Become a Certified Chief of Staff®
The professional certification for the role. Built on the Chief of Staff Impact Framework™, it develops and assesses the 24 competencies that define mastery, with progress measured through the Chief of Staff Impact Profile™. Recognised worldwide, it travels with you throughout your career, and the training it takes to get there costs nothing beyond your pathway fee.
75+
countries in the network
300+
resources in the Resource Bank
Year-round
in-person events in our hubs
Four stages over 12 months
Apply
Choose your pathway and begin with the Chief of Staff Impact Profile™, a self-assessment that maps your strengths and growth areas and recommends the six electives most likely to move you forward.
Learn
Work through the Online Certification Programme: six mandatory modules, six electives of your choice and four facilitated sessions. Everything opens on day one, and at one module a week most members finish in three months.
Apply it at work
Your capstone is a real project in your own organisation, in two stages: an initial briefing after your second module, then an update showing the impact you achieved. Each is assessed by the CSA Education team, with feedback.
Certify
Complete the programme and pass your capstone to become a Certified Chief of Staff®. Your certificate and badge appear in the Member Portal and the directory, and mentoring opens to you, with a senior chief of staff to guide your next step.
World-class training for professional chiefs of staff
You earn the Certified Chief of Staff® certification through our Online Certification Programme, included in every pathway, or through residential executive education at three of the world's most respected institutions.
Online Certification Programme
The online training built specifically for chiefs of staff. Learn from senior practitioners, apply each module to your own organisation and complete a capstone project alongside a peer cohort who face the same challenges you do. Completing the programme earns the Certified Chief of Staff® certification at no cost beyond your membership.
Leads to Certified Chief of Staff®
Format
Online modules in a live peer cohort
Duration
Around four hours weekly
Assessment
Capstone project applied to your organisation
Cost
Included in every pathway
SDA Bocconi, Italy
Dates: 15 to 19 March 2027
Format: classroom discussion of case studies
Duration: four days, four nights
Key themes: geopolitical risk, regulatory complexity, European frameworks for global commerce
Work with faculty from one of Europe's leading business schools and engage with leaders who understand the forces reshaping the global environment. Through discussion, debate and shared experience, you will develop the skills to interpret geopolitical complexity and bring sharper strategic thinking to your principal. By the programme's end you will have built a trusted network of chiefs of staff from around the world, one that will continue to support you long after you leave Rome.
Register interest: education@csa.org
Programme detailsLeads to Certified Chief of Staff®
University of Oxford
Dates: 28 June to 1 July 2027
Format: classroom discussion of case studies
Duration: four days, four nights
Key themes: environment scanning, transformation, stakeholder alignment, influence
Work with Oxford academics and come face to face with distinguished political, diplomatic and business leaders, who share firsthand insights on the chief of staff role and its evolving challenges. You will engage in discussion and debate, in the classroom and at informal gatherings, exchanging best practice and real-world experience. By week's end you will have built a trusted network of chiefs of staff who will continue to support you long after the programme ends.
Register interest: education@csa.org
Programme detailsLeads to Certified Chief of Staff®
Harvard Business School
Dates: Next dates to be announced
Format: classroom discussion of case studies
Duration: four days, four nights
Key themes: negotiation, building trust, AI and innovation, leading change
Immerse yourself in real-world case studies that tackle today's toughest organisational challenges. In the classroom you will analyse leadership dilemmas, practise influence and conflict-management techniques, and hone strategies for building trust and alignment across teams; outside the sessions you will exchange insights and experiences with fellow chiefs of staff. By week's end you will have a deeper understanding of your strategic impact and leave ready to influence at the highest levels.
Register interest: education@csa.org
Programme detailsLeads to Certified Chief of Staff®
A high-trust, high-pressure role deserves a recognised standard
The chief of staff shapes decisions, strengthens leadership and defines the role itself. Certification gives that work a name your principal, your board and your next employer all recognise.
Industry recognition
The Certified Chief of Staff® certification, earned through our Online Certification Programme or our residential executive education programmes, signals to employers and stakeholders that you meet the highest professional standards the role demands.
A stronger candidate
Certification demonstrates mastery across the profession's core skills and strengthens your candidacy for chief of staff roles at the highest level. Certified members are preferred candidates in our recruitment and placement work.
An exclusive global community
Certification is your gateway to a trusted network of senior chiefs of staff across 75 countries and every sector, from Fortune 500 boardrooms to government cabinets and military command.
Trusted by chiefs of staff at the highest levels
“A chief of staff is essential to any organization's success, acting as the right hand and trusted advisor to the leader, which is why I love the mission of The Chief of Staff Association to advocate for this role and define what a great Chief of Staff looks like.”
Deb Cupp
Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, Microsoft
“The Chief of Staff Association brings together the best of the best. Here you share ideas, solve problems, innovate, learn, build life long friendships, and more. A community of excellence, where you truly become a Global Chief of Staff.”
Joseph Sciortino
Chief of Staff, FEMA Region 2
“Agents of action are the bedrock for achieving great outcomes. The Chief of Staff Association recognises this fact and provides a network to support those who execute the vision at hand.”
Ramsey Allington
Chief of Staff, Phones & Wearables, Google Inc.
Our programmes and events bring together the most senior chiefs of staff in the world alongside subject matter experts from government, intelligence, business and media.
Your Certification pathways
One certification, with twelve months to earn it and everything that carries you through it included: the training, the profile and the network all run for the length of your pathway. Every pathway leads to the Certified Chief of Staff®.
Every pathway leads to the Certified Chief of Staff® certification
All pricing in USD
Certification
Most popular
$4,950
Complete within 12 months
Key features
Full certification pathway
Online Certification Programme
Capstone project in your own organisation
Eligible for Harvard, Oxford and SDA Bocconi programmes
Fellowship
$19,950
Residential programme fee included
Everything in Certification, plus
Guaranteed residential programme place
Early-bird conference pricing
For teams
Custom pricing
Quoted for your team
Everything in Certification, plus
One shared pathway for your team
One rate worldwide, invoiced together
Find out how the Chief of Staff Operating System™ can transform your organisation
Included in every pathway
Chief of Staff Impact Profile™
Resource Bank: 300+ resources
In-person events in our hubs
Weekly online sessions
Leadership Series, Success Series and Circle of Influence
Slack community
Global member directory
Mentoring from the day you join
Certification through the Online Certification Programme involves no cost beyond the pathway fee, and the certification is yours to keep once earned. The residential executive education programmes are open to anyone on a certification pathway; write to education@csa.org to discuss your options.
Make the case to your employer
Research with Deloitte shows the role has moved from coordination to strategic leadership. Investing in your development is an investment in the whole executive team.
30%+
of CEO time returned, freeing your principal to focus on the decisions that matter most
96%
of chiefs of staff rate the role as critical or somewhat critical to company success
79%
now see the chief of staff as a permanent feature of executive leadership
“Where trust is strong and the chief of staff has both access and mandate, leaders make better decisions, move faster, and manage complexity more effectively.”
Source: Inside the Symbiotic Partnership, Deloitte and The Chief of Staff Association, 2026
Answered before you ask
What does certification cost?
One fee covers everything: the education, the assessment and the certification. The certification pathway is USD 4,950 at the tier one rate, with twelve months to complete it and twelve months in the network. Regional and concessional rates sit below it.
How long does it take to become certified?
The pathway gives you twelve months to complete the certification. The Online Certification Programme runs as 12 online modules, six mandatory and six you choose, alongside a two-stage capstone project applied to your own organisation; at the recommended pace of one module a week, most members finish in about three months. You can also certify through our residential executive education programmes.
Is the certification recognised?
The Chief of Staff Association is the only professional association in the world able to issue the Certified Chief of Staff® certification. It is held by members in more than 75 countries, and certified members are preferred candidates in our recruitment and placement work.
Do I have to stay a member to keep the certification?
No. The Certified Chief of Staff® is held outright: once you have met the standard it is yours, nothing further is required to keep it, and no continuing professional development is needed to retain it. CPD points recognise the work you go on to do rather than keeping the certification alive. What does end is the network around it, because access runs for the length of your pathway. If you would like to stay connected once your pathway ends, write to membership@csa.org and we will talk you through the options.
Can my employer fund it?
Many members are funded by their organisation. Research with Deloitte shows a chief of staff returns more than 30 per cent of CEO time, and our team can supply a business case to support the conversation. Organisations joining 10 or more people are priced at a single team rate, which we confirm on enquiry and which applies whatever the organisation type or country, with one exception: serving military personnel keep their own flat rate at any quantity. Non-profit, government and education organisations sponsoring fewer than 10 people pay the concessional rate.
What is the difference between Certification and Fellowship?
Fellowship is designed for senior chiefs of staff ready to shape the profession globally. It includes everything in Certification, plus guaranteed executive education placement with the programme fee included, and locked-in early-bird pricing for the annual conference.
What happens after I apply?
Our team reviews your application and helps you settle on the right pathway for where you are now and where you want to go. Write to membership@csa.org at any point in the process.
Start your certification
Not ready to apply? Join a weekly online session and meet the community first.