Chief of Staff, Darden School of Business

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business seeks a strategic, highly organized, and relationship-oriented Chief of Staff to serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to its tenth Dean, Yael Grushka-Cockayne.

This role joins the Dean's Office at a pivotal moment for the School. Darden is celebrating record enrollments, the continued expansion of UVA Darden DC Metro in Rosslyn, Virginia, the successful completion of a historic $632 million campaign, implementation of an ambitious campus master plan, and its sustained position as the world's top-ranked public Full-Time MBA program.

Reporting directly to the Dean, the Chief of Staff helps translate strategic priorities into action by coordinating initiatives, facilitating communication, preparing the Dean for key engagements, and ensuring effective execution of decisions and commitments across the School and Foundation. Working closely with senior leaders, faculty, and University partners, the Chief of Staff helps maximize the effectiveness of the Dean's leadership, time, and attention.

The successful candidate will bring exceptional judgment, discretion, organizational skill, and relationship-building ability, along with the capacity to navigate complex issues and drive results through influence and collaboration.

This position will supervise a small team of professionals who support the Dean's Office and its initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

Advance Priorities of the Dean's Office

• Support implementation of the Dean's strategic priorities and key initiatives.
• Monitor progress on priorities, milestones, commitments, and deliverables, ensuring accountability and follow-through.
• Anticipate challenges, risks, and barriers and elevate issues requiring the Dean's attention.
• Coordinate across School leaders, faculty, and key stakeholders to drive alignment and execution.
• Conduct research, analysis, and executive-level staff work to inform strategic decision-making.
• Lead or support special projects and initiatives that advance the Dean's agenda and the School's strategic priorities.

Maximize the Dean's Effectiveness

• Partner closely with the Associate Director of Executive Operations to prioritize and implement the Dean's schedule, commitments, and strategic engagements.
• Ensure the Dean is fully prepared for meetings, events, speaking engagements, advancement activities, and key stakeholder interactions through thoughtful briefing materials, talking points, and presentations.
• Capture and communicate outcomes, decisions, commitments, and follow-up actions resulting from meetings and engagements.
• Support the Dean's work in advancement, academic initiatives, alumni engagement, and external relations.
• Serve as a thought partner in helping the Dean deploy time and attention toward the School's highest priorities.
• Collaborate with Communications & Marketing to coordinate internal communications, thought leadership opportunities, public messaging, and social media strategies that support the Dean's objectives and Darden's reputation.
• Provide supervision and guidance for the Dean's Fellows Program and other leadership development initiatives.

Facilitate Leadership Coordination and Institutional Engagement

• Plan and facilitate Dean's cabinet meetings and other leadership forums, including agenda development, preparation of materials, documentation of key decisions, and monitoring of follow-through.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for cross-University engagement involving the Dean's office and support coordination with University leadership, schools, administrative units, and key partners across the University. Facilitate communication and follow-through on initiatives, requests, and partnerships.
• Conduct benchmarking and research on issues relevant to the School, higher education, and business education.
• Lead enterprise-wide coordination of institutional rankings and surveys, ensuring the timely collection, validation, and submission of complex data requests.
• In collaboration with Foundation staff, assist with preparation for Board meetings, advisory councils, strategic retreats, and other key leadership engagements.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, University leaders, and external stakeholders.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the Dean's priorities and strategic objectives.

Minimum Qualification:

Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of relevant professional experience, to include 4+ years of formal management experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree such as an MBA, MPP, JD, PhD, or related graduate degree. Seven or more years of progressively responsible professional experience in strategy, consulting, higher education administration, project management, business operations, public policy, communications, or a related field.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated experience supporting senior executives or organizational leaders in complex environments with a proven ability to influence and achieve results through collaboration and relationship-building rather than formal authority.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and with data-driven decision-making
• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, exercise sound judgment, and manage sensitive matters with discretion.
• Adaptability and willingness to pick up and lead new initiatives.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Familiarity with the opportunities and challenges facing higher education and business education preferred.

About theDarden School of Business

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible leaders through unparalleled, transformational learning experiences.

Darden offers top-ranked graduate degree programs including the Full-Time MBA, Part-Time MBA, Executive MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.as well as Executive Education & Lifelong Learningdelivered by the Darden School Foundation. Darden's faculty is renowned for teaching excellence and consistently ranked No. 1 in the world for bringing out the best in learners.

Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area, with representation in Shanghai, China and Mumbai, India. Its Charlottesville learning hub includes The Forum Hoteloperatedby Kimpton Hotels &Restaurantsand theTahijaArboretum and LaCross Botanical Gardens. UVA Darden DC Metrois located inRosslyn, Virginia,ina skyrise with 360-degree views of the capital region. Darden's global community includes approximately 1,250 degree-seeking students, 4,000 Executive Education participants, 20,000 alumni across 90 countries, and millions of online learners.

This is a pivotal moment for Darden at a time when the school is experiencing great momentum. Darden has reached record enrollments, recently launched a part-time MBA, and expanded its Executive MBA atits Washington, D.C., Metro grounds. With record rankings as the No. 1 global public full-time MBA program, record-setting success with $632M in philanthropic impact in its recently concluded capital campaign, and record scholarship resources available to top talent, Darden continues to innovate in a competitive global admissions landscape.

Driven by innovation and a bold vision reflected in the brand mantra"Not business school as usual,"Darden serves a global network of students, alumni, faculty, and partners through world-class degree programs and lifelong learning.

Salary Range: $150,000 - $200,000, commensurate with education and experience.

Position Type & Work Location

• This is an exempt-level, benefited position. Learn more about UVA benefits.
• This position requires in-person presence in Charlottesville, Virginia based at Darden's Goodwin Family Grounds.

Application review will begin after July 6, 2026. Preference will be given to applications received by this date.

Additional Requirements

• Background checks will be conducted on all new hires prior to employment.
• This position will not consider candidates who require immigration sponsorship now or in the future.

How to Apply

Please apply online, by searching for requisition number R0084842. Complete an application with the following documents:

• Resume
• Cover Letter - should include your interest in the position and how your relevant experience pertains to this position.

Upload all materials into the resume submission field. You can submit multiple documents into this one field or combine them into one PDF. Applications without all required documents will not receive full consideration.

Internal applicants may search and apply for jobs on theUVA Internal Careers website.

Reference checks will be completed by UVA's third-party partner, SkillSurvey, during the final phase of the interview. Five references will be requested, with at least three responses required.

For questions about the position, please contact Mary Jones at jonesm@darden.virginia.edu.

For questions about the application process, please contact Karon Harrington at fak3ph@virginia.edu.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA's commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.