Chief of Staff to the Chief People Officer

Full-time - Senior

Milpitas, CA

About the position

The Chief of Staff (CoS) to Sandisk’s Chief People Officer (CPO) is a highly strategic and execution-focused leadership role responsible for driving the strategy, planning, and operational execution of the People Experience function. This role is central to ensuring the CPO’s vision and priorities are effectively executed across the enterprise. The CoS will play a critical role in aligning People strategy with business priorities, supporting C-Suite and CEO succession planning in partnership with Executive Compensation, leading People Experience messaging for the Board of Directors, and driving enterprise-wide leadership and engagement initiatives. This individual will be responsible for leading and delivering high-impact projects, driving operational efficiency, and enabling effective decision-making for the CPO and the broader People leadership team.

Responsibilities

• Shape and manage the People Organization’s strategic priorities, ensuring alignment with business goals and executive priorities.
• Own the operational rhythm of the People function, fostering transparency, consistency, and proactive planning across initiatives.
• Drive the CPO’s strategic agenda, including fiscal year planning, portfolio management, budget oversight, and business reviews.
• Lead and execute critical People-related projects, ensuring they have clear milestones, value metrics, and measurable impact.
• Support enterprise-wide workforce planning, organizational design, and change management strategies for the People function.
• Identify and drive process simplifications and operational efficiencies to enhance stakeholder engagement and execution.
• Act as an advisor and thought partner to the CPO, advocating on behalf of the People team and reinforcing a culture of trust, inclusivity, and strategic leadership.
• Support the CPO and enable the execution of C-Suite and CEO succession planning in collaboration with Executive Compensation, Talent, and Governance teams.
• Support the CPO in developing the People Experience strategy for Board of Directors presentations, ensuring alignment with enterprise goals.
• Lead preparation for Board meetings, including curating key narratives, impact metrics, and strategic insights for the CPO’s readout.
• Synthesize input from the Board, Executive Leadership Team (ELT), and external stakeholders to shape enterprise-wide People priorities.
• Oversee and drive key executive leadership development initiatives, ensuring they align with enterprise talent strategies and succession needs.
• Lead top engagement and listening initiatives, surfacing insights that shape People strategy and enhance employee experience.
• Manage People Experience-related projects that emerge from Board discussions, C-Suite priorities, or enterprise transformation needs.
• Own the execution of high-profile events, including leadership summits, enterprise listening forums, and culture transformation initiatives.
• Partner cross-functionally to enhance corporate philanthropic strategies and reinforce external-facing People and culture narratives.
• Partner with the CPO to craft and deliver compelling narratives about the People function’s impact, vision, and strategic priorities.
• Manage internal and external communications for the CPO, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with enterprise goals.
• Oversee People strategy messaging for the Board of Directors, ensuring insights are impactful, data-driven, and strategically aligned.
• Partner on go-to-market communication strategies for key People programs, driving clarity, adoption, and business impact.
• Liaise with Corporate Communications to integrate people strategy messaging into broader company-wide strategic narratives.
• Build strong, trust-based relationships with the ELT, and key internal and external stakeholders.
• Navigate complex and ambiguous environments, anticipating leadership needs and proactively addressing challenges.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, strategic alignment, and disciplined execution, ensuring all stakeholders remain engaged and accountable.
• Manage and develop a small team, driving execution excellence and fostering talent development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in a global, fast-paced organization.
• 8+ years in a strategic business, consulting, or leadership role with expertise in talent strategy, executive planning, or organizational change.
• Proven ability to lead high-impact projects, drive strategic initiatives, and manage cross-functional stakeholder alignment.

Nice-to-haves

• Exceptional strategic thinking and execution skills—ability to connect business strategy with People priorities and drive meaningful impact.
• Experience in C-Suite and CEO succession planning, including working with Executive Compensation and Board governance teams.
• Proven ability to develop Board of Directors messaging and lead executive-level communications.
• Strong stakeholder management and executive influence, with the ability to build trust and navigate complex decision-making environments.
• Agility in managing ambiguity and driving change leadership through influence rather than authority.
• Ability to synthesize large amounts of data into compelling insights and articulate key trends for executive decision-making.
• Experience in designing, executing, and measuring engagement, listening, and leadership development programs.
• Track record of successfully managing teams and driving execution excellence in high-stakes, high-visibility initiatives.

Benefits

• Paid vacation time
• Paid sick leave
• Medical/dental/vision insurance
• Life, accident and disability insurance
• Tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts
• Employee assistance program
• Other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity
• Tuition reimbursement
• Transit benefits
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Sandisk's Savings 401(k) Plan