Job Summary

The Chief of Staff to the Chief Digital & Innovation Officer (CDIO) serves as a trusted advisor, partner, and source of leverage for the CDIO and CDIO leadership team. While the role has clearly defined areas of responsibility, it is also fluid. The Chief of Staff will need to be able to dive into any area of the business, understand business needs, and facilitate executive decisions based on changing priorities. The Chief of Staff should not only be able to build the trust vital to manage critical and sensitive matters but also be able to speak up, step up and offer alternative viewpoints with credibility. The Chief of Staff should be #inserviceto the entire organization and bring thoughtfulness, creativity, humility, and levity to all work efforts. An effective candidate will have a strong ability to build deep partnerships, analyze multifaceted issues, synthesize, and strategically communicate, and lead through influence. 

The CDIO Chief of Staff will report to the CDIO and be responsible for enabling the successful operations of the global CDIO organization. As a critical member of the CDIO team, the ideal candidate will lead the operating mechanisms that accelerate the development and execution of CDIO strategy to enable enterprise goals. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate a deep understanding of Equinix business processes and operating models as well as functional domains at the company and how they work together. 

Responsibilities

This is the most exhilarating role supporting DIO org at the time when technology is changing the world. And there is no real job description because the role entails doing what it takes to make the org and leaders successful. Some responsibilities are listed below. 

Leadership Alignment & Effectiveness  

• Lead development and planning for CDIO operating mechanisms including leadership meetings, leadership offsites, functional All Hands meetings, cross functional interlocks and other forums

• Design, organize, and facilitate agendas to ensure dialogue, decisions, follow-up and alignment with CDIO priorities and measures

• Serve as “eyes and ears” in meetings that their leader cannot attend; and ensure any relevant items are summarized and reported

• Drive planning and content for annual meetings and events, in partnership with Global Events Team

• Drive opportunities for leadership team to collaborate across functions on key opportunities for our customers and partners

• Identify, and implement, best practices to make time, information, and decision-making more effective for the team

• Maintain ability to see what pressures the organization is facing and raising to the CDIO and leadership where appropriate to address

• Act in an empowered way to identify areas of misalignment across the leadership and formulate plans to resolve 

Org & Employee Engagement 

• Partner with HRBP to proactively address organizational issues, and support change management and talent strategy

• Keep a pulse on our business, maintain a strong feedback loop on organizational needs and update CDIO as needed

• Be a champion for Employee Recognition, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, Equinix Impact initiatives to ensure the CDIO workforce is motivated and engaged 

• Provide perspective and consultation to the communications team on the CDIO communications strategy in order to drive consistencies across the organization

• Help connect the dots across the company, ensuring communication flow between multiple organizations and operating mechanisms

• Build content for CDIO (in partnership with Communications teams, as needed) to present at internal and external events

• Serve as liaison to other Chiefs of Staff to ensure alignment and transparency across key partners and groups – act as teamwork entry point for CDIO Staff

CDIO Time Management 

• Focus on increasing efficiency and effectiveness of CDIO time in collaboration with the Senior Executive Assistant to the CDIO

• Identify areas where the CDIO should direct their focus and say “no” on their behalf for time-consuming requests that may not drive the highest value 

• Anticipate for the CDIO and provide foresight, deliverables and practical value for upcoming events and meetings to ensure their time is well spent 

Program Management 

• Support the development and management of functional goals and the instrumentation and reporting to track progress in collaboration with CDIO leadership with needed review cadence and monitoring in partnership with the Business Operations leader

• Execute with mandate to help leadership team drive speed and efficiency across the organization; identify “sand in gears” and partner on plans to remedy 

• Help shape special projects that advance the CDIO agenda, occasionally leveraging well-developed project-management discipline with a focus on organization, strategic thinking, attention to detail, and following up doggedly to ensure timely results 

• Coordinate and support the development of processes and content to integrate CDIO activities with the Equinix operating mechanisms such as Executive Staff meetings, Strategy meetings and leadership forums to create effective communication and alignment

• Lead and drive specific initiatives as determined by CDIO

General Duties 

• Manage Office of the CDIO budget in partnership with Finance 

• Dive into any area of the business, understand business needs, and facilitate executive decisions based on changing priorities 

• Be a trusted partner and sounding board to the CDIO and Executive Leadership Team 

• Anticipate problems, provide diplomacy, and drive balanced perspectives to help ensure success 

• Ask the hard questions to ensure that projects and investments have true impact to Equinix, including ongoing discussions on whether the impact/return on investment is enough 

• Operate with a high level of integrity and discretion including matters of people, legal proceedings, acquisitions, and financial forecasts 

• Maintain business savvy, including an understanding of the marketplace, competitors, and technology to opine on what is required for sustained operating results 

Qualifications

• Proven years of relevant experience with demonstrated growing levels of responsibility. Highly prefer a combination of experience in technical functions with management or strategy consulting or customer success background with a very customer first mindset 

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred 

• Significant experience and understanding of business operations and programs. 

• Experience leading sophisticated projects across an enterprise-wide, highly dynamic and fluid environment

• Strong budget management experience 

• Top-notch presentation development and written and verbal communications skills with great attention to detail

• Strategic and flexible approach to business problem solving. Ability to process information to formulate an effective strategy and programs

• Team player with the ability to form deep and positive relationships, across organizations, to achieve common goals

• High energy, passion, discipline, proactive mentality

• Ability to work in a flexible and ambiguous environment 

• Excellent facilitation and communication skills