Pan African Women Empowerment Network (PAWEN) is looking for a Chief of Staff.
Overview:
- Full-time role
- Language: English
- Location: Anywhere (Remote); Nigeria-based candidates preferred for operational reasons
- Salary: not applicable
- Applications closing: until filled
Job Description
The Chief of Staff (CoS) at PAWEN is a strategic execution partner to the Executive Director, responsible for ensuring alignment between vision, people, operations, and impact. This role blends strategy, operations, people management, financial oversight, special projects, and executive support.
You will:
- Drive cross organisational execution
- Manage people and performance rhythms
- Oversee expense management and coordination with finance partners
- Lead high priority special projects
- Provide structured administrative and operational support to the ED
This is a high trust, high responsibility role suited for a disciplined, systems oriented, mission aligned leader who thrives in ambiguity and gets results.
Responsibilities Strategic Execution & Organisational Alignment
- Serve as a thought partner to the Executive Director on strategy, priorities, trade offs, and growth.
- Translate vision into clear execution plans, milestones, and accountability frameworks.
- Track progress on organisational priorities and flag risks, delays, and resource gaps.
- Drive cross functional alignment across programs, operations, partnerships, and communications.
- Ensure leadership decisions are properly documented, communicated, and executed.
People Management & Performance
- Manage the day to day people operations for a fully remote team.
- Support:
- Goal setting and performance tracking
- Accountability rhythms (weekly priorities, reviews)
- Feedback and performance improvement processes
- Reinforce PAWEN's culture of:
- Excellence
- Ownership
- Discipline
- Humility
- Surface team risks early (burnout, role confusion, capacity gaps).
- Support recruitment coordination and onboarding where required.
Financial Operations & Expense Management
(This role does not replace an accountant but supervises financial discipline and flow.)
- Oversee expense tracking, approvals, and basic budget monitoring.
- Ensure timely documentation and reconciliation of expenses.
- Coordinate with external accounting and audit firms.
- Support preparation of basic financial reports for leadership and board use.
- Ensure financial processes remain compliant, transparent, and audit ready.
Special Projects & Organisational Initiatives
- Lead or coordinate high priority, cross cutting special projects, including:
- New program launches
- Partnerships
- Internal systems improvements
- Strategic pilots
- Drive projects from concept planning execution review.
- Step in as a fix it leader for urgent, sensitive, or ambiguous initiatives.
Executive Director Support & Administration
- Provide high level administrative and operational support to the Executive Director, including:
- Priority and calendar coordination
- Meeting preparation and follow ups
- Decision tracking
- Preparing briefs, summaries, and internal memos
- Act as a filter and flow manager for information coming to and from the ED.
- Support board related administration where needed (packs, follow ups, documentation).
External Interface & Representation
- Represent the Executive Director in selected internal and external engagements.
- Maintain structured communication with:
- Partners
- Donors
- Advisors
- Service providers
- Track external commitments and ensure internal follow through.
Role Requirements
This role is best suited for someone who is:
- Highly organised, disciplined, and execution driven
- An independent thinker who takes initiative without waiting for instructions
- Comfortable working with ambiguity and building structure from chaos
- Deeply aligned with women's leadership and social impact
- Calm under pressure and emotionally intelligent
- Trustworthy, discreet, and mature in judgment
- Able to use AI and technology to increase productivity without outsourcing thinking
Required Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Social Sciences, Management, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- 4+ years of progressive experience across any combination of:
- Operations
- Program management
- Strategy
- People management
- Founder/CEO support
- Prior experience in:
- Startups
- NGOs
- Social enterprises
- High growth mission driven organisations
- Demonstrated ability to:
- Manage people remotely
- Coordinate across multiple functions
- Drive execution under resource constraints
- Experience with communication is a strong plus.
Technical & Professional Skills
- Strong project and operations management skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- High digital fluency (Google Workspace, Zoom, task/project tools, cloud storage)
- Basic financial tracking and reporting literacy
- Strong documentation and reporting discipline
- Excellent problem solving and prioritisation skills
How to apply?
To apply for this role, please fill in the application form.