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Chief of Staff to the Founder & CEO

BoF London

Overview

The Business of Fashion is seeking a highly organised, action-oriented and strategic thinker to take on the role of Chief of Staff, working closely with our Founder & CEO with a dotted line into our Chief People and Culture Officer. This is a unique opportunity to join a dynamic company in the Office of the CEO at a critical stage in BoF’s growth and play a crucial role in ensuring its future success. The Chief of Staff will lead on making time, information and decision making processes more effective by organising and coordinating programmes, providing strategic guidance to the CEO and partnering with the leadership team to provide critical insights to improve overall company performance.

Who Are We?

The Business of Fashion is recognised around the world for its authoritative, analytical point of view on the global fashion and beauty industries. Our mission: to open, inform and connect the global fashion and beauty industries.

Serving more than 100,000 paying members in more than 125 countries, The Business of Fashion combines independent, agenda-setting journalism with practical business advice, online learning, career-building tools and immersive events, powering positive change in fashion and the wider world.

Over time, our pioneering approach has made BoF the fashion industry’s leading source of business intelligence, and one of its most respected and influential voices, simply because you won’t find BoF’s original reporting, analysis and advice anywhere else. The Business of Beauty brings the same kind of agenda-setting coverage to the beauty and wellness space. Today, our talented team of correspondents, editors, analysts, engineers, designers, marketers and more numbers more than 100 people in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Milan.

Commitment to Diversity

BoF is committed to building a diverse workforce and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunities employer. All applicants and employees receive equal treatment regardless of race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity.

Commitment to Inclusivity

BoF is committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and reach their full potential within their roles using a growth mindset. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture for our employees globally.

Commitment to Accessibility

BoF is committed to providing an accessible environment for all applicants throughout any stage of the recruitment process, by removing any barriers to ensure we offer a process that gives all of our applicants an opportunity to shine.

We will work with you to understand what adjustments you may need in the recruitment process to ensure you are able to perform at your best and we want to create a safe space to support this. Should you require any particular adjustment to be made, please let the Talent Specialist who is managing your application know when you are contacted for an interview, so we can consider how best we can support you with this.

What We Need You To Do

With previous experience in a corporate strategy, strategy consulting and/or creative agency role, you will be a trusted advisor for our founder and CEO, directly accountable for facilitating cross-functional effectiveness by executing special projects for the CEO and leveraging our data to drive insight-led decision making at leadership level. As a leader in effective change management programmes, you will work to build effective, highly collaborative relationships with your peers by embedding our core values into your ways of working. 

There are four key parts to this multi-faceted role:

Strategy and Business Development

  • Act as a sounding board and thought partner to the CEO, and leadership team, providing strategic insights and recommendations on key business decisions.
  • Demonstrate a deep understanding of and curiosity about the fashion industry, including its key players, trends, and challenges.
  • Stay abreast of the latest developments in digital media, including content creation, impact of new technologies and evolving monetisation models.
  • Leverage industry knowledge to identify opportunities for growth and innovation.
  • Assist in the development and implementation of the company's strategic plan, monitoring progress and identifying potential risks or opportunities.
  • Conduct in-depth research and analysis on industry trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging technologies to inform strategic decision-making and identify growth opportunities.
  • Attend meetings with and on the CEO’s behalf, sense-checking new opportunities, providing specific and actionable feedback to key stakeholders and actioning next steps and follow-ups.

Programme Management:

  • Develop company-wide view of key projects and initiatives across all functions for CEO and leadership team, and ensure timelines, project flows and resources operate smoothly.
  • As directed by the CEO, act as a representative on cross-functional teams delivering special projects and company-wide initiatives, such as BoF VOICES and BoF 500, ensuring timely decision-making and successful completion.
  • Liaise with budget-holders for key projects to maximise profitability and other business outcomes.
  • Proactively identify issues that could impact the successful execution of special projects and programmes.

Operational Excellence::

  • Prepare briefing materials, presentations, and reports for the CEO, ensuring accuracy and clarity.
  • Lead the quarterly business review process on overall business performance, including preparing reports for the board and Senior Leadership Team, to enable CEO, Board and leadership team to make informed decisions, backed up by key insights and data.
  • Prepare quarterly investor communications, including preparation of decks and supporting materials.
  • Facilitate effective communication between the CEO and other members of the leadership team, ensuring alignment and transparency.
  • Manage CEO office, working closely with the Executive Assistant to optimise scheduling and travel to ensure alignment with business priorities.
  • Travel with the CEO when required to support with speaking engagements and project delivery.
  • Manage sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism.

Community  Management:

  • Work closely with the PR manager to lead the annual BoF community survey and feedback process, delivering key insights to the CEO, leadership team and the wider business.
  • Work closely with the PR Manager and external PR agency on BoF’s global communications strategy and execution, including prioritising speaking engagements and media opportunities.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including employees, investors, partners, and industry leaders.
  • Represent the CEO at meetings and events as required, acting as a trusted ambassador for the company.
  • Cultivate VIP community relationships. 

Who You Are

A strategic thinker with experience in large-scale programme and client management. You enjoy the challenge of improving organisational efficiency and effectiveness, and you are able to navigate challenges and change in your stride. You have a natural affinity for both analytics and creativity, balancing the left-brain and right-brain thinking that is core to BoF’s success, ideally with direct experience in the fashion, beauty and luxury industries. You are passionate about digital media and subscription businesses. You will need the ability to thrive in a fast-paced scale-up environment, combined with the following skills to set you up for success:

  • Strong problem-solving skills and an ability to successfully navigate ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.
  • Outstanding leadership and organisational skills, with a strong bias to action and getting things done.
  • Strong strategic and financial analysis skills, with excellent knowledge of Excel, Powerpoint, Google Docs (Slides and Sheets).
  • Creative and strategic thinker with a strong sense of design, aesthetics and contemporary culture.
  • Excellent attention to detail in written communication, presentations, data and visuals.
  • Proven track record of programme management skills to deliver on key business objectives.
  • Ability to network across an organisation and build strong relationships. 
  • Experience in digital, media and/or a start-up environment is very beneficial.
  • Experience and interest in the fashion and media industry is a strong bonus.
  • Experience in communications and PR strategy is a bonus.
  • Unquestionable personal code of confidentiality, ethics, integrity and trust.

You’ll Know You’re Successful When...

  • You are viewed as a trusted advisor to the business, and have built effective relationships at all levels of the organisation.
  • Company-wide programme-management becomes more streamlined, facilitating cross-functional collaboration, removing  blockers and delays that slow down progress. 
  • Company business performance is communicated clearly and effectively, with impact and precision.
  • New partnership and business opportunities are assessed and evaluated efficiently with clear recommendations on next steps.
  • Senior leadership effectiveness increases through a more structured annual and quarterly planning process, supported by  accurate data and insights.

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