Chief of Staff

Thunder Compute•San Francisco, CA

11d•$200,000 - $300,000•Onsite

About The Position

Thunder Compute is building the VMware for GPUs, having raised over $17M from prominent investors. Our technology aims to solve the underutilization of GPU fleets by creating a virtualization layer that transforms GPUs into network resources. This allows companies to maximize the use of their existing GPU infrastructure without requiring application modifications. We are a small, highly technical team focused on developing a new infrastructure layer for GPU computing. The Chief of Staff role will focus on assisting the founders in operating and scaling the company. This position involves close collaboration with the CEO to address the company's most critical operational challenges. It is not a purely administrative role; instead, it requires engagement across strategy, operations, recruiting, finance, sales, partnerships, and general company-building, adapting to the most pressing needs at any given time. The work involves a blend of high-level strategy and detailed execution, with responsibilities ranging from evaluating strategic partnerships and preparing for board meetings to rebuilding recruiting processes, coordinating customer deployments, and resolving operational issues. The role demands exceptional organizational skills, strong analytical judgment, a high work ethic, and extreme attention to detail, with an emphasis on moving quickly while maintaining high execution standards.

Requirements

Exceptional organization and project-management ability
Strong analytical reasoning and structured problem-solving
Clear, concise written and verbal communication
Ability to quickly understand technical products and communicate effectively with engineers, customers, and investors
Strong judgment about prioritization, tradeoffs, and when to escalate an issue
Ability to manage multiple complex workstreams without losing track of details
Comfort working with financial models, business analyses, and quantitative information
Strong work ethic and the ability to independently push a project from an ambiguous starting point through 100% completion under tight deadlines
Attention to detail and the ability to produce accurate, polished work without significant oversight
Strong ownership over outcomes rather than only assigned tasks
Ability to create structure where no established process, playbook, or obvious owner exists
Willingness to work across strategic projects and highly detailed operational execution
Ability to communicate directly and professionally with customers, candidates, investors, vendors, and other external stakeholders
Enough technical curiosity to understand our product, industry, and customers, although no coding experience is required

Nice To Haves

Experience at a top consulting firm such as McKinsey, Bain, or BCG; in investment banking, private equity, or another demanding analytical environment; or in an operating role at a high-growth technology company
Experience working directly with founders, executives, or senior clients
Experience managing cross-functional projects involving technical and nontechnical teams
Strong academic performance and demonstrated quantitative ability
Familiarity with cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, developer tools, enterprise software, or another technical industry
Experience at an early-stage startup or evidence that you can operate effectively without established processes or large support teams

Responsibilities

Building and maintaining company-wide operating processes, goals, and reporting
Driving recruiting processes from sourcing strategy through offer close and onboarding
Preparing analyses and materials for board meetings, investors, customers, and strategic partners
Coordinating complex customer deployments and ensuring commitments are completed on time
Evaluating strategic opportunities, partnerships, markets, and new business initiatives
Owning financial models, budgets, vendor decisions, and operational planning
Turning founder discussions into clear plans, owners, timelines, and deliverables
Identifying problems before they become blockers and ensuring they are resolved
Taking on important projects that do not yet have an obvious owner