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CHIEF OF STAFF, EXECUTIVE VICE PROVOST
Job Title: CHIEF OF STAFF, EXECUTIVE VICE PROVOST
Job Code: 2914
FLSA: E
Job Level: 98
Revised Date: 11/01/2025
Job Family: JF 28
Occupational Summary
This role provides both strategic and operational support to the Executive Vice Provost (EVP) and the Office of the Provost, serving as Chief of Staff to the EVP and managing a range of special projects. The position advises, coordinates, and advances key initiatives under the EVP???s portfolio by overseeing short- and long-term priorities, ensuring effective communication, alignment, and execution of strategic goals. Working in close collaboration with the Chief of Staff to the Provost, vice provosts, and other academic and administrative leaders across the university, this position helps develop and implement program strategies, build institutional support for initiatives, evaluate outcomes, and navigate complex academic and administrative systems.
Success in this role requires the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and to collaborate effectively across a diverse set of stakeholders.
Work Performed
Serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the Executive Vice Provost (EVP), providing informed counsel, context, and background on key issues while maintaining the highest level of confidentiality.
Lead and coordinate cross-functional projects, meetings, and initiatives on behalf of the EVP.
Collaborate with the EVP to define strategic priorities and ensure timely progress and accountability across teams and key stakeholders.
Support the EVP in overseeing daily operations, enhancing efficiency, effectiveness, and optimal resource utilization.
Facilitate clear and consistent internal communication regarding initiatives across faculty, staff, students, administrators, and external partners.
Represent the EVP in meetings and engagements as requested; ensure follow-up and completion of action items.
Identify and surface critical issues for discussion and resolution; track outcomes and ensure timely communication across the organization. Draft and review correspondence and communications for the EVP to key constituents.
Oversee the development and implementation of strategic initiatives in the Office of the Provost/EVP including but not limited to special committees and task forces, new programs and initiatives, strategic engagements with the Board of Trustees, and change management initiatives.
Manage ongoing strategic projects to ensure timely progress, collaborating with administrators and faculty to address challenges and maintain alignment with institutional goals.
Coordinate activities related to The Duke Endowment, partnering with Foundation Relations and the Provost???s Office to prioritize proposals, align them with university and foundation priorities, and oversee proposal review and stewardship processes.
Provide leadership and oversight for the Academic Project Management Core in collaboration with the Office of Research & Innovation; mentor project managers, make hiring and resource allocation decisions, assess performance and impact, and promote awareness of services.
Staff and support key university committees, including agenda setting, progress tracking, and facilitation of deliverables.
Develop and maintain systems for efficient tracking, reporting, and analysis of data across programs and initiatives.
Oversee financial tracking and ensure responsible distribution of funds for managed programs.
Required Qualifications at this Level
Education/Training
Bachelor's degree required; graduate degree in business administration, public sector administration, public policy, or other related field preferred. A working knowledge of university administration is essential.
Experience
Minimum of 7 years of management experience required, preferably in a highly complex, matrixed organization such as a research university.
Skills
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions
Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.
