Chief of Staff

Only One runs campaigns that change minds and shape policy. Our international team of experts specializes in strategic communications, movement building, and public advocacy to drive impactful ocean and climate policy worldwide. Our philanthropically funded work focuses on supporting and amplifying the efforts of partners — both globally and in key regions — to restore ocean health and unlock the ocean’s potential as a climate solution. About Only One Only One is a campaigning organization set up to protect the ocean and stabilize the climate. We build campaigns that move governments, industry, and institutions, working alongside partners, scientists, creators, and communities around the world. Since 2020 we have grown to a team of 25, spread across multiple countries and time zones. We are small for the scale of what we take on, which means everyone here has real ownership and the work moves quickly. About the role We’re hiring a Chief of Staff to sit on our leadership team, work closely with the CEO, and hold the machinery that lets a small organization run a large agenda. This role builds on strong foundations. The current Chief of Staff has been in the role for two years, and depending on start dates we intend a proper overlap between them and their successor. This is the role that connects intention to action. You’ll own how we plan: setting the annual cycle, translating strategy into priorities teams can act on, and tracking whether we’re getting there. You’ll own how we decide: guiding the leadership team, holding the decision record, and making sure what gets agreed actually lands. You’ll own how we’re held accountable: four board meetings a year, our committees, and our obligations as a US non-profit. And you’ll hold the line between money and mission, keeping our funding pipeline pointed at our strategic priorities rather than pulling us away from them. A lot of this work takes the form of writing. You’ll produce board papers, strategy documents, and the memos that help a team understand a difficult decision. Alongside that, you’ll lead one or two special projects at any time: pieces of work that need a senior owner but don’t sit with any one team, such as standing up a new function, or working out how we grow without losing what makes us effective. It’s a broad role, deliberately. If you like holding the whole picture, working closely with a CEO, and building the systems that let ambitious people do their best work, this role will suit you. You’ll also be doing it in service of something that matters, at a moment when the decisions being made about the ocean will hold for decades. What you’ll do Strategic planning and priorities Own the annual planning cycle, from goal setting to quarterly tracking. Translate long-term strategy into clear priorities that teams can act on week to week. Spot where priorities collide, on timing, budget, or capacity, and force the trade-off early. Leadership team and decision-making Run the leadership team’s operating rhythm: agendas, pre-reads, decisions, and follow-through between meetings. Design and facilitate the sessions where the hard calls get made, surfacing disagreement while it can still change the outcome. Hold the decision record, so what was agreed is written down and stays agreed. Board and governance Plan and deliver four board meetings a year, including agendas, board packs, and minutes. Prepare the CEO for board meetings, chair conversations, and committee cycles. Support board composition, recruitment, induction, and committee operations. Hold risk oversight and our compliance obligations as a US 501©(3). Fundraising oversight Hold the organization-level revenue picture: what’s secured, what’s in the pipeline, and what’s at risk. Check that restricted and unrestricted income supports our strategic priorities, and escalate when it doesn’t. Bring development into planning, so revenue targets are set alongside organizational goals. Translate strategy into our case for support, and hold quality on major proposals and reports. Internal communication Connect the leadership team with departments, and keep information moving in both directions. Shape how significant news is framed and delivered, including at all-staff moments. Make sure people understand not just what was decided, but the reasoning behind it. Surface what teams are hearing and seeing that leadership needs to know. Writing and special projects Produce board papers, strategy documents, memos, and organization-level narrative. Turn workshops, listening exercises, and messy conversations into documents people can act on. Lead discrete, time-bound initiatives that sit outside any standing function. Expect special projects to be around a fifth of the role, scoped with the CEO each year. CEO support Act as a thinking partner on priorities, sequencing, and what reaches the CEO. Prepare the CEO for significant internal and external moments. Draft on the CEO’s behalf, and represent them in rooms where appropriate. Serve as a confidential sounding board on people, decisions, and risk. Who you are 6+ years in senior strategy, operations, or organizational leadership roles. Breadth across most of the responsibility areas above, rather than depth in one. A track record of running planning cycles and holding senior teams to what they committed to. A strong writer, comfortable producing board-level and funder-facing material. Experience with governance, whether through board support, committee work, or compliance. Enough fluency with fundraising to read a revenue pipeline and hold quality on major proposals. Comfortable holding oversight of work you don’t control, and raising issues without owning the fix. A campaigning, NGO, or agency background is helpful but not essential. Willing to flex hours to work with a global team. How you show up You make trade-offs visible. When everything is a priority, you say so out loud and force the choice. You’d rather have the awkward conversation in advance than let the team discover the problem during the crunch. You hold the whole picture. You see how a hiring decision, a funder condition, and a campaign timeline connect. You spot the collision early, and you raise it while there’s still time to do something about it. You write to make things happen. Your writing changes what people do, not just what they know. You can take a messy, unresolved conversation and turn it into a document a board could act on. You chase, kindly. You’re comfortable asking where something is and holding people to what they said. You escalate early when you need to, and you never make it personal. You are service-minded. You measure success by whether other people can do their work better. You’re glad when something you built gets used, and untroubled by not getting the credit. You thrive on teamwork. You bring humor, humility, and kindness to a fast-paced environment. You know that everyone here plays an essential role, and you treat them that way. What we offer Salary range: $140,000–170,000 USD, based on experience Fully remote working, with a global team and flexible hours Generous paid time off, plus organization-wide winter and summer breaks Health, dental and vision coverage, or a local equivalent depending on your location An annual professional development budget An annual full-team retreat Equal opportunity Only One is committed to building a workforce of individuals with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and identities. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. To apply The preferred deadline to apply is Monday, October 12, 2026. Please upload your resume, writing sample and respond to the application questions. This search is being supported by NRG Consulting Group. Please reach out to [email protected] and cc [email protected] with any questions.