Out for Undergrad, Chief of Staff

The Client

Out for Undergrad is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping high-achieving LGBTQ undergraduates reach their full potential.

Out for Undergrad (O4U) has experienced a period of significant growth since 2018 as the direct result of focus on diversity and inclusion, expanding outreach to more campuses and undergraduate associations, improved public relations and communications, increased efficiency, better internal controls and productivity. The operating budget is $1.4 million, trending toward $1.6 million.

Each year O4U recruits and selects a diverse class of LGBTQ undergraduate students from top schools around the country. O4U serves nearly 1000 students per year (and growing). Students are invited to take part in one of four weekend-long conferences, which the organization stages with the support of 130+ of the largest and most elite employers in the world.

O4U’s oldest and largest event, O4U Business, takes place at Goldman Sachs in NYC and serves students exploring careers in finance, management consulting, and professional services. O4U Tech takes place at Twitter in San Francisco and serves students pursuing careers in software development, Silicon Valley, and the tech industry. O4U Marketing takes place at PepsiCo in Dallas and serves students pursuing careers in marketing, digital media, branding, retail, and CPG. And O4U Engineering takes place at Stanford Engineering and serves young engineers pursuing careers in a variety of industries. Because of the pandemic, these events have been virtual in 2020-2021.

At O4U events, the organization works to:

Educate students about top job opportunities in their fields of choice;

• Inspire students to pursue challenging, ambitious careers;
• Prepare students to enter careers as their full authentic selves;
• Introduce students to a network of LGBTQ peers and professionals;
• Spark lasting relationships with older, more experienced mentors;
• Offer recruitment and placement opportunities at top global firms.

Students regularly call the conferences “life changing.” O4U researches, produces, and develops its own curriculum; sources inspiring speakers with a wide variety of backgrounds and career paths; and above all seeks to offer meaningful, positive experiences that enable personal growth and self-discovery while unlocking opportunity in surprising ways. O4U covers virtually all costs for attending students, including travel and lodging in host cities.

O4U events are made possible by the support of 130 of the largest and most elite employers across the industries it serves. Sponsoring firms make annual financial donations; delegations of LGBTQ professionals from sponsor firms act as mentors to students and participants in events; and recruiters filling entry-level roles at sponsor firms meet and target students directly at events.

O4U is a volunteer-driven organization. The paid Executive Director leads and mentors a team of 60+ part-time volunteers (all of them young LGBTQ professionals with demanding jobs in the industries it serves) and advises and reports to a Board of nine directors (accomplished LGBTQ professionals with a variety of life and work experiences). Team and Board members alike take a great deal of pride in the work, which is fun, challenging, exciting, and rewarding.

The Position

The newly created position of Chief of Staff will support the Executive Director and will share responsibility for implementing O4U’s mission: helping high-achieving LGBTQ undergraduates reach their full potential. This includes delivering four life-changing weekend conferences – collectively serving 1,000+ high-achieving LGBTQ undergraduates – each year.

The chief of staff will have an immediate impact on productivity, streamlining strategic initiatives including implementation of a new CRM system, overseeing program management, and communicating objectives between teams and partners.

Objectives of this Role

• Oversee strategic business initiatives from early-stage implementation to successful execution under the guidance of the Executive Director and Board Sub Committee Chairs
• Assist and communicate with Executive Director in decision-making, program management, and initiative implementation
• Review, design, and execute on improvements to org structure, find knowledge and skills gaps and help address them
• Improve current processes and coordinate organizational procedures for optimized efficiency and productivity

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities

• Serve as liaison between the Executive Director, volunteers including the Board, regarding organization climate, volunteer staff well-being, project updates, proposals, and planning
• Assist the Executive Director with new team leaders and teams, including documentation and onboarding, and collaborate to address and resolve all volunteer concerns
• Oversee daily operations through collaboration with the Executive Director and team leaders, performing an array of administrative tasks from project management, maintaining hard copy and electronic files, planning and coordinating annual organizational meetings, and scheduling facilities
• Build and develop relationships with all volunteers and sponsors for increased efficiency and effective responsiveness into existing operations, and help to define new operational strategies, working with Executive Director on special projects
• Serve as a subject matter expert, handling inquiries and developing action plans to address them, and assisting with the preparation and dissemination of communications
• Recruit a large, diverse, high-performing student class. (Work with volunteer Admissions Directors and a dedicated growth-marketing team to market O4U and its events on campuses and social media; establish criteria for student selection; supervise evaluations; enhance diversity along multiple dimensions.)
• Update and improve the conference curriculum. (Build on past improvements, leverage personal experience and outside expertise to further educate and inspire students and deepen the impact O4U’s work has. Create opportunities for students to practice authenticity, contemplate future career paths, build strong networks, and enhance self-confidence)
• Manage key administrative tasks. (Choose and manage all technologies, platforms, and subscriptions. Triage and respond to public and private inquiries. Ensure O4U consistently improves operations and performance from year to year)
• Participate fully in conferences and the community. (Appear at events, deliver interactive training sessions as needed; and develop long-term mentor relationships with O4U students, team, and alumni)
• Role model O4U’s values. (Champion diversity within the team and the student body. Foster a unique environment of inclusivity and positivity at events. Share guidance for inclusive language and behavior. Encourage authenticity while respecting students’ agency and autonomy as adults. Champion O4U’s values in public and in private.)

Professional Requirements

The ideal candidate will have:

• Proven experience in a management role, with a special focus on project management and interdepartmental collaboration with a history of success creating new initiatives, leading projects to completion, effecting change inside organizations, and achieving measurable results
• Strong familiarity with a volunteer-based operating model, with two-three+ years’ experience in a commensurate role
• Self-direction, comfortable creating structure and directing focus in a highly distributed environment (a team of 60+ dedicated individuals, working nationwide without a central office or headquarters). Proven experience organizing and directing multiple teams and departments
• Experience with data analysis
• A working knowledge of budget management
• Consulting experience with a focus on operations management
• Excellent communications skills in written and verbal form and via digital/virtual platforms
• Versatility, with a dedication to efficient productivity
• Experience planning and leading strategic initiatives
• Social media proficiency on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Experience with use of Salesforce or HubSpot.
• The following competencies are highly desirable: 
• Experience crafting or delivering educational or training programs, or in a professional coaching or advising capacity
• Documented contributions to equity and Inclusion in the workspace or in personal life/volunteering
• Experience in high-impact diversity and inclusion initiatives, ERGs or as a volunteer participant or leader in LGBTQ+ related groups
• Familiarity with one or more of O4U’s core industries: finance, technology, marketing, or engineering (Other backgrounds, such as experience in career services corporate recruiting, or nonprofit management, may be relevant as well.)
• Master’s degree in Business Administration or similar field.

Personal Characteristics

The ideal candidate will have:

• Recognized skill in navigating difficult conversations and working to achieve anti-racism objectives, eliminating unconscious bias and socially constructed barriers to the full achievement of potential of people within an organization or community
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion
• A passion for the advancement and mentorship of others
• Effective organizational skills, the ability to articulate a bold new vision, and the capacity to motivate others to bring that vision to life
• Experience as a networker and communicator, with an aptitude for making formal and informal connections
• A willingness to commit to at least three years (2018-20), with possibility of renewal in future years.
• Equilibrium under pressure and a sense of humor are important.

 

Compensation

Compensation will be competitive with post-MBA employment at most major corporations.

Opportunit

This is an exciting time for O4U. Over the past three years, the organization has doubled its size and impact, expanded onto dozens of new campuses and developed a highly regarded curriculum which helps young LGBTQ people start off their careers on the right foot as their full and authentic selves. The organization’s new Chief of Staff is certain to have substantial impact in 2022 and beyond – and helping put talented LGBTQ professionals on the fast track into management positions and boardrooms at the world’s top employers.

Location

Out for Undergrad operates nationwide without a formal headquarters. The Chief of Staff can be based anywhere. This is a full-time position (40+ hours a week with 10-20 hours per week collaborating remotely by phone and video). Public health permitting, weekend travel to New York, San Francisco, and other cities 8-10 times per year should also be expected.

Deadline for Applications: January 15, 2022.

Contact

Please submit a brief cover letter and résumé as attachments via e-mail to:

Joseph McCormack, Managing Partner

Michelle Kristel, Partner

McCormack+Kristel

1775 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 110-202

Palm Springs, CA 92264

Tel: 323.549.9200

Email: search@mccormackkristel.com

Online: www.mccormackkristel.com

 

All inquiries or referrals will be held in strict confidence.

Please note that your education, dates of employment, compensation and other information provided will be verified prior to employment.

McCormack+Kristel works only with equal opportunity employers.  People of color, people with disabilities and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities are encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.