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Role Description

The Chief of Staff to the Executive Director will be a force multiplier and thought partner to Executive Director Jake Swett, helping translate our highest-stakes decisions into coordinated, on-time execution. This is a new position created to maximize our impact at a moment when getting it right could mean dramatically faster deployment of airborne pathogen mitigation technologies.

Acting as an extension of Jake’s capacity and reach, the Chief of Staff will be a trusted collaborator who combines sharp strategic judgment with exceptional follow-through. Responsibilities include:

• Serve as a close advisor to the Executive Director, helping sharpen priorities, stress-test decisions, and translate strategy into focused action.
• Track commitments across the Executive Director’s portfolio, proactively flagging when priorities need to shift and ensuring consistent, on-time follow-through.
• Drive cross-team communication and collaboration, anticipating misalignment risks and surfacing tradeoffs early.
• Step in for the Executive Director when needed, taking meetings, making decisions in his absence, and representing Blueprint's leadership position to internal and external stakeholders.
• Own strategic communications from the Executive Director, ensuring the organization and key external partners stay aligned on priorities.
• Work closely with senior staff to clarify strategy and translate priorities into clear goals, owners, KPIs, and timelines.
• Serve as a bridge to senior program staff, maintaining alignment and resolving cross-functional bottlenecks.
• Establish and maintain a simple, steady operating rhythm for meetings, decisions, and follow-up.
• Ruthlessly prioritize the highest-leverage activities, protecting leadership time for what matters most, and helping teams stay focused on reaching their goals.
• Bring independent perspective to key decisions, push back constructively when needed, and work with leaders to ensure good decisions are made and executed.
• Partner closely with the Chief of Staff to the COO to ensure seamless coordination between Jake's priorities and organizational operations.
• Prepare the Executive Director for major external engagements and maintain momentum on resulting priorities.
• Draft high-stakes communications to board members, funders, partners, and staff.
• Lead and own high-priority initiatives that advance Blueprint's strategic objectives, particularly around fundraising and stakeholder management.

Qualifications

• Experience in nonprofit organizations, startups, or other high-growth environments.
• Familiarity with biosecurity, public health, pandemic preparedness, or related fields.
• Background in strategy consulting, operations, or organizational development.
• Experience managing direct reports and influencing cross-functionally.
• Experience managing or coordinating with board members, funders, or other senior external stakeholders.

Requirements

• Strategic judgment on timelines and tradeoffs.
• Clear, rigorous reasoning.
• Strong stakeholder instincts.
• Anticipation of priorities.
• Excellent communication.
• Relentless execution.
• Energy for the people side of leadership.

Benefits

• Compensation: Base salary ranges from $140,000-170,000 USD.
• Unlimited PTO + paid holidays.
• Generous health and wellness benefits through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA).
• Fully paid family leave.
• Annual 401(k) contributions equal to 10% of your base salary.
• $5,000 annually to support professional development and productive remote work.
• Access to multiple state-of-the-art LLMs.
• Institutional access to a range of major news outlets and publications.