Associate Director, Staffing
Description
TITLE: Associate Director, Staffing
LOCATION: Chicago, IL
REPORTS TO: Executive Vice President, Strategy & Operations
DEPARTMENT: Staffing & Engagement, Strategy & Operations
TYPE: Full Time, Hybrid (one-two days in-office per week)
LOCATION: Chicago, IL
REPORTS TO: Executive Vice President, Strategy & Operations
DEPARTMENT: Staffing & Engagement, Strategy & Operations
TYPE: Full Time, Hybrid (one-two days in-office per week)
CCS is unable to sponsor work visas for this position, including H-1B. Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future visa sponsorship.
WHO WE ARE
CCS Fundraising is an international strategic fundraising firm that partners with nonprofits for transformational change. Since 1947, CCS has empowered many of the world’s greatest organizations across sectors to advance some of the most important causes in history. We plan, manage, and implement programs and initiatives that achieve fundraising goals and mission impact.
CCS Fundraising is an international strategic fundraising firm that partners with nonprofits for transformational change. Since 1947, CCS has empowered many of the world’s greatest organizations across sectors to advance some of the most important causes in history. We plan, manage, and implement programs and initiatives that achieve fundraising goals and mission impact.
CCS provides tailored support to more than 700 nonprofit organizations annually. Headquartered in New York, the firm has over 600 professionals and 18 offices throughout the United States and Europe. Our people are our greatest strength. At CCS, you will join a diverse team of smart, passionate, and resourceful professionals who are driven by purpose and committed to performance.
UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE
The Associate Director, Staffing supports the strategic deployment of CCS talent across client and internal projects. This role helps align staffing decisions with business needs, manages communications around project assignments and transitions, and ensures systems are consistently updated. The Associate Director, Staffing supports collaborates closely with executives, directors, and engagement managers to maintain accurate records, communicate decisions clearly, and track professional development alignment.
This role is critical to ensuring staffing processes are equitable, transparent, and efficient, enabling the region to optimize utilization while supporting team growth and development.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Staffing Coordination & Strategy Support
- Exercise independent judgment in executing the regional staffing strategy, ensuring consistent application of staffing processes and tools to meet operational goals.
- Independently track, manage, and make recommendations on staffing requests, assignments, rotations, and transitions for onboarders, directors, and engagement managers.
- Take initiative to consult with executives regarding availability, preferences and developmental priorities, proactively advising on upcoming assignments.
- Contribute expertise in weekly staffing meetings, capturing key decisions, rationales, and recommending next steps for leadership alignment.
- Independently draft and distribute project start-up, transition, and briefing communications to ensure cross-team readiness.
- Work autonomously with Business Systems to synchronize contract and staffing data across all key systems.
- Maintain and regularly update staffing dashboards and utilization reports, using discretion to identify trends and areas for improvement.
- Monitor and proactively flag potential resourcing gaps, upcoming roll-offs, or competing assignments, elevating issues and recommendations to leadership as needed.
Recruitment & Talent Acquisition Collaboration
- Liaise with Corporate Talent Acquisition to share emerging regional hiring needs and staffing priorities.
- Track candidate progress, interview scheduling, and anticipated start dates for new hires.
- Support onboarding logistics to ensure smooth transitions into project assignments.
- Maintain and update candidate matrices, hiring trackers, and offer-to-start workflows.
- Help maintain documentation and communications for parental/medical leave coverage planning and reintegration.
- Collaborate with Engagement to ensure seamless transitions for new hires into client-facing assignments.
Project Activation & Professional Development Tracking
- Manage pre-project preparation, including ensuring all project folders, staffing boards, and communications are updated.
- Track director and EM staffing decisions, ensuring appropriate updates are made in all systems.
- Coordinate cross-team transfers and communicate updates to key stakeholders.
- Support the executive project briefing and debriefing process by tracking notes on feedback, assignability, and development themes.
- Partner with leadership to document and track staffing decisions in alignment with professional development goals and focal review insights.
Systems, Tools, & Data Integrity
- Maintain staffing boards, dashboards, and reports.
- Regularly audit staffing data for accuracy, consistency, and completion.
- Support creation and refinement of staffing templates, workflows, and communication tools.
- Partner with the Business Systems team on automation opportunities to improve efficiency.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
- 2-5 years prior experience supporting staffing, resourcing, or capacity planning within a professional services or consulting environment strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume of information with exceptional attention to detail and follow-through.
- Strong analytical and financial acumen, with experience tracking headcount, utilization, capacity, and related KPIs.
- Ability to think strategically and creatively to make staffing and resourcing recommendations that balance business needs, development goals, and utilization targets.
- Comfort partnering directly with senior leaders and executives, including presenting data, recommendations, and tradeoffs and gaining buy-in.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to manage complex, multi-stakeholder communications clearly and professionally.
- High level of ownership, proactivity, and sound judgment; able to anticipate needs and independently move work forward.
- Experience streamlining workflows, improving operational efficiency, and implementing scalable systems and SOPs.
- Familiarity with Monday.com, NetSuite, and HubSpot strongly preferred (or demonstrated ability to quickly learn new systems).
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment with competing priorities and tight timelines.
CCS offers competitive benefits, a dynamic training program, resources, career advancement, mentoring, and networking opportunities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourage a diverse pool of candidates to apply.
SALARY RANGE: $60,000 - $80,000
The exact salary varies within range based on years of relevant experience and education.