Chief of Staff

Chief of Staff

Location: Mumbai  |  Function: CEO’s Office

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Purpose: Reporting to the CEO, the Chief of Staff serves as a strategic advisor and trusted partner to the Executive Office. The role drives strategic alignment, organizational effectiveness, governance and execution of key business priorities across the organization. Acting as a force multiplier for the CEO and senior leadership team, the incumbent leads cross-functional initiatives, enables informed decision-making, optimizes executive effectiveness and ensures disciplined delivery of strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Organizational Alignment

• Partner with the CEO and senior leadership team to shape, communicate and execute the organization's strategic agenda.

• Drive alignment of priorities and objectives across business and functional teams.

• Support the establishment of enterprise goals, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and structured performance tracking.

• Conduct market intelligence, competitive benchmarking and business analysis to identify growth opportunities, emerging trends and strategic risks.

• Prepare executive-level insights, recommendations and decision-support materials.

Business Operations & Governance

• Monitor business performance, strategic initiatives and operational priorities on behalf of the Executive Office.

• Identify organizational inefficiencies and lead process improvements to strengthen productivity and operating effectiveness.

• Establish governance mechanisms and review forums to track execution, risks, dependencies and outcomes.

• Coordinate the annual operating plan, budgeting cycle and periodic business performance reviews in partnership with functional leaders.

• Ensure timely escalation and resolution of business-critical issues.

Program & Project Leadership

• Lead complex, enterprise-wide and cross-functional projects from definition through implementation.

• Develop implementation roadmaps, milestones and accountability mechanisms, and monitor progress against agreed outcomes.

• Manage multiple high-priority initiatives while maintaining alignment with organizational objectives.

• Anticipate delivery risks, resolve dependencies and facilitate decisions required for successful execution.

Executive Communications & Stakeholder Management

• Act as a key liaison between the Executive Office, business and functional leaders, employees and relevant external stakeholders.

• Develop and review executive briefings, leadership communications, board presentations, strategic reports and speeches.

• Enable accurate, timely and effective information flow across the leadership team.

• Build alignment among diverse stakeholder groups and support resolution of cross-functional challenges through influence and diplomacy.

Executive Effectiveness & Leadership Support

• Design and manage the rhythm of leadership meetings, board sessions, strategic reviews, off-sites and governance forums.

• Develop agendas, prepare briefing materials, document decisions and drive closure of agreed action items.

• Help prioritize executive focus areas, filter competing demands and ensure the CEO is comprehensively briefed for critical engagements.

• Represent the Executive Office, where appropriate, in internal or external forums while maintaining alignment with leadership priorities and viewpoints.

Culture & Change Enablement

• Support leadership in fostering a high-performance, collaborative and accountable culture.

• Facilitate change and transformation initiatives and encourage adoption of new ways of working.

• Identify organizational or stakeholder concerns early and support constructive, discreet resolution.

• Manage confidential organizational, legal, financial, people and personal information with the highest standards of integrity and discretion.

Key Metrics

• Timely achievement of strategic priorities, enterprise initiatives and agreed business outcomes.

• Quality and effectiveness of governance, KPI tracking and executive review mechanisms.

• On-time delivery of cross-functional programs, with proactive management of risks and dependencies.

• Timely closure of decisions and action items arising from leadership and board reviews.

• Improvement in operational effectiveness and stakeholder alignment.

• Quality, accuracy and timeliness of executive communication and decision-support materials.

Critical Competencies

• Strategic thinking and business acumen

• Executive presence, judgment and decision support

• Stakeholder management and influencing without authority

• Collaboration and relationship building

• Problem solving and systems thinking

• Program leadership and execution discipline

• Communication, diplomacy and conflict resolution

• Agility, adaptability and ability to operate in ambiguity

• Emotional intelligence, integrity and absolute discretion

Technical Competencies

• Strategic planning and execution

• Business operations, governance and performance management

• Program and project management

• Market research, competitive analysis and business insight generation

• Financial and commercial acumen, including planning and budget coordination

• Executive communication, presentation development and board-level documentation

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Economics, Finance or a related discipline.

• MBA or another relevant postgraduate qualification is preferred.

Experience

• 8-10 years of progressive professional experience in strategy, management consulting, business operations, corporate planning or an executive office role.

• Demonstrated experience working closely with senior leadership and influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority.

• Proven experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives and delivering enterprise-level outcomes.

• Experience in supporting organizational transformation, governance or high-priority special projects is preferred.

Why join us?

Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI) (formerly known as Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, Japan. A leading media and entertainment conglomerate, SPNI comprises 29 Premium Channels in both SD and HD formats, including leading Hindi General Entertainment Television Channels - Sony Entertainment Television; Sony SAB and Sony PAL; Marathi General Entertainment Channel - Sony Marathi; Bangla General Entertainment Channel - Sony AATH; Hindi Movie Channels - Sony MAX, Sony MAX 1, Sony MAX 2 and Sony WAH; renowned destination for sports fans - Sony Sports Network comprising Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony Sports Ten 4, Sony Sports Ten 5; Kids Entertainment Channel - Sony YAY!; English Movie Channel - Sony PIX; Factual Entertainment Channel - Sony BBC Earth; Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channel in the US and Canada – Sony KAL; Digital entertainment OTT platform - Sony LIV and the independent production venture for original content and IPs for TV and digital media - Studio NEXT. This Network reaches out to over 700 million viewers in India and is available in over 150 countries.

Recognized as an employer of choice within and outside the media industry, SPNI is a recipient of several awards, including India’s Best Companies to Work For 2021 by the Great Place to Work® Institute, India, Exemplars of Inclusion in AVTAR & Seramount’s Most Inclusive Companies Index 2024 and listed as one of the 100 Best Companies for Women in India for eight consecutive years by AVTAR & Seramount. In recognition of the company’s unique workplace culture and exceptional people practices SPNI won the ET Future Skills 2024 for Best Learning Program Supporting Change Transformation Business Strategy, and the TISS LeapVault CLO Awards 2024 for Best Employee Engagement Program and Best Games Based Learning Program.

SPNI is in its 31st year of operations in India. Besides having overseas subsidiaries, it has a subsidiary MSM-Worldwide Factual Media Private Limited, and an affiliate, Bangla Entertainment Private Limited in India.

For more information, log onto www.sonypicturesnetworks.com