Council of the District of Columbia, At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman: Chief of Staff

LOCATION

Washington, DC, 20013

SALARY

$125000 - $140000 (Yearly)

HEALTHCARE

Employer-sponsored health insurance offered

DESIRED SKILLS

Managed a budget of $1,000,000, On the record comms experience, Written press releases, speeches, or op-eds

COMPANY

Council of the District of Columbia, At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman

DEPARTMENT

Management

EMPLOYMENT TYPE

Other

MINIMUM LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE

Senior Leadership (overseeing multiple Department Directors. Ex: Campaign Manager, Coordinated Manager)

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

cover letter and resume

APPLY BY

August 21, 2026

APPLICATION LINK

jobs@elissafordc.com

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION TITLE: Chief of Staff

 

SALARY: starting between $125,000-$140,000, commensurate with experience

 

POSITION OVERVIEW:

 

Do you want to make D.C. local government more effective, more efficient, and improve the lives of your neighbors? Do you like urban public policy? Do you enjoy managing colleagues to do their best work? Then read on…This position is for the Chief of Staff to a member of the Council of the District of Columbia. The Chief of Staff acts as a senior-level confidential adviser to the Councilmember, overseeing the daily operations of her office. 

 

The member is At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman, who is just returning to the D.C. Council after having served eight years previously. She is most well-known as the lead champion for D.C. Paid Family Leave. She also was a strong advocate for D.C.’s public housing communities, affordable housing in general, and for D.C.’s workers. She is largely seen as a progressive, but she is also frugal and demands a strong return on taxpayer investment. 

 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Managing and providing overall guidance to staff, including a fun work culture

  • Providing strategic policy advice on legislation and guidance for legislative director and policy counsel/advisers

  • Overseeing communications operations, including key messaging and social media

  • Managing a system for correspondence management, control, and tracking for constituent services, working with constituent services director and staff

  • Effectively and efficiently managing the Councilmember’s schedule 

  • Coordinating administrative and legislative support functions with the Office of the Secretary 

 

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Experience managing and training high-performing colleagues

  • Ability to design, maintain and improve a goal-oriented accountability structure without compromising staff autonomy or innovation

  • Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills; 

  • successful at motivating staff 

  • able to build relationships with a diverse set of community leaders and political activists across the city

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

  • Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously with frequent deadlines

  • Highly organized and have the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment

  • Knowledge of DC Government

 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategy Implementation: Oversee the execution of strategies developed in

collaboration with the Councilmember, ensuring alignment with her vision and

goals.

Team Operations: Manage the day-to-day operations of the office, including team

oversight, project coordination, and resource allocation. Proactively identify and

address potential roadblocks.

System Development and Efficiency: Develop and implement systems to improve

office efficiency and effectiveness. Regularly assess and refine existing processes for

continuous improvement.

 

Ability to work well with the Councilmember, who likes a high ROI, innovation, humor and pizza. 

 

PLEASE APPLY WITH A RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO JOBS@ELISSAFORDC.COM.

Questions? Email elissa.silverman@gmail.com