Chief of Staff

project44•Chicago, IL

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

At project44, we believe in better. We challenge the status quo because we know a better supply chain isn’t just possible—it’s essential. Better for our customers. Better for their business. Better for the world. Headquartered in Chicago, IL with several other offices worldwide, we are powered by a diverse global team that is tackling the toughest logistics challenges with innovation, urgency, and purpose. If you’re driven to solve meaningful problems, leverage AI to scale rapidly, drive impact daily, and be part of a high-performance team — we should talk. p44’s primary customers are our Shippers - global Fortune 500 brands such as Nike, Ikea and Home Depot. We have recently split our Shippers from our other major customer category – Logistic Service Providers, to be managed directly by the CEO. As a result, this role will essentially be the Chief Operating Officer for our dedicated, AI-native Logistic Service Provider (LSP) division inside project44. The LSP division is being built to win a market that’s moving fast, with the freedom to operate at startup speed on top of an established platform. This role sits at the center of both: directly supporting the CEO on their enterprise agenda and serving as the operational connective tissue between the CEO’s office and the LSP division as it stands up.

Requirements

Supply chain, logistics, or freight technology domain knowledge — enough to hold a peer conversation with a VP of Supply Chain or operations leader at a global shipper, 3PL, or carrier. This is the most important requirement in this profile and while not absolutely necessary will make your candidacy much more competitive.
Operational execution track record — you have personally owned operational outcomes, metrics, and complexity. You’ve run something, not just advised on it.
7–10+ years of experience at the intersection of strategy and operations, with clear progression toward higher-stakes, more consequential roles
Genuinely AI-native: you use generative and agentic AI tools in your own workflow every day, you understand their limits, and you can apply them to operational and communications problems
Strong written communication — you produce board-ready, executive-quality work quickly and in someone else’s voice. This is essential, though it follows from operational depth rather than preceding it.
Prior experience as a Chief of Staff, senior operator, or management consultant with direct exposure to CEO or founder-level decision-making
Executive presence and the credibility to represent project44 in any setting: board room, government briefing, analyst call, or customer meeting
High EQ and sound judgment — particularly around sensitive information, leadership team dynamics, and complex interpersonal situations
Absolute discretion and integrity — this role carries access to the most sensitive information and conversations in the company
Drive and resilience — this is a high-output role with a high-expectation principal, and we are looking for someone who finds that energizing

Nice To Haves

Direct operator experience in supply chain, logistics, fulfillment, or transportation — you have run operations, not just advised on them
Background at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, or equivalent with a subsequent operator role at a growth-stage company
Finance foundation — investment banking or private equity — with strong analytical and financial modeling fluency
Experience supporting a CEO with a significant external agenda: government, Senate, media, or major investor relationships
Exposure to board governance, investor relations, or M&A processes as a direct participant, not in a supporting role
Experience at a company in the $100M–$500M ARR range navigating the challenges of transformation, scaling, or market expansion

Responsibilities

Prepare the CEO thoroughly for every high-stakes engagement: board meetings, investor presentations, government advisory sessions, analyst calls, keynote speeches, and executive customer meetings
Own the written output that supports those moments — board materials, investor letters, speeches, talking points, op-eds, and briefing documents — in the CEO’s voice and on the CEO’s timeline
Own internal CEO communications: All Hands narratives, company-wide messages from the CEO’s office, and senior leadership updates they deliver personally
Act as the CEO’s proxy in meetings and stakeholder conversations; represent their perspective accurately and with good judgment
Support the CEO’s external agenda: government advisory roles, industry conferences, media engagements, and key investor and customer relationships
Run the operating rhythm of the CEO’s office: what the CEO sees, when, in what shape — and follow-through on what he decides
Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO on sensitive matters: leadership team dynamics, talent decisions, and the conversations that shouldn’t happen anywhere else
Implement and drive the operational decision making and cadence between the CEO’s office, LSP divisional leadership and p44’s overall leadership team: weekly check-ins, board prep, ELT updates, and the rhythm that keeps the CEO and the LSP team tightly connected
Coordinate the services agreement interface between the LSP division and the project44 parent: shared platform, hosting, data graph, back-office services — making sure the operational handshakes work and escalations land in the right place
Land cross-division initiatives that have direction set by LSP leadership or the CEO — driving execution, tracking decisions, surfacing blockers, and following through. This role implements and coordinates; LSP leadership owns LSP outcomes.
Prepare CEO-facing LSP materials: division updates for Board reviews, ELT readouts, and the cross-company conversations that keep Shipper and LSP aligned
Communicate between the CEO’s office and LSP leadership — carry context in both directions, prevent surprises, and keep the pace matched to how LSPs actually buy: weeks, not quarters