REI Co-op is united around discovering, building and celebrating better ways of working in this world, all so that folks can find and pursue a love of the outdoors. When you work for the co-op, you do your best work with the support to live your best life. And you play a part in shaping the future of the outdoors, for people and our planet.
This role serves as the Chief of Staff to the CTO, acting as a strategic advisor, operational leader, and integrator across the Technology function. It ensures the CTO’s vision is translated into actionable plans, drives cross-functional alignment, and leads strategic initiatives that enhance organizational effectiveness and innovation. This role works side by side, often in confidence, as a critical extension of the Chief Technology Officer’s vision, leadership, and voice.
This is not a traditional strategy role. As Chief of Staff to the CTO, you will operate at the intersection of strategy, operations, and leadership. You will be a force multiplier for the CTO, ensuring the right conversations happen at the right time, and that the Technology function operates with clarity, cohesion, and purpose.
As such, you will connect the dots, elevate insights and trends, and generate ideas with a strong point of view. You will be a key driver of critical initiatives, helping craft and amplify the intent and the messaging of the CTO. It requires a resourceful individual with strong emotional intelligence, self-motivation, influential leadership, organizational skills, strong work ethic, and a commitment to clear goals and measurable outcomes. Success in this role requires extraordinary oral and written communication skills, ability to work across the entire REI organization, and a passion for continuously improving our ways of working as a change agent. This director role requires strong business and financial acumen and the ability to work across a dynamic team and maximize the Technology function’s contribution to the quadruple bottom line (Employees, Members, Communities, Business).
Responsibilities and Qualifications
Responsibilities:
• Act as a ‘trusted counsel’ to the CTO and other senior leaders. Provide insights, analysis and a strong point of view on the organization’s strategic direction, operations, key decisions and other business areas. Ensure alignment between the vision and operational execution across the organization. Proactively research opportunities to elevate the function effectiveness and efficiency. Provide pre-decisional support to the CTO by synthesizing data, surfacing risks, and preparing briefing materials for key decisions
• Drive collaboration and strategic alignment across REI functions, ensuring and promoting close partnerships to avoid silos and drive shared objectives
• As the strategy leader for Technology function, collaborate with leadership and planning teams to develop annual and multi-year plans that align with REI’s goals. This includes development of timelines and process for the organization, providing inputs, external insights, and supporting teams through completion of associated deliverables
• Develop and drive comprehensive business plan recommendations, based on REI’s needs, analysis, emerging trends, and experience
• Develop, track and control, the Strategy, Planning and Operations annual operating and capital budget
• Lead, prioritize, and be accountable for the work assigned to the Strategy, Planning and Operations team
• Oversee the Technology function operations with elevated awareness and understanding of the key initiatives and workstreams the technology function is focused on. Identify potential conflicts and dependencies between those, formulate recommendations and oversee resolution for successful outcomes across these priorities
• Routinely challenge the status quo in a constructive way and exercise independent judgment on ways of working, developing methods and techniques for achieving objectives
• Support the CTO with the flexibility to work around their schedule; define and drive the operating rhythm (cadence, content, and logistics for business and strategic reviews). This may include representing the CTO in some meetings they are unable to attend, and help navigate urgent or high-stakes situations
• Serve as a point of escalation and triage for urgent issues, ensuring timely resolution and communication
• Lead and drive the technology functions goals and OKR process, ensuring alignment with REI’s strategy and objectives. Establish and maintain dashboards to track progress against strategic goals, OKRs, and key initiatives
• Championing the “Business of Technology”, collaborate closely with leaders across REI to maximize operational efficiency as well as optimized program spend mix planning & budgeting, headcount planning, modeling, and hiring
• Lead special projects and programs, including key strategic initiatives that impact the overall success of the company as well as team culture initiatives to help support a healthy organization. Some projects will span beyond the scope of the Technology function, requiring collaboration across the REI functions
• Develop and orchestrate overall Technology governance processes to manage demand across the teams and ensure resources are optimized to meet overall priorities
• Plan and facilitate meetings to deliver expected outcomes, including building and/or advising on agendas, guiding the discussion, ensure meeting notes and action items are captured and distributed timely, and follow up as required
• Prepare, develop, and execute all executive management presentations including Operations meetings, Executive Leadership Team meetings, and Board of Director presentations
• Drive communication and change management for the Technology function, in collaboration with HR business partners and the REI Communications team
• Foster a strong, mutually supportive work spirit and culture where people can do their best
Required Skills & Experience:
- 10+ years of team leadership experience in a complex and fast-moving environment
- 5+ years working in, or closely with, an enterprise Technology function
- 10+ years of demonstrated success leading large, time sensitive, complex and concurrent projects
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- 10+ years of expertise in project and change management, leading complex transformations
- Solid business and technology acumen, critical thinking, advanced problem-solving, time management, and organizational skills
- Experience working in, or closely with a large Technology function supporting a $1B+ business
- Discretion, executive presence, sharp decision-making leveraging deep analytical skills, quick and effective complex information processing
- Strong sense of self-awareness, can relate well, learn quickly, and adapt to changes while remaining calm under pressure
- Results and outcome driven, versatile self-starter with a team-oriented work style
- Excellent written and oral communication skills including negotiation skills. Ability to communicate complex concepts concisely, clearly, and effectively across multiple levels including senior executive level, peers, and managers
- Experience working directly with senior executive leadership teams
- Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and lead through ambiguity, including outside own organization
- Strong emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, active listening skills
- Makes effective organization, people and business decisions in a manner consistent with the Co-op Way
- Highest level of integrity and management of confidential information
- Strong sense of accountability for self, team members and colleagues; ensure deliverables are completed timely and deadlines are met
- Demonstrate pragmatism and good judgement when faced with new challenges and/or difficult tradeoffs
- Consistently demonstrate director level skills proficiency
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working with a global team
MBA - Experience in a Chief of Staff, strategy, or executive advisory role
- Located within Seattle area for ease of meeting in person as needed
Closing
At REI, we believe the outdoors is for all. We are committed to becoming a fully inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural organization. We know that there's strength in our diversity – that each employee brings unique skills, experiences, and perspectives. Every day you are driving change, fostering a culture of respect, and knowing you're backed by benefits that support your whole life. To work towards this commitment and fulfill our brand promise of inspiring and enabling a life outside for everyone, we seek employees who demonstrate different ways of working, create a sense of belonging, and actively listen and learn.
Pay Transparency
We are committed to practices that promote pay equity and transparency. As required by applicable Pay Transparency laws, REI provides a range of compensation for roles that may be hired in locations under these requirements. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include a wide array of factors, including: your specific skills and experience, geographic location or other relevant factors.
REI offers all regular employees a generous employee discount, access to health benefits, a retirement savings plan and accrued time off. Click here for a detailed overview of benefits plans by employee profile.
Pay Range
$140,300.00 - $238,600.00 per year