Chief of staff

Recruiter:K2 RecruitJob Ref:3472309593Date posted:Monday, March 9, 2026Location:Cape Town, South AfricaSUMMARY:POSITION INFO:K2 Recruit is proud to partner with a high-growth, performance-driven organisation to appoint a strategic and execution-focused Chief of Staff to the CEO.This is a high-impact 2IC role within the Office of the CEO, designed to strengthen organisational rhythm, structured decision-making, governance discipline, and cross-functional execution.This role does not own line operations or strategy. Instead, it exists to increase the leverage, clarity, and effectiveness of the CEO by ensuring that what is decided gets executed — with discipline, structure, and momentum.This is not a stepping-stone role. The successful candidate will bring maturity, independent judgement, commercial depth, and the confidence to engage at executive and board level.The RoleThe Chief of Staff acts as an integrator and orchestrator, ensuring alignment around CEO-sponsored priorities and enabling structured follow-through across leadership forums and enterprise-wide initiatives.Your mandate is simple but critical:Create clarity.Drive alignment.Ensure disciplined execution.Key Responsibility AreasOrganisational Rhythm & Executive CadenceEstablish and maintain structured executive and organisational operating rhythmsDesign cadence frameworks to support planning, tracking, and deliveryEnsure leadership forums operate with clarity and purposeDecision EnablementFrame strategic and operational issues clearlyPrepare structured decision packs including options, trade-offs, and implicationsImplement escalation discipline and decision-flow structureEnsure decisions land clearly and move into executionExecution CoordinationCoordinate mobilisation of CEO-sponsored and cross-functional prioritiesAlign stakeholders around enterprise initiativesTrack execution milestones and surface risks earlyRemove bottlenecks and ensure forward momentumGovernance & Board EnablementPrepare and coordinate Board, Exco, and governance forumsEnsure disciplined follow-through on governance actionsDrive structured issue resolution across executive and board environmentsExternal & Strategic EngagementCoordinate and prepare key external engagements aligned to CEO prioritiesEnsure alignment between external commitments and internal executionEnterprise Performance VisibilityEnable integration and visibility of enterprise execution systems (e.g., OGSM, 4DX, KPI dashboards)Strengthen performance tracking at executive levelEnsure actions raised in governance forums are tracked and closedAbout YouYou are calm, structured, and intellectually sharp. You have strong emotional intelligence and situational awareness — able to read dynamics, manage complexity, and influence senior stakeholders without ego. You bring clarity to ambiguity and structure to fast-moving environments.You are:Confident without arroganceDirect but diplomaticAnalytical yet pragmaticRelentless about follow-throughComfortable having difficult conversationsConcise and outcome-focusedYou naturally create rhythm, order, and alignment across leadership environments.Required Experience5+ years’ experience in a strategic, advisory, consulting, executive support, or senior coordination roleProven experience working closely with senior leadership or executive teamsDemonstrated ability to drive initiatives end-to-end in complex, high-performance environmentsStrong exposure to executive-level communication and structured analysisExperience coordinating cross-functional stakeholders without direct authorityKnowledge & CapabilityExecutive operating rhythms and governance structuresStrategic planning enablement and execution trackingBusiness performance analysis and reporting frameworksOrganisational dynamics and stakeholder managementCross-functional project coordinationStructured problem-solving and issue resolution methodologiesWhat Will Make You Stand Out Honours or Master’s degree in:Industrial PsychologyIndustrial EngineeringLawAccountingCommerceBusiness ManagementOr related analytical disciplineStrong capability in issue framing and structured decision enablementComfort orchestrating senior stakeholders without formal authoritySolid exposure to governance processes and executive forum managementNatural inclination toward accountability, loop-closing, and execution disciplineExperience in wholesale distribution, manufacturing, order fulfilment, or network-driven business environments (advantageous)