Chief of Staff

Zeno Power•Washington, DC

3d•$165,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Zeno Power is seeking a dynamic, strategic Chief of Staff to work alongside the CEO and leadership team to drive operational excellence, support business development, and help scale the company. The role offers broad exposure to strategy, partnerships, and organizational operations. The ideal candidate is a mission-driven, highly organized operator who can move between tactical execution and strategic thinking. The Chief of Staff acts as an extension of the CEO, driving clarity and execution on priorities, and builds the company's internal operating rhythm, including leadership meetings, quarterly strategy and OKR processes, and cross-functional accountability cadences. The role leads special projects, supports investor relations and capital readiness, develops financial and operating metrics, and conducts market and competitor assessments. It also partners with internal communications to prepare executive communications, memos, and presentations for external stakeholders and internal audiences. The position requires in-office presence in Washington, D.C. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with optional remote work on Mondays and Fridays. Exceptional Seattle candidates may be considered, with an expectation of at least one week per month in Washington, D.C. Travel is required 15–20%. Applicants must be a U.S. person as defined in the Export Control section.

Requirements

5–8+ years of relevant experience in defense, space, hardware, robotics, or adjacent deep-tech environments.
Experience engaging with government customers or programs such as DoD, Space Force, NASA, or Navy, and familiarity with government contracting processes.
Ability to independently scope ambiguous problems, drive research, synthesize insights, and produce executive-ready outputs quickly.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical and regulatory topics into clear, actionable materials.
Experience implementing OKRs/KPIs and cross-functional operating rhythms, and driving accountability without direct people management.
High emotional intelligence, discretion, and stakeholder management skills across senior leaders and technical teams.
Mission alignment with government-facing, hardware/deep-tech work and interest in remote power applications and national programs.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Must be a U.S. person as defined in the Export Control section.
Ability to sit and/or stand for extended periods, bend or stoop, grasp or grip, and perform fine motor tasks.
Ability to safely lift up to 15 pounds.
Ability to perform prolonged repetitive work and visually and audibly focused work.

Nice To Haves

Growth-stage startup experience is strongly preferred.
Prior business development, strategy, or operations work interfacing with federal stakeholders is a plus.
An advanced degree is a plus.

Responsibilities

Act as an extension of the CEO to clarify and execute priorities, and accelerate meeting follow-ups with substantive deliverables such as tailored two-pagers, client-specific decks, and briefings.
Build and run the internal operating rhythm by designing and refining weekly leadership meetings, quarterly strategy and OKR processes, and cross-functional accountability cadences; track outcomes and follow-ups without directly managing people.
Lead high-ownership special projects, including evaluating new business lines and developing market sizing, customer mapping, feasibility analyses, and go/no-go business cases for alternative isotope or adjacent opportunities.
Support investor relations and capital readiness by contributing to board materials, orchestrating the fundraising data room, coordinating diligence responses, ensuring accurate and timely information flow, and prioritizing investor outreach and inbound coordination for the CEO.
Develop and use financial and operating metrics to identify trends, assess tradeoffs, and provide forward-looking recommendations to executive leadership.
Conduct targeted market and competitor assessments tied to near-term decisions in defense, space, and government programs, producing concise, decision-ready briefs.
Partner with the internal communications team on executive communications, memos, and presentations that synthesize technical and commercial inputs for external stakeholders and internal audiences.
Travel as required, estimated at 15–20%.
Perform other job-related duties as requested.