Chief of Staff and Board Secretary

Executive Advisory and Leadership of the Office of the CEO

• Provide strategic advice to the CEO on institutional priorities, sequencing, positioning, risks and decision readiness to support effective executive leadership.
• Ensure the CEO is well prepared for Board, leadership, government and institutional engagements through high-quality briefing notes, decision papers, talking points and structured follow-up.
• Lead the Office of the CEO by strengthening work planning, budgeting, systems, quality control and information flow that enable timely executive action.
• Supervise, mentor and develop Office of the CEO staff, setting clear standards for accuracy, discretion, responsiveness and service to the CEO and institutional leadership.
• Serve as the delegated link between the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team, representing the CEO in internal forums as requested and ensuring key messages, commitments and follow-up actions are advanced. CEO and the Senior Leadership Team and represent the CEO in internal fora as requested.

Board Secretariat and Governance Leadership

• Serve as Board Secretary and principal liaison to the Board of Trustees and its Committees, enabling effective governance, informed decision-making and clear communication between the Board, CEO and management.
• Lead the full cycle of Board and Committee business, including the governance calendar, agenda setting, papers, logistics, documentation and follow-up, so that meetings are well prepared and decisions are actioned on time.
• Ensure Board packs, resolutions, minutes and action trackers are accurate, quality assured, issued on time and maintained as reliable records of governance decisions and follow-through.
• Advise the CEO and Board Chair on governance protocols, bylaws, timelines and compliance requirements to support transparent, efficient and policy-aligned Board operations.
• Oversee the Governance Archive and digital governance systems, ensuring secure access, version control and records retention that support institutional memory, accountability and compliance.
• Oversee statutory filings, governance-related audits and reporting obligations, ensuring that institutional governance requirements are met accurately, transparently and within required timelines.
• Oversee preparation and monitoring of the annual Board budget, ensuring resources are planned and managed to support effective Board and Committee operations.

Decision Follow Through and Institutional Coordination

• Translate Board and Committee decisions into management actions with named owners, deadlines and reporting routes.
• Maintain and report on a consolidated tracker of Board, Committee and Senior Leadership Team commitments.
• Coordinate the preparation of management responses to Board, audit, assurance and internal control findings.
• Drive coordination between the Office of the CEO, Senior Leadership Team, Research, Corporate Services, Legal and Human Resources so that decisions are implemented consistently.
• Escalate slippage, unresolved issues and emerging institutional risk to the CEO with proposed courses of action.

Special Initiatives for Institutional Effectiveness

• Lead or coordinate special projects mandated by the CEO, including organizational change, governance reform, policy review and institutional risk matters.
• Assemble task teams, design workplans and deliver against agreed milestones across functions.
• Prepare analysis and options papers on matters of institutional, legal or reputational significance.
• Support Board level processes including the CEO performance review cycle, Board effectiveness reviews, and Trustee recruitment and onboarding, in coordination with the Board Chair.

Executive and Governance Communications

• Prepare and quality assure CEO, Board Chair and Board Secretary communications so that institutional decisions, governance matters and official positions are clear, accurate and appropriately framed.
• Coordinate with Communications and Outreach to ensure that internal communications on institutional decisions, Board outcomes and organizational priorities are timely, consistent and aligned with the CEO’s direction.
• Safeguard consistency and quality of governance-related messaging to staff, Trustees, funders and partners, ensuring communications support transparency, accountability and institutional confidence.

Institutional Representation and Stakeholder Liaison

• Strengthen trusted, responsive and professional engagement with Trustees to support effective Board governance, timely information flow and well-prepared decision-making.
• Coordinate interaction between the Board, senior leadership, external auditors, legal counsel and other external parties to ensure governance matters are accurately documented, clearly communicated and followed through.
• Represent the CEO as delegated in meetings and engagements, ensuring that commitments, risks and follow-up actions are captured, communicated and advanced in support of institutional delivery.
• Provide governance and assurance input for funder due diligence, institutional compliance and partnership requirements, ensuring responses are accurate, coordinated and aligned with Landscape Alliance standards and good governance practice.

Other Responsibilities

• Identify and mitigate potential risks within your work area.
• Take reasonable care of own occupational health and safety and that of others as obliged by Landscape Alliance's Occupational Health and Safety Policy and cooperate with Landscape Alliance in complying with requirements under any statutory health and safety provisions of relevant country laws.
• Landscape Alliance is committed to ensuring the safety, wellbeing and dignity of children, adults at risk, staff, consultants, interns, board members and stakeholders. Safeguarding and risk management measures protect these individuals from harm, abuse, neglect or exploitation. Where a concern arises, Landscape Alliance reserves the right to take appropriate action to safeguard individuals and mitigate risks. All information provided will be treated confidentially and in line with Landscape Alliance safeguarding and risk management policies.

Requirements

• An advanced degree in a relevant field, including but not limited to public administration, law, governance, international relations, development studies, political science or business.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in executive office leadership, governance or board secretariat functions within an international, research, intergovernmental or comparably complex organization.
• Demonstrated experience serving as, or directly supporting, a Board Secretary, including agenda setting, minute taking, resolution drafting and decision tracking at board level.
• Proven track record of advising senior executives and translating strategy and board direction into execution across functions.
• Experience leading institutional change, governance reform or special projects carrying legal or reputational sensitivity.
• Strong command of governance principles, organizational bylaws, compliance frameworks and risk oversight.
• Experience supervising and developing staff.
• Exceptional drafting, analytical and communication skills, with the ability to produce board quality documents under tight deadlines.
• Proficiency in digital governance platforms such as Diligent Boards, and in MS Office Suite.
• High integrity, discretion and proven capacity to handle confidential and sensitive information.
• Sound political judgement and the ability to hold a neutral, institutional posture in contested situations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure without loss of accuracy.
• Ability to work effectively across multicultural and international environments.