, including restructuring, digital transformation, or new program launches.
- Collaborate with HR and Operations to embed high-performance principles and team enablement into daily work systems.
- Champion the rollout of internal policies or organisational reforms with wide implications for culture and effectiveness.
- Ensure appropriate structures, tools, and processes are in place for project governance, tracking, and feedback loops.
Executive Coordination & Risk Management
- Design and facilitate executive leadership meetings, ensuring clear agenda-setting, decision documentation, and follow-up.
- Monitor key organisational risks and provide advance insights and analysis to the CEO and Board.
- Act as a point of escalation for interdepartmental coordination issues, applying structured problem-solving and diplomacy.
- Support scenario planning, strategic foresight, and organisational resilience strategies in collaboration with relevant departments.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- Master’s degree in Public Administration, Organisational Leadership, Strategy, Business, or related field.
- Minimum of 10 years of professional experience, with at least 5 years in a senior operational, strategic, or advisory role.
- Experience working in or with mission-driven, international, or sustainability-focused organisations.
- Strong track record in executive-level coordination, operations management, or project delivery.
- Demonstrated success managing complex organisational processes and aligning internal teams around priorities.
- Experience interacting with Boards, senior stakeholders, and high-level funders or government partners is highly desirable.
- Familiarity with environmental sustainability, climate finance, or global development issues is an asset.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (French is a plus).
ADDITIONAL DETAIL
- Location: based in Geneva, Switzerland (Hybrid or Remote)
- All Employees are entitled to 30 days of holiday, pro-rated for part-time Employees
- Remote Working Contribution for remote workers
- Home office set up allowance
- A mission-driven organisation working at the leading edge of climate and sustainability.
- Rewarding work in a dynamic non-profit environment.
- A collaborative workplace within a multicultural team.
- An ambitious, agile and flexible environment.
Pour faciliter la lecture, l’emploi du masculin est utilisé. Les postes sont ouverts à toutes et tous.
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