Chief of Staff to the CEO

Generalist•San Mateo, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief of Staff to the CEO role is a high-impact, high-ownership position critical to the company's success. The individual will act as a force multiplier for the CEO, ensuring clear priorities, tight execution, and that no important tasks are overlooked. Operating at the company's center, this role connects product, research, operations, and external stakeholders, driving forward the highest-leverage initiatives. It demands strong judgment, high agency, and the ability to translate ambiguity into execution. The Chief of Staff will help design and manage the CEO’s operating system, maintaining context on all ongoing activities, preparing for key decisions and meetings, and ensuring consistent follow-through across the organization. The role requires comfort in flexing between strategy and execution, handling both high-level prioritization and detailed operational work with equal rigor. This is a high-growth role offering significant visibility, direct exposure to leadership, and real ownership of outcomes. The position is in-person five days a week in San Mateo, CA.

Requirements

2-5 years of professional experience in a highly demanding, high-ownership environment, such as startups, technology companies, consulting, or venture capital, with a track record of delivering high-quality work on tight timelines.
Experience driving cross-functional initiatives in one or more of: strategy & operations, business operations, product operations, program management, or founder/CEO support roles.
Demonstrated ability to create clarity from ambiguity, prioritize effectively, and execute end-to-end with minimal oversight.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to produce crisp, executive-ready materials and synthesize complex information clearly.
Strong judgment and decision-making ability; able to identify what matters most and act accordingly.
High agency and ownership mindset; consistently proactive with strong follow-through.
Strong interpersonal skills and high responsiveness; able to build trust with senior stakeholders and operate effectively across teams.
Comfort building simple systems (trackers, processes, cadences) and using them to drive execution and accountability.
Excitement and energy to work in robotics and at the frontier of intelligence.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working directly with a founder, CEO, or senior executive in a high-growth environment.
Experience in AI/ML, robotics, or other technical/product-driven companies.
Experience supporting or participating in fundraising, partnerships, or other high-stakes external processes.
Familiarity with product development processes and the ability to translate strategic priorities into execution.
Demonstrated ability to operate across both strategic and operational domains, with a bias toward action.

Responsibilities

Maintain a real-time understanding of company priorities, ensure the CEO is focused on the highest-leverage work, and proactively surface risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities.
Drive high-priority, cross-functional initiatives end-to-end, including coordinating across partnerships, research and engineering, and operations to ensure progress and alignment.
Lead ambiguous, high-impact projects (e.g., fundraising support, partnerships, internal initiatives) from zero to one, with full ownership of outcomes.
Develop lightweight systems, trackers, and workflows that improve visibility, accountability, and execution across the company.
Act as a central point for inbound information and requests; filter signal from noise, prioritize effectively, and ensure timely responses.
Prepare the CEO for key meetings, track decisions, and execute on action items.
Maintain context across key relationships, ensure thoughtful follow-ups, and support high-stakes communications.