In modern organizational structures, especially in government, large corporations, and complex institutions, the title Chief of Staff has become both vital and prominent. But as organizations scale and strategy becomes more intricate, a surprising development has emerged — the rise of a new supporting role: the Chief of Staff to the Chief of Staff. This layered position reflects a nuanced and ever-evolving hierarchy, aimed at streamlining decision-making and boosting institutional coherence.
TLDR: A Chief of Staff to the Chief of Staff is a supporting executive role that helps the primary Chief of Staff manage responsibilities, prioritize tasks, and maintain operational efficiency. This role is becoming more common in highly complex or fast-scaling organizations, where the traditional Chief of Staff is overwhelmed by volume and speed. It creates a mini-hierarchy that lets the Chief of Staff stay strategic while the deputy ensures day-to-day flow. While uncommon, this title is a growing trend in both corporate and government sectors.
The Traditional Role of the Chief of Staff
The Chief of Staff (CoS) is widely regarded as the gatekeeper, strategist, and operational manager behind the leader of an organization — be it the CEO, a cabinet secretary, or a general. Their primary responsibilities include:
- Managing information flow between leadership and departments
- Coordinating execution of cross-functional initiatives
- Strategic counsel on internal priorities
- Decision facilitation and filtering
- Problem-solving across both tactical and strategic domains
In government, particularly, the White House Chief of Staff exemplifies a peak form of this role. Similarly, in high-growth startups or major corporations, the CoS is a vital conduit between the executive suite and the wider organization.
Why Does a Chief of Staff Need Their Own Chief of Staff?
It might sound redundant at first — how can a CoS, designed to reduce complexity, now need their own aide? The answer lies in scaling and speed. As companies grow past a certain size or complexity, or during high-stakes campaigns and initiatives, the Chief of Staff becomes overburdened by:
- Too many simultaneous projects to track personally
- High volumes of fluid communication requiring triage
- Need for more real-time delegation and micro-coordination
Enter the Chief of Staff to the Chief of Staff (CoS²). This person doesn’t compete with or override the main Chief of Staff. Instead, they provide operational and tactical support that frees up the CoS to remain focused on vision, alignment, and strategy. Think of the CoS² as the deputy to an already overloaded deputy head.
Key Responsibilities of a Chief of Staff to the Chief of Staff
Though not always formalized in smaller teams, the CoS² role is defined by certain core functions:
- Internal project triaging: Assigning urgency and resources to incoming requests before they reach the main CoS
- Information filtering: Summarizing reports, issues, and decisions into digestible formats for higher review
- Calendar and priority alignment: Coordinating logistics and timing across senior stakeholders
- Meeting prep and follow-up: Recording takeaways, tracking accountability, and pushing status updates forward
- Communications support: Crafting or reviewing communications before they hit the desks of senior leadership
Some compare this to being the “shadow CoS,” while others treat it like a junior consigliere. In military-style or defense institutions, it may resemble the role of a senior aide-de-camp.
Who Typically Fills This Role?
This isn’t an entry-level position. Organizations usually select from seasoned project managers, policy advisors, chief administrative officers, or former exec assistants with high strategic aptitude. Typical candidates for CoS² roles possess:
- High EQ: They must read interpersonal and organizational signals expertly
- Extreme discretion: They are often privy to sensitive and early-stage information
- Command of complexity: Able to play “air traffic controller” to dozens of simultaneous priorities
They may be thought of as the “manager of the manager,” tuned to operations without stepping on strategic toes. Their relationship with the primary CoS must be built on profound trust and transparency.
Benefits of Adding Another Layer
Though it might appear bureaucratic, the inclusion of a CoS² often reduces organizational friction through:
- Improved information distribution
- More responsive action on small and mid-scale issues
- Easier prioritization for overwhelmed top officials
- Seamless succession planning, turning CoS² into future Chief of Staff candidates
It also allows the CoS to dedicate more bandwidth to “tier-one” priorities such as strategic growth, governance expansion, or diplomatic ventures in a public sector setup.
Risks and Pitfalls of Over-Structuring
Creating more titles doesn’t always lead to more effective operations. The CoS² role can become problematic if:
- The chain of command is unclear, creating confusion or resentment
- Decision-making slows down instead of accelerating
- Duplicate responsibilities between the CoS and CoS²
The solution is clarity. Clearly outlined scopes of authority and communication channels must accompany the addition of this role. Otherwise, power struggles or inefficiencies can arise.
Real-World Examples
While not all organizations advertise this role explicitly, it has quietly emerged behind the scenes in various entities, such as:
- Global tech firms managing billion-dollar, multi-region projects
- Governmental task forces during crisis responses
- Diplomatic teams managing both internal and external communications
- Nonprofits with layered leadership and simultaneous partner initiatives
Some entities may retitle the position to “Deputy Chief of Staff,” “Director of Office Operations,” or “Executive Strategy Advisor,” but the function remains essentially the same.
Conclusion: Necessary or Frivolous?
The emergence of a Chief of Staff to the Chief of Staff underscores the increasing sophistication and pace of today’s organizations. It reflects the necessity of internal specialization and how leadership support roles continue to evolve. In the right setting, it can dramatically increase the strategic output of both the Chief of Staff and the organization’s executive leadership.
However, for it to work, the lines must be drawn decisively. Without a separation of duties and unified trust, this new layer may do more harm than good. With clarity and purpose, though, the Chief of Staff to the Chief of Staff becomes another strategic lever to keep complex organizations agile.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this a common role in organizations?
- Not widely advertised yet, but it’s increasingly common in high-growth, high-complexity settings like large tech companies, nonprofits, and government task forces.
- What’s the difference between a Deputy Chief of Staff and a CoS to the CoS?
- They’re often synonymous, but a Deputy CoS might have more direct reports or functional authority, while a CoS² focuses more narrowly on supporting the Chief of Staff operationally.
- Can someone in this role become a Chief of Staff in the future?
- Absolutely. It’s often seen as a stepping stone and serves as a de facto proving ground for promotion into the main role.
- How can an organization know it’s time to add this role?
- When the Chief of Staff is overwhelmed, response times slow, and upper leadership expresses concern about missed opportunities or communication failures — it’s time to consider a supporting CoS².
- Do all Chiefs of Staff have this support?
- No, only those in the most complex or burdened settings. Many CoS continue without any direct aide unless scale demands it.
