Chief of Staff at Cherokee County School District (GA)

Job Description Code: 1A.030

Division/Department: Chief Executive Officer

Pay Grade: Chief Officer

Pay Type: Salaried; Exempt

Retirement: TRS

Contract Work Year: 233 Days

Reports To: Superintendent of Schools

Evaluation Instrument: PEI

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Master’s Degree in business administration, public administration, educational leadership or related fields required. Minimum 12 years of progressively responsible experience with at least 5 years of experience in positions of leadership. Ability to communicate tactfully, appropriately, and effectively with individuals and groups, including the Board of Education, Superintendent, Executive team, elected officials, community and state leaders, the Board Attorney, district staff, local school staff, and the community; Strong strategic planning and organization skills. Ability to make challenging decisions, remain professional under stress, and possess exceptional judgement.

GOAL

The Chief of Staff provides leadership in managing the Superintendent’s executive services, promoting strong School Board relations and developing, maintaining and representing the School District in its intergovernmental and community relationships for support in achieving the District’s goals and objectives. 

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serves as a key member of the Superintendent’s executive leadership team, acting as a strategic leader and spokesperson on behalf of the Superintendent and CCSD.
• Communicates with the Board on behalf of, and in coordination with, the Superintendent as appropriate.
• Provide guidance and collaboration to the Communications Department, working closely with the Chief of Communications to support effective communication strategies and district-wide engagement.
• Coordinate and oversee district workflow processes, including the development, monitoring, and reporting of Operational Work Plans (OWPs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and measures of success to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
• Align district-wide annual strategic priorities and the long-range strategic plan by managing cross-functional teams, streamlining workflows, and ensuring progress is tracked with clear documentation of milestones and outcomes.
• Routinely brief the Superintendent and Cabinet Chiefs on workflow status, key milestones, and progress toward strategic goals, providing recommendations for adjustments as needed.
• Serve as a central point of communication for leadership by delivering timely updates on project performance, departmental coordination, and areas requiring executive attention.
• Positively and proactively participates in leadership meetings, representing the Superintendent and district priorities.
• Creates collaborative and effective communication channels between the board of education, district office, schools, and families; aims to resolve conflicts.
• Analyzes complex situations and synthesizes information carefully to develop an effective course of action.
• Works collaboratively to build consensus while also delivering exceptional results.
• Collaborates and builds relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Be flexible, resilient and adaptable to changing priorities.
• Prepares School Board agenda items, as well as presentations for the Superintendent/School Strategic Work-Sessions, as directed.
• Take a leadership role in driving a collaborative process with the Board of Education, Superintendent and stakeholders to result in the development of District priorities, objectives and to guide strategic and operational decision-making.
• Cultivate a strong partnership with the Board of Education in setting policies consistent with the mission and vision of the District.
• Provide ongoing guidance and assistance, collaborating with officials and divisions, in the creation and fine-tuning of policies and procedures that are both global in scale to District priorities and objectives and specific to division operations.
• Provide leadership in the implementation of all Board Policies and administrative procedures relating to operational support.
• Identify, research, assess and communicate changes in State and Federal education policies, legislation and/or other trends in education that may have a fiscal, operational or programmatic impact on the District.
• Create tracking system for bills with legislative impact, providing fact sheets, talking points or other materials as required.
• Advocate at the local, state and federal levels for the health, education, and public policy issues that impact the District.
• Coordinate strategic efforts in developing the District’s Annual Legislative Program.
• Interact with stakeholders and advocate for District efforts related to District initiatives.
• Work with government officials, including senators and house members, advocacy groups and citizens to convey and promote the District’s Annual Legislative Program.
• Serve as liaison for the Superintendent’s Office with key individuals/groups and governmental/community officials, including (but not limited to) Cherokee County Government (including the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Cherokee Recreation and Parks Authority), Cherokee County Municipalities and the Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority.
• Serve as liaison between the Superintendent’s Office and the Cherokee County Legislative Delegation and other related public education interest/advocacy groups, including (but not limited to) the Georgia Education Coalition (GEC), Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA), Georgia School Superintendents Association (GSSA), Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) and Georgia Association of Educators (GAE).
• Attend meetings of and/or represent the Superintendent/School District on various community agency boards and at community functions; serve as liaison and primary contact between the Superintendent’s Office and the Cherokee County Council of PTA and school PTAs, Georgia PTA, Development Authority of Cherokee County, Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce and various community groups that utilize School District facilities.
• Assist members of the Superintendent’s Cabinet in the development of special reports, publications and information requested by the Superintendent for dissemination to School Board Members, administrators, teachers, support staff, parents and the public and for routine posting on the School District Web site.
• Assist the Superintendent by facilitating meetings of senior staff members, as well as assimilating/disseminating materials/ information/data from senior staff members and principals for presentation at Superintendent/School Board Strategic Work Sessions and School Board meetings.
• Compile reports, gather statistics and develop other documentation as requested.
• Promote and maintain a positive, safe and professional work environment.
• Possess and maintain valid and appropriate license, certificate and/or credential as may be required for this position.
• Follow work scheduling and attendance requirements in a regular, predictable and punctual manner.
• Participate in training programs to increase skills and proficiency related to assignments.
• Review and stay abreast of current developments, literature and technical sources of information related to job responsibility.
• Perform and promote all activities in compliance with equal employment and nondiscrimination policies.
• Ensure adherence to appropriate safety procedures.
• Follow federal and state laws, as well as School Board policies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

IMPORTANT NOTES

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Job descriptions are designed and intended only to summarize the essential duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and requirements for the purpose of clarifying the general nature and scope of a position’s role as part of the overall organization. Job descriptions do not list all tasks an employee might be expected to perform, and they do not limit the right of the employer/supervisor to assign additional tasks or otherwise to modify duties to be performed – even if seemingly unrelated to the basic job. Every employee has a duty to perform all assigned tasks. (An employee who is assigned a duty or task believed to be unlawful should report the assignment to the Chief Human Resources Officer.) It should also be noted the order of duties/ responsibilities as listed in the job description is not designed or intended to rank the duties in any order of importance relative to each other. 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

In filling a vacant position, preferred or required credentials regarding education, training, experience, and other bona fide occupational qualifications may be established. The credentials shown in this job description may be interpreted only as the minimum criteria existing at the time the description was developed. Other bona fide occupational qualifications and criteria may be utilized as needed in the selection process. 

Fringe Benefits

FICA is paid by the employee and matched by the School District. Temporary workers do not qualify for employee benefits.

Adopted: February 2017

Revised: July 2024, September 2025