Chief of Staff

Our client delivers innovative solutions for global clients in retail, sport, leisure, and corporate sectors. They are entering a new phase of rapid growth, brand evolution, and international expansion and are seeking an Interim Chief of Staff to step in as a trusted partner to the CEO and the leadership team, ensuring the business continues to run with clarity, accountability, and ambition.

Job Title: Chief of Staff

Contract: Fixed-term, Maternity Cover (approx. 13 – 14 months)

Reports to: CEO

Location: London – hybrid, 4 days per week office based

Salary: up to £75K

Consultant:
- Please direct all enquiries to Anna.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE AVAILABLE TO START WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT

Role Overview

The Chief of Staff is a pivotal role at the heart of the organisation. Acting as the CEO's strategic partner and the leadership team's driver, this role will ensure the business continues to operate with pace, clarity, and ambition. This role is about much more than coordination, it's about making the organisation sharper, more accountable, and more innovative every day.

The successful candidate

• Will earn immediate credibility with senior leaders and teams
• Bring authority and presence to hold people accountable and challenge constructively
• Bring new strategy & execute
• Keep existing projects and strategy on track whilst bringing new strategy innovation into the mix and successfully executing it
• Embed innovation, bring fresh ways of thinking
• Be the cultural custodian, shaping how leaders lead, how teams collaborate, and how success is recognised
• Unite the leadership team, ensuring meetings are purposeful, decisions are followed through, and communication flows smoothly across companies and management layers
• In short, the Interim Chief of Staff ensures that the leadership team functions at its best and that the group continues to innovate and grow

Role Responsibilities

• Leadership Alignment & Accountability
• Drive the operating rhythm of the business ensuring Senior level meetings, Focus Days and strategy reviews are run with discipline and impact
• Hold senior leaders accountable to commitments and KPI's
• Ensure decision-making is fast, issues are resolved rather than carried forward, and momentum is maintained
• Strengthen alignment between the Executive Leadership Team and Middle Management, ensuring clarity of roles, responsibilities, and communication flows
• Strategic Execution
• Oversee the delivery of critical group initiatives
• Keep cross-company projects on track with clear ownership, milestones, and resourcing
• Introduce innovative ways of working to improve the pace, collaboration, and effectiveness of execution
• Provide structured updates to the CEO and leadership team on progress, risks, and actions
• Partner with the People team to roll initiatives including updated job role profiles, and updated appraisal processes
• Champion leadership development programmes
• Promote a culture of ambition, collaboration, humour, and resilience
• Drive adoption and effective use of systems and reporting dashboards to create data-driven decision-making
• Ensure quarterly and annual planning cycles are disciplined, realistic, and aligned to strategy

Personal Specification Experience & Knowledge

• 10+ years' experience in a Chief of Staff, Strategy, or senior leadership role in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial organisation
• Strong track record in driving leadership accountability, delivering strategy, and managing cross-functional initiatives. Experience working with leadership frameworks
• Experience in working with fast-paced entrepreneurs
• Experience embedding culture, values, and organisational change programmes

Skills & Competencies

• Presence and authority to gain respect quickly and challenge constructively
• Strategic thinker who can turn vision into clear, measurable action
• Skilled facilitator and communicator with the ability to influence at senior level
• Organised, analytical, and data-driven with excellent project leadership skills
• Innovative mindset with a focus on continuous improvement
• Commercial thinker
• Confident, firm but fair. Can walk into a room and own it; not afraid to push back and protect focus
• Independent thinker who evaluates ideas realistically rather than saying yes to everything
• Accountable, resilient, and collaborative with strong relationship-building skills
• Brings energy, creativity, and positivity while driving high standards
• Quick learner and adapter to drive people
• Not scared of a fast-paced environment and excited at the prospect of change

Lily Shippen is a leading recruitment agency, specialising in executive support and business support recruitment. We connect top talent with exceptional opportunities across the UK and internationally. Our expertise spans Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, Office Manager, Chief of Staff, and HR recruitment, offering tailored solutions for businesses across various industries.

We recruit for permanent, temporary, and fixed-term contract roles across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Cheshire, and beyond. Whether you're seeking a new opportunity or looking to hire top talent, we're here to help. If you're an experienced Executive Assistant looking for a new challenge in a strategic, data-driven role, we would love to hear from you.