Deputy Chief of Staff (Office of the Mayor)

Position Overview

The Deputy Chief of Staff is a high-level leadership role reporting directly to and supporting the Chief of Staff in the Office of Mayor Cara Spencer. This position acts as a strategic internal operational anchor, ensuring the Mayor’s and Chief of Staff’s day-to-day operations align smoothly with the administration’s broader vision, policy priorities, and community needs.

The ideal candidate is an exceptionally organized, mission-driven leader who thrives in a complex and fast-paced public sector environment. You will directly oversee scheduling operations, civic engagement, constituent services, and internal office administration—fostering high-performing teams to ensure the Mayor’s Office remains highly responsive, accessible, transparent, and efficient for the people of St. Louis.

Why Apply for This Position?

This role offers a unique opportunity to serve as an operational anchor at a pivotal inflection point in the City of St. Louis. Under Mayor Cara Spencer’s administration, St. Louis is navigating a critical dynamic—balancing post-disaster recovery efforts following the 2025 tornado, accelerating neighborhood revitalization across historically disinvested communities, and addressing long-standing financial and operational modernization needs. At the same time, the administration is actively navigating complex state-local governance dynamics while aligning municipal leadership and community stakeholders around shared goals.

Joining the Mayor’s Office right now puts you at the center of executing an unapologetically ambitious, data-driven, and community-centered strategy aimed at driving long-term population stabilization, catalytic economic development, and high-performing, customer-first City government. As Deputy Chief of Staff, your day-to-day leadership directly powers the execution of the Mayor’s five core strategic priorities across St. Louis:

• Rebuilding Trust in City Services: By overseeing constituent services and civic engagement teams, you ensure that every community inquiry, service request, and local voice is met with timely, empathetic, and effective action, bridging the gap between residents and City Hall.
• Recovering & Revitalizing Neighborhoods: In leading the coordination of public outreach and engagement strategies, you will translate neighborhood-level needs directly into executive action and foster equitable growth in every corner of the city.
• Accelerating Economic Development: Through strategic scheduling, you will ensure the Mayor and executive leadership remain aligned with major business, civic, and regional stakeholders to drive transformative investments and job growth.
• Cultivating a Culture of Excellence: As a direct manager and mentor to the scheduling, administrative, and constituent services teams, you will foster a collaborative, mission-driven, and high-performance workplace within the Mayor’s Office.
• Modernizing City Government: You will streamline internal office workflows, enhance internal communication and coordination, and implement efficient operational practices that make the Mayor's Office more agile, responsive, and data-informed.

Key Responsibilities

Civic Engagement & Community Outreach

• Coordinate Public Engagement Strategy: Manage the Mayor’s civic engagement efforts to foster strong, collaborative relationships with community leaders, neighborhood associations, faith-based groups, and business stakeholders.
• Represent the Administration: Serve as a key representative of the Mayor’s Office at public events, neighborhood meetings, and community forums when required.
• Event Oversight: Supervise the planning and execution of town halls, community roundtables, and Mayor-hosted public events.

Constituent Services

• Direct Constituent Response: Oversee the team responsible for managing incoming constituent communications (letters, emails, phone calls, and walk-ins) to ensure timely, empathetic, and accurate resolution of community concerns.
• Interagency Liaison: Collaborate with the Mayor’s Operations team and relevant interagency departments (e.g., Citizens' Service Bureau) to track systemic constituent issues and streamline service delivery.

Strategic Scheduling & Operations

• Oversee Strategic Calendaring: Manage the Mayor’s scheduling team to evaluate, prioritize, and execute all internal and external meeting requests, ensuring the Mayor’s time aligns with administrative priorities.
• Briefing Coordination: Work alongside policy, operations, communications, and neighborhood teams to guarantee the Mayor is fully briefed with materials, talking points, and logistics prior to all engagements.
• Travel and Logistics Management: Oversee complex logistical planning for the Mayor's local, regional, and national travel.

Administrative & Office Management

• Internal Administration: Manage day-to-day internal office operations as directed by the Chief of Staff, also working in collaboration with the Office Manager.
• Staff Supervision: Directly manage and mentor a team of administrative assistants, schedulers, and constituent services staff, fostering a collaborative and professional workplace culture.
• Chief of Staff Support: Act on behalf of the Chief of Staff on designated internal operational matters and special administrative projects.

Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum of 5–7 years of professional experience in public administration, government relations, community organizing, or corporate operations. Prior experience in a mayoral, gubernatorial, or legislative office is highly preferred.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Political Science, Communications, Business Administration, or a related field (Master's degree preferred).
• Communication Skills: Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with a proven ability to engage diverse communities across the City of St. Louis.
• Problem-Solving: Strong critical-thinking skills with a track record of resolving complex operational or constituent issues under tight deadlines.
• Discretion: Absolute discretion and sound political judgment when handling sensitive, confidential information.
• Residency Requirement: Must comply with all City of St. Louis charter requirements regarding municipal employment residency.

Compensation and Benefits

The City offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, plus a comprehensive benefits package. The salary for this position ranges from $100,000 - $115,000. 

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit a comprehensive resume, a compelling cover letter outlining their qualifications and interest in the role, and three professional references, to Chief of Staff, Casey Millburg, at millburgc@stlouis-mo.gov.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The City of St. Louis is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of St. Louis will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourage both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the City.