CHIEF OF STAFF / STRATEGIC OPERATIONS MANAGER
Center for Innovation (C4i)
Classification: Level 2 / Class 6220 / Full Time (on-site) / Exempt / Non-Represented
Hiring Salary: $70,000-$80,000, Commensurate with experience
THE ROLE and RESPONSIBILITIES
The Center for Innovation (C4i) is seeking a strategic, mission-driven professional to serve as the right hand to the Executive Director of C4i. This is a rare opportunity for a recent or early-career graduate passionate about AI, law, public policy, health, technology, or innovation. You’ll work at the intersection of academia, government, and policy, contributing to impactful work that shapes policy, drives media narratives, and supports legal innovation.
This role blends executive support, project management, strategic research, and external engagement. We’re looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, excelling at both strategy and execution. You should be highly organized, intellectually curious, proactive, and capable of synthesizing complex information while managing multiple priorities. You’ll also act as a key connector within the team — coordinating inputs, triaging workstreams, and helping ensure the Director is focused on what matters most.
You might be a strong fit if you are:
- A strategic thinker who anticipates needs and represents the Director externally with professionalism.
- Exceptionally organized and able to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
- Adept at synthesizing complex information and driving initiatives forward.
- Excited by high-level exposure to government, legal, and academic leaders.
- Eager to build a career in law, tech, health policy, academia, or public service.
If you’re ready to contribute to shaping the future of policy and legal innovation, we’d love to hear from you.
Tasks may include:
- Fielding urgent calls (e.g., from a legislator’s office), coordinating press releases, or strategizing outreach to key policymakers.
- Managing a complex calendar, ensuring all meetings and events are well-prepared, and the Director walks into every situation fully briefed.
- Coordinating donor communications, assisting with congressional testimony preparation, and facilitating media outreach.
You’ll also manage the flow of meeting requests, ensuring timely follow-up, and handling operational logistics. This role requires proactive execution while keeping a strategic overview of all moving pieces.
Key Responsibilities
Executive & Strategic Support
- Serve as a strategic partner to the Director, anticipating needs and ensuring preparedness for meetings, media, and public engagements.
- Manage a complex calendar, balancing competing requests from lawmakers, journalists, donors, and academic leaders.
- Triage communications to align with strategic priorities and deadlines.
- Help manage high-level interactions with government, media, and institutional partners.
Team Liaison & Work Triaging
- Interface and liaise daily between the Director and other team members, including triaging work with Assistant Directors and research team members to ensure efficient coordination and execution of tasks.
Project & Research Management
- Drive execution of projects across C4i’s three core verticals: AI Law & Innovation, Law & Medicine, and the Startup Legal Garage.
- Build and maintain internal systems and workflows for project management and cross-functional coordination.
- Conduct research, draft briefing memos, and prepare policy summaries and internal reports for fast-paced engagements.
Communications & Content Development
- Draft and edit content such as public remarks, memos, testimony, and donor communications.
- Collaborate with media consultants to elevate C4i’s public voice through press releases, interviews, and media inquiries.
- Develop decks and presentation materials for federal and state agencies, legislators, and media outlets.
Stakeholder & Relationship Management
- Serve as a liaison to senior government officials, funders, journalists, and academic partners.
- Track external relationships and manage a steady flow of requests for the Director’s time.
- Support donor strategy, relationship cultivation, and board engagement efforts.
Administrative & Operational Oversight
- Coordinate daily schedules, prepare meeting agendas, and ensure smooth logistics for travel, events, and key convenings.
- Oversee operational tools and systems to support C4i’s work.
- Assist with grant tracking, academic administration, and research support.
REQUIREMENTS
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree from a competitive institution in pre-law, policy, public health, technology, communications or a related field.
- Exceptional writing, editing, and research skills, with the ability to synthesize and communicate complex information clearly.
- Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
- High emotional intelligence and sound judgment, especially when handling sensitive information or high-stakes communications.
- Comfortable working independently in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and familiarity with both Mac and PC platforms.
- Willingness to commit to a 3-year term with significant potential for professional growth.
PREFERRED / BONUS SKILLS
- Experience in academic, legal, media, public policy, or advocacy settings.
- Exposure to the intersection of law and innovation, especially in AI, healthcare, or intellectual property.
- Press coordination, policy communications, donor relations, or event preparation experience.
BENEFITS
Health and Welfare Benefits
- Comprehensive medical insurance coverage
- Flexible Spending Accounts for transportation-related, healthcare and dependent care expenses
- Employee Assistance Program
For your Financial Future
- Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, and Legal Insurance
- Deferred Compensation Plans/Pre-tax Retirement Savings Programs
For your Work/Life Balance
- Fifteen paid holidays per year
- Generous vacation and sick leave
- Commuter Benefits Program
THE HIRING PROCESS
This position has been designated as “sensitive” and requires a pre-employment background check.
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact Human Resources if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Applicants who meet the position requirements will be competitively evaluated to identify the individuals whose breadth and depth of experience and education most closely relate to the stated requirements and the needs of the College. Depending on the quality and number of the applications received, only the better qualified applicants may be contacted for an interview. The position is open until filled.
UC Law SF is an equal opportunity employer. UC Law SF strives to provide a diverse and inclusive educational environment that fosters cultural awareness, mutual understanding and respect. UC Law SF is interested in candidates who will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through their teaching. Qualified women and members of underrepresented minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.