The Chief of Staff. You'll probably know of it from the military, but in civvy street it's one of the best-kept secrets in leadership roles, and a perfect match for those with armed forces experience.

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Once upon a time, the Chief of Staff (CoS) was just a glorified PA. Not anymore. These days, it’s a high-impact, high-trust position sitting right next to the CEO. Think strategy execution, firefighting, culture change, and making sure the wheels don’t come off when leadership’s juggling too much.

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For veterans moving into the civilian world, this is one of the best post-military careers.

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So, what is a Chief of Staff?

Here’s the armed services definition: you're the person who keeps things moving, aligns everyone behind the mission, and quietly fixes chaos before it hits the boss’s inbox.

In civilian business, the CoS role is the bridge between ideas and execution, the one who turns strategy into reality without making a fuss. You’ll often be:

• Leading cross-functional projects: Herding cats across departments, getting alignment, delivering results.
• Driving strategy: Not just making the plan, ensuring it doesn’t gather dust on a SharePoint folder.
• Creating dashboards and KPIs: Making metrics that matter, not just fluff to please the board.
• Informing decisions: Breaking down data into clear insights so leaders can act.
• Managing change and culture shifts: Think morale meets mission command, but in civvy lingo.

It’s leadership, with teeth.

The Salary’s Not Bad Either

Let’s skip the fluff: this is one of the best paying  jobs on the market. In 2024, a Chief of Staff earns:

• Base salary: £85K to £180K
• Total package: Can hit £250K+ in the right company

But it’s not just about money. You’re right in the thick of decision-making. Think of it as being at HQ, not left out in the sticks. You’ll build a powerful network, develop cross-sector experience, and get direct exposure to C-suite leadership.

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Translation? It’s a launchpad for your second career.

Why Veterans Make Brilliant Chiefs of Staff

No need for a “veterans are heroes” speech. This is about skills, and you’ve got them.

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Military roles prepare you for the exact challenges CoS roles throw your way. Here’s how:

Leadership and Strategy

• Leading under pressure: You’ve done more with less, led in complex environments, and kept teams focused during chaos. Civilian execs will pay good money for that.
• Big-picture thinking: You’ve planned campaigns, operations, and deployments. Business strategy? Piece of cake.
• Crisis management: You’re used to snap decisions, incomplete intel, and high stakes. That’s Tuesday in the military.
• Driving change: Whether it’s unit reorgs or adjusting to mission shifts, you’ve done it without losing your team, or your cool head.

Operational Excellence

• Project execution: Military ops are basically the gold standard in multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Cross-functional comms: Army, Navy, RAF, civilians, you’ve aligned them all before. Doing the same across marketing, sales and ops? You’ll manage.
• Resource management: You’ve made tight budgets work before. (And you didn’t even get a bonus.)
• Mission focus: While civvies chase 17 KPIs, you know how to lock onto what actually matters.

How to Get There

Right, how do you take this from theory to salary?

1. Upskill (without going full MBA unless you really want to)

• A short business strategy course or a Chief of Staff bootcamp is usually enough to bridge the jargon gap.
• Consider PMP or PRINCE2 if you want the badge.
• Leadership development? Only if it’s practical. No kumbaya retreats.

2. Translate Your Skills

• Civilian hiring managers don’t speak in military acronyms. Help them out.
• Use phrases like "cross-functional leadership", "organisational change", "risk mitigation", and "strategic planning".
• Quantify your achievements: budget size, number of people managed, projects delivered.

3. Network Like It’s a Mission Brief

• Join the Chief of Staff Association or similar networks.
• Get into rooms with decision-makers — conferences, events, online forums.
• Use platforms like Redeployable to connect with veteran-friendly organisations looking for leadership talent.

4. Target the Right Employers

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Plenty of UK armed forces news headlines now cover senior military talent moving into major commercial firms. Some of the most promising roles for former service members are appearing in fast-growth sectors , think tech, finance, healthcare, and defence-adjacent companies.

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This Role Isn’t for Everyone

The Chief of Staff position sits in that sweet spot, strategic, operational, high-trust. If you’re used to making things happen behind the scenes and want to stay close to decision-making without needing to be the public face, it’s ideal.

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There’s no single path in. Some come via operations. Others from project management. But military occupational skills, especially for senior NCOs and officers, align brilliantly.

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So if you're or hunting for a civilian career with real teeth, keep this one firmly on your radar.

Not sure if your background fits? Let’s sort that.

At Redeployable, we leverage AI to make career resettlement simple, transparent, and tailored to you. Our AI-powered tools match you with roles like Chief of Staff based on your military skills, experience, and values - not just your last rank.

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