Chief of Staff

Vacancy reference

VAC-0420

Department

Deputy CEO Office

Location

London

Close date

30/11/2025

About CEPI

Launched in 2017, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is an international coalition of governments, academic, philanthropic, private, public, and intergovernmental institutions whose vision is to create a world in which epidemics and pandemics are no longer a threat to humanity. Our mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats so they can be accessible to all people in need. CEPI played a central role in the global response to COVID-19, creating the world's largest portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines – seven of which are approved for global or domestic use - and co-leading COVAX, the global initiative to support equitable access which supported the delivery of over 2bn vaccine doses globally. CEPI has CEPI has contributed to a number of scientific breakthroughs in vaccine development against other infectious diseases, including the first ever licensed Chikungunya vaccine and the first Nipah and Lassa virus vaccines into Phase 1 trials.

As COVID-19 has demonstrated, emerging infectious diseases represent an existential threat to our way of life. COVID-19 is not the first pandemic of the 21st century, and unless we act now, we can be sure that it will not be the last. Unlike some of the other big threats that humanity faces, we have the tools to systematically reduce and even eliminate the risk of future pandemics. It is vital that we capitalise on the rare alignment of political will, practical experience, and technical and scientific progress emerging from the pandemic to prevent such devastation happening again. CEPI's five-year plan for – known as CEPI 2.0 - aims to dramatically reduce or even eliminate the future risk of pandemics and epidemics. Central to the plan is CEPI's goal to accelerate the time taken to develop safe, effective, globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days. Achieving this '100 Days Mission, which has been embraced by the G7 and G20, would give the world a fighting chance of containing a future outbreak before it can spread to become a global pandemic, potentially averting millions of deaths and trillions of dollars in economic damage.

CEPI is a not-for-profit association under Norwegian Law and has offices in Oslo (HQ), London, and Washington DC.

In CEPI we strive for diverse thinking, and we want a diverse pool of candidates for all our vacancies. We work for an inclusive working environment where each employee can contribute and grow.

More details about CEPI and our mission can be found on our website:

About the role

The Chief of Staff plays a pivotal role in driving organizational effectiveness at CEPI. This position leads cross-functional coordination, manages strategic initiatives, and oversees executive workflows to ensure that organizational goals are translated into effective operational execution. Acting as a key advisor and integrator, the Chief of Staff supports both the CEO and Deputy CEO by advising on and shaping strategic priorities, facilitating communication across departments, ensuring timely and effective decision-making, and preparing and following up on internal and external engagements. Additionally, the Chief of Staff manages the executive support team (CEOFO), fostering a high-performing, agile, and strategically aligned function. By enabling the CEO and Deputy CEO to focus on high-impact activities, the Chief of Staff ensures continuity, clarity, and alignment across all executive workflows. This role is a one-year fixed term position, with the potential for extension depending on future strategic priorities and resource requirements.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning: Define and translate executive priorities into actionable plans and ensure alignment with CEPI's strategic direction, in close coordination with the Executive Directors and the Strategy team.
• Collaboration: Coordinate cross-functional collaboration to advance executive-led initiatives and strategic priorities spanning multiple divisions and ensure seamless execution across departments. Nurture network of peers in partner organizations to support institutional alignment.
• Research and Analysis: Conducting thorough landscape reviews and capitalize on senior leadership engagements to review opportunities for growth.
• Strategic Business Framing: Lead the development of business cases, models, and committee/Board papers that shape and support executive-led strategic initiatives, ensuring coherence with CEPI's organizational goals.
• Execution: Lead the execution of select strategic and cross-cutting initiatives, ensuring alignment with CEPI's broader strategic goals.
• Monitoring and Tracking: Monitor progress of executive-led initiatives and provide feedback loops to inform strategic decision-making, in collaboration with the Executive Directors and the Strategy team.
• Strategic Advisory to the CEO/DCEO: Providing high-level insights and strategic recommendations on critical issues and emerging opportunities to support informed decision-making.
• Executive Enablement: Maximise the effectiveness of the CEO and DCEO by acting as a strategic partner and operational proxy prioritising, routing, and where appropriate, taking decisions on their behalf to ensure continuity, clarity, and alignment across executive workflows.
• Executive Director (ED) Meetings: Lead the strategic planning and execution of the ED meetings by shaping agendas in alignment with organizational priorities, conducting comprehensive pre-reviews of briefing materials, ensuring high-quality documentation through minute reviews, and championing the timely and purposeful internal dissemination of outcomes to drive alignment and accountability across CEPI.
• Extended Leadership Team (ELT)Meetings: In support to the co-chairs, strategically plan and manage logistics and necessary materials to ensure effective and goal-oriented meetings supporting alignment throughout the organization.
• Strategic Board Documentation: Engaging closely with governance processes on behalf of CEO/DCEO and providing input to enhance the strategic alignment of Board and Committee materials.
• Executive Alignment and Strategic Prioritization: Work closely with the CEO and DCEO to set priorities, ensuring their activities align with CEPI's short-, medium-, and long-term strategic goals.
• Strategic Event Planning and Execution: Design and lead the strategic management of CEPI's approach to prioritizing, planning, and executing key events that support organizational objectives.
• Organizational Effectiveness and Process Improvement: Develop, update, and implement policies, processes, and tools to enhance team performance and support more effective ways of working across the organization.
• Fire fighting: responding to crises as they occur, leading organizational alignment, content development and internal and external consultations as required.
• People Leadership: Lead and inspire the team, fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment. Ensure the professional growth and development of team members through mentoring, coaching, and performance management. Promote a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the team.

Education, Experience and Competence

Educational and Experience Requirements

• A master's degree in public health, biological sciences, medicine, business or a related field, at a minimum, is essential.
• Minimum of 15 years' professional experience, with at least 10 years in senior leadership roles, ideally within global health, life sciences, pharmaceutical industry, nonprofit, or high-growth mission-driven organizations.
• Proven track record in strategic planning, business development, and executing complex strategic initiatives in fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Experience working closely with executive leadership, serving as a strategic advisor, project manager, and integrator across departments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage change, and drive operational efficiency in complex organizational settings.
• Experience in board relations and external stakeholder engagement.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Planning: Ability to develop and implement strategic plans that align with CEPI's long-term objectives.
• Project Management: Proficiency in managing multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely and successful completion.
• Stakeholder Management: Experience in building and maintaining strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels within a complex, matrixed organization.
• Analytical Acumen: Experience in developing business cases and models to support strategic initiatives, including conducting thorough research and analysis to assess external trends and opportunities.
• Knowledge of Vaccine Development: Robust understanding of vaccine development processes and the global life sciences or pharmaceutical industry.
• IT Competency: Proficiency in using various software tools and platforms for strategic planning and project management.
• Leadership: Demonstrating strong leadership skills to drive strategic initiatives and inspire cross-functional teams.
• Absolute Discretion: Demonstrates an unwavering commitment to maintaining confidentiality and handling highly sensitive information with the utmost discretion. Proven ability to manage confidential matters with integrity and professionalism, ensuring that sensitive data is protected and only shared with authorized individuals.
• Adaptability: Ability to quickly adapt to new situations and requests, maintaining an open and agile mindset.
• Communication: Excellent communication and presentation skills to effectively convey strategic plans and updates to senior management and stakeholders.
• Problem-Solving: Creative problem-solving skills to address challenges and obstacles in the execution of strategic initiatives.
• Conflict Resolution: Demonstrates exceptional ability to manage and resolve conflicts effectively. Utilizes strong interpersonal skills to mediate disputes, facilitate constructive dialogue, and foster a collaborative environment.
• Positive Workplace Culture: Utilizes humor to build rapport, ease tensions, and foster a collaborative and enjoyable work environment. Demonstrates the ability to balance professionalism with a light-hearted approach, contributing to a positive organizational culture.

Travel and Location Requirements

• This role is preferably based in London, UK. Applicants based in Washington DC, USA or Oslo, Norway can be considered.
• This role will involve collaboration across various regions and will require travel to other countries as projects advance.

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to work together with leading experts on solutions for global challenges
• Experience in the international effort on developing vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and accelerating vaccine development response to outbreaks
• A diverse and inclusive working environment

Background verification will be conducted to verify information provided in the CV and available documentation.