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Chief of Staff
Job Location:
Monthly Salary:
Posted:
22 September 2026 (5 days ago)
Posted:
Application Deadline:
20 December 2026
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Vacancies:
Job Summary
In partnership with our client we are seeking a Chief of Staff who can turn big ideas into things that actually get done. Our client is a distinctive African fashion brand building the foundation for international scale and this role sits right at the centre of that journey. You will be the trusted partner to the Founder & CEO and the leader of the people and operations agenda. One moment you are facilitating a leadership meeting the next you are solving a people or process issue and all along you are making sure the most important priorities keep moving. If you love working between big strategy and small details this role is for you.
Who are we looking for
- You are a trusted operator who moves comfortably between strategy and detail.
- You are people-centred and commercially aware with sound judgement and total discretion.
- You are highly organised someone who spots issues early and drives them to resolution.
- You are a builder who enjoys creating systems and processes in a growing founder-led business.
- You are a coach and connector who brings teams together and helps managers lead well.
- You are calm and solutions-oriented with high standards integrity and empathy.
Your responsibilities
CEO Partnership and Strategic Execution
- You will act as a thought partner to the Founder & CEO helping to clarify priorities prepare decisions and turn direction into clear plans.
- You will own the leadership operating rhythm including agendas briefing materials decision logs action tracking and follow-through.
- You will keep a clear view of company-wide priorities risks dependencies and deadlines and raise issues early.
- You will lead or coordinate high-priority projects that cut across teams and do not belong to just one function.
- You will protect the time of the CEO by improving information flow and making sure only the right matters are escalated.
People Strategy and HR Leadership
- You will develop and deliver a practical people plan that supports growth culture and workforce needs.
- You will own the full employee lifecycle from workforce planning recruitment and onboarding to probation performance development engagement retention and offboarding.
- You will partner with functional leads on role design headcount performance expectations capability gaps and succession planning.
- You will set up fair consistent and well-documented HR policies contracts and employee records in line with Nigerian labour requirements.
- You will handle sensitive employee relations matters with care and proper documentation and bring in legal advice when needed.
- You will build a strong performance culture through goal setting regular feedback review cycles and development plans.
Business Operations
- You will design document and continuously improve core processes decision rights hand-offs and standard operating procedures.
- You will oversee day-to-day administration office operations facilities vendors subscriptions and essential business services.
- You will coordinate procurement logistics and maintenance and manage relationships with service providers.
- You will lead annual and quarterly planning turning company goals into plans owners milestones and measurable outcomes.
- You will ensure workplace health safety and compliance standards are met.
Leadership Culture and Communication
- You will create alignment across product development production sales and retail brand and marketing finance and support teams.
- You will make sure teams understand priorities decisions and changes and the reasons behind them.
- You will coach managers to lead well handle people matters consistently and build healthy accountable teams.
- You will strengthen team connection and engagement especially across remote hybrid or multi-location ways of working.
What Success looks like
- Leadership meetings run on a clear cadence with 90% of agreed actions tracked and closed on time.
- Company priorities are visible to all teams with quarterly plans that have clear owners milestones and measurable outcomes.
- HR policies contracts and employee records are fully documented and compliant with Nigerian labour requirements within the first 6 months.
- Open roles are filled within agreed timelines and new hires complete a structured onboarding and probation process.
- Every employee has clear goals and takes part in regular review cycles with employee retention and engagement improving year on year.
- Core processes and SOPs are documented and improved with at least 3 process improvements delivered each year.
- The Founder & CEO spends less time on operational issues and more time on strategic decisions.
To be considered for this role you should have
- At least 7 years of progressive experience across operations HR or people programme management business management or a Chief of Staff role including meaningful leadership responsibility.
- Proven success in turning strategy into plans and coordinating delivery across multiple functions.
- Strong working knowledge of people operations performance management employee relations HR documentation and workplace policy.
- Experience building or improving systems and processes in a growing founder-led or entrepreneurial organisation.
- Strong project management facilitation written communication analysis and reporting skills.
- High proficiency with modern collaboration project management and productivity tools.
- A degree or professional qualification in business HR law operations or project management is an advantage.
- Experience in fashion retail consumer goods luxury or creative industries is a plus.
- Experience supporting a Founder or CEO and working across teams in different locations or time zones is a plus.
- Familiarity with Nigerian employment practices and scaling a Nigeria-based business that serves international customers is a plus.
Challenges you may face in this role
- Switching quickly between big strategic priorities and everyday people or process issues.
- Balancing the needs of the CEO leaders and teams while keeping everyone aligned.
- Handling sensitive people matters with fairness and confidentiality while keeping the business moving.
- Building structure and systems in a fast-growing founder-led environment where things change quickly.
- Keeping teams connected and engaged across different locations and ways of working.
The goodies
- Competitive salary
- Opportunity for learning and growth
- Great team working environment and supportive team
- Direct access to the Founder & CEO and real influence over how the company is organised and led
- The chance to help build the operating foundation of an African fashion brand ready for international scale
