What is a chief of staff and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
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A chief of staff manages the operations and strategy of an organization or individual. They coordinate various departments within the organization and serve as a key advisor to the CEO or top executives. Their responsibilities include managing budgets, overseeing personnel, and communicating with stakeholders. They contribute to high-level decision-making and act as a liaison between departments and stakeholders. The exact duties may vary, but a chief of staff serves an important position in a business.

ScoreChief Of StaffUS Average
Salary
8.4

Avg. Salary $130,835

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
10.0

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 7.75%

Black or African American 3.80%

Hispanic or Latino 7.89%

Unknown 3.90%

White 76.01%

Gender

female 38.03%

male 61.97%

Age - 52
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52
Stress Level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
3.0

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Chief Of Staff?

Pros

  • Chance to influence policies and initiatives

  • Potential for career advancement within the organization or in other companies

  • Competitive salary and benefits package

  • Opportunities for networking and building relationships with influential people

  • Varied and dynamic workload that keeps work interesting and challenging

Cons

  • Limited autonomy as decisions often require approval from senior leadership

  • Constant need to stay up-to-date on developments within the organization and industry

  • Difficulty in maintaining work-life balance due to the demanding nature of the role

  • Potential for burnout or stress-related health issues

  • Possibility of being held responsible for failures or mistakes made by senior leadership.

Chief Of Staff career paths

Key steps to become a chief of staff

  1. Explore chief of staff education requirements

    Most common chief of staff degrees

    Bachelor's

    63.5 %

    Master's

    19.9 %

    Doctorate

    6.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific chief of staff skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    PET14.79%
    Team Support10.66%
    Project Management7.75%
    Oversight6.74%
    Direct Reports6.31%
  3. Research chief of staff duties and responsibilities

    • Lead headquarters (HQ) operations staff.
    • Manage the G3's fiscal year budget planning, formulation, and execution.
    • Supervise the G2 administrative section and maintain and manage the G2 budget and material resources.
    • Manage the predeployment training and the deployment process to receiving commands, and subsequent redeployment and deactivation.
  4. Prepare your chief of staff resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chief of staff resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a chief of staff resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Chief Of Staff Resume templates

    Build a professional Chief Of Staff resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Chief Of Staff resume.
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  5. Apply for chief of staff jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a chief of staff job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Chief Of Staff Job

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Are you a Chief Of Staff?

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Average chief of staff salary

The average Chief Of Staff salary in the United States is $130,835 per year or $63 per hour. Chief of staff salaries range between $85,000 and $200,000 per year.

Average Chief Of Staff Salary
$130,835 Yearly
$62.90 hourly

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How do chiefs of staff rate their job?

-/5

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Chief Of Staff reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Organizing and executing my jobs. Doing a job well and having a successful event.

Cons

When things go amiss. Confusion, too many last minute changes that have the potential to ruin things.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

the opportunity to relate and meet with different people, the ability to solve problems on the go as they arise, and the fact that its people oriented

Cons

its time consuming,can be very stressful especially when they is a busy schedule


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

I love to lead, in my everyday duties I have to deal with different type of situation which requires my deep knowledge to think before I decide.

Cons

It is stressful Job, I have to act fast in giving different decisions simultaneously, sometimes is not easy, I have to think quickly , while I don't have immediate answers.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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