Chief of Staff

Graphenix Development•Rochester, NY

3d•Onsite

About The Position

GDI is seeking a visionary and results-driven Chief of Staff to work closely with the CEO and leadership team to drive operational excellence, accelerate customer engagement, and scale the company through its next phase of growth. This high-impact role provides broad exposure across strategy, partnerships, program execution, and organizational operations. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker and mission-driven operator who can lead company-wide initiatives, ensure alignment between technical and commercial priorities, mentor high-performing teams, and foster a collaborative, innovative culture that accelerates growth and execution.

Requirements

Deep understanding of battery technologies with the ability to translate complex technical progress into clear, customer-ready insights, presentations, and briefings.
5–8+ years in battery technology, advanced materials, or high-tech startups, ideally with experience in customer-facing roles, business development, or leading technical programs. Experience engaging with government customers or programs is a plus.
Skilled at collaborating with executives, customers, partners, and internal teams to drive decisions, resolve blockers, and ensure successful program execution. Strong interpersonal skills and credibility with both technical and commercial stakeholders.
Proactive, adaptable, and able to prioritize multiple initiatives in a fast-moving, customer-focused environment, balancing strategic vision with tactical execution.
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) is a plus.
Customer-Focused Systems Thinker: Organizes and streamlines fast-moving technical programs while ensuring alignment with customer needs, business objectives, and commercial priorities.
Data-Driven & Process-Oriented: Leverages analytics, structured workflows, and performance metrics to guide decision-making and drive consistent execution across teams.
Collaborative Bridge-Builder: Facilitates collaboration across R&D, engineering, and business teams, turning scientific innovation into repeatable, scalable, and customer-aligned results.
Strategic Communicator: Skilled at presenting complex technical concepts clearly and persuasively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including customers, partners, and executives.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and have dependable transportation.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted extension of the CEO, clarifying priorities, driving post-meeting follow-ups, and delivering actionable outputs such as client-specific decks, briefing notes, and executive summaries.
Build and maintain the company’s operating cadence, including leadership meetings, cross-functional accountability tracking; act as the bridge between R&D and business development teams to ensure alignment of technical decisions with business goals, customer requirements, and program timelines.
Partner with internal teams to craft memos, presentations, and communications that synthesize technical and commercial insights for customers, partners, investors, and internal stakeholders.
Support fundraising and investor engagement by preparing board materials, orchestrating data rooms, coordinating diligence responses, and managing inbound investor inquiries.