UNPAID VOLUNTEER - Deputy / Assistant Chief of Staff

UNPAID VOLUNTEER – Deputy Chief of Staff

Role Title: Deputy Chief of Staff
Role Type: Unpaid Volunteer
Number of Positions: 1
Office: Director-General’s Office
Location: Home-based / Remote
Reporting To: Chief of Staff / Director-General

THIS IS AN UNPAID VOLUNTEER ROLE.

About DTID

The Digital Technology Institute for Development (DTID) is an international non-profit institute advancing the responsible use of artificial intelligence, blockchain and emerging digital technologies to support sustainable development and policy implementation.

DTID brings together professionals, researchers, technology specialists and other stakeholders to generate research, develop practical solutions, strengthen partnerships and support informed decision-making at the intersection of technology, climate change and sustainable development.

The Role

DTID is seeking an experienced, highly organised and strategically minded Deputy Chief of Staff to support the Director-General’s Office in coordinating institutional priorities, strengthening cross-divisional collaboration and ensuring effective implementation of senior management decisions.

Working closely with the Chief of Staff and Director-General, the Deputy Chief of Staff will help translate strategic priorities into clear actions, monitor implementation across DTID, coordinate complex institutional initiatives and provide senior leadership with timely analysis, briefings and recommendations.

The role sits at the intersection of strategy, operations, executive coordination and organisational implementation.

The successful candidate will work closely with Directors, Heads of Division and other senior colleagues to ensure that major projects and priorities remain on track, risks and delays are identified early, and agreed actions are followed through effectively.

The Deputy Chief of Staff may also lead selected organisational initiatives, support senior-level engagements and deputise for the Chief of Staff on specific matters where authorised.

Key Responsibilities

The Deputy Chief of Staff will:

• Support the Chief of Staff and Director-General in implementing DTID’s strategic and institutional priorities.
• Lead and coordinate selected cross-divisional projects and organisation-wide initiatives.
• Translate senior management decisions into clear actions, responsibilities, timelines and follow-up arrangements.
• Monitor implementation of agreed priorities and identify delays, risks, dependencies and matters requiring escalation.
• Prepare executive briefings, decision papers, reports, presentations and recommendations for senior leadership.
• Coordinate information and updates from Divisions for the Director-General’s Office.
• Support preparation, coordination and follow-up of Executive Committee and senior leadership meetings.
• Work with Directors and Heads of Division to resolve implementation challenges and strengthen organisational coordination.
• Support institutional planning, performance monitoring and organisational review processes.
• Lead selected organisational improvement, transformation or special projects.
• Conduct research and analysis to support executive decision-making.
• Support senior-level internal and external engagements where required.
• Maintain oversight of assigned action trackers, strategic priorities and institutional commitments.
• Support effective communication between the Director-General’s Office and DTID Divisions.
• Deputise for the Chief of Staff on selected responsibilities and meetings where authorised.
• Handle sensitive organisational and executive information with appropriate discretion and confidentiality.

Skills and Abilities

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong strategic and analytical thinking.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation capability.
• Strong executive judgement and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to understand complex organisational issues quickly and identify practical solutions.
• Excellent written briefing, report-writing and presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate confidently with senior executives and professional stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and relationship-management skills.
• Ability to coordinate multiple teams and workstreams.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and tight deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail while maintaining a wider strategic perspective.
• Ability to identify organisational risks and determine when escalation is required.
• High standards of discretion, confidentiality and professional integrity.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of significant responsibilities.
• Ability to operate effectively in an internationally distributed and fully remote organisation.
• A proactive, adaptable and solutions-focused approach to work.

General and Specialist Knowledge

Candidates should have knowledge or experience in several of the following areas:

• Strategic planning and implementation.
• Executive management and senior leadership support.
• Organisational operations.
• Programme and project management.
• Organisational development.
• Performance monitoring and reporting.
• Governance and institutional management.
• Business process improvement.
• Risk identification and management.
• Executive reporting and briefing.
• Cross-functional coordination.
• Stakeholder management.
• International development or nonprofit management.

Knowledge of artificial intelligence, emerging digital technologies, climate change, sustainability, international development or public policy would be advantageous but is not essential.

Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint is expected.

Experience using project-management, workflow, dashboard or data-analysis platforms would also be advantageous.

Education and Training

Candidates should preferably possess:

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Strategic Management, International Relations, Public Policy, Economics, International Development, Management, Project Management or another relevant discipline.

A postgraduate qualification, particularly an MBA, MPA, Master’s in Strategic Management, Public Policy or International Relations, would be highly advantageous.

Relevant professional qualifications or training in:

• Project or programme management.
• Strategy.
• Business analysis.
• Organisational development.
• Change management.
• Monitoring and evaluation.

would also be beneficial.

Equivalent substantial professional experience and demonstrated strategic capability may be considered where appropriate.

Professional proficiency in English is required.

Knowledge of an additional international language would be advantageous.

Experience

Candidates should ideally demonstrate:

• Substantial professional experience in strategy, operations, programme management, management consulting, organisational development, executive management support or a related field.
• Experience working directly with senior executives or leadership teams.
• Experience coordinating complex projects involving multiple teams or organisational functions.
• Experience translating strategic priorities into clear implementation plans.
• Experience preparing executive reports, briefings and recommendations.
• Experience monitoring implementation of organisational priorities and management decisions.
• Experience identifying operational or organisational challenges and developing practical solutions.
• Experience coordinating stakeholders across different levels of an organisation.
• Experience leading projects or workstreams with limited supervision.
• Experience handling sensitive or confidential organisational information.
• Experience working independently and exercising sound professional judgement.

Experience within an international organisation, nonprofit organisation, consulting firm, public-sector institution, research organisation, think tank or technology organisation would be advantageous.

Experience working in a Chief of Staff Office, Executive Office, Strategy Office or similar senior coordination function would be particularly valuable.

What Difference Will You Make?

Strong organisational leadership requires more than setting priorities. It requires consistent coordination, clear accountability and effective follow-through.

As Deputy Chief of Staff, you will help ensure that decisions made by the Director-General and senior leadership are translated into practical actions and implemented effectively across DTID.

You will provide the Director-General’s Office with greater visibility of institutional progress, emerging challenges and priorities while strengthening collaboration between Divisions.

Your contribution will strengthen DTID’s executive coordination, organisational accountability, strategy implementation and ability to deliver major institutional priorities effectively.

Benefits

What Will You Gain from Volunteering with DTID?

Although this position is unpaid, volunteering with DTID provides opportunities to:

• Work closely with the Chief of Staff, Director-General and senior leadership.
• Gain direct exposure to organisation-wide strategy and executive decision-making.
• Lead and coordinate strategic cross-divisional initiatives.
• Strengthen executive management, strategic planning and organisational leadership skills.
• Develop experience in institutional performance monitoring and senior-level reporting.
• Gain exposure to multiple areas of DTID’s work rather than one specialist function.
• Build experience managing complex organisational priorities in an international environment.
• Work at the intersection of emerging technology, sustainability, international development and policy.
• Build international professional networks and senior-level working relationships.
• Contribute directly to DTID’s organisational growth and institutional effectiveness.

Selection Process

DTID is committed to identifying talented individuals with both demonstrated expertise and strong potential.

Applications will be considered on the basis of demonstrated leadership capability, strategic judgement, relevant professional experience, organisational coordination skills and suitability for the responsibilities of the role.

The selection process will normally include:

1. Application screening
2. Written or technical assessment
3. Interview and/or technical discussion for shortlisted candidates
4. Final selection and onboarding

The assessment will focus particularly on executive judgement, prioritisation, strategic thinking, problem-solving, written communication, organisational coordination and the ability to translate senior management decisions into practical actions.

Candidates who successfully complete the assessment will be invited to progress to the next stage of the recruitment process.

Important Notice

This is an unpaid volunteer position.