Chief of Staff

Chief of Staff to the CEO — New York City. For people from investment banking, private equity, growth equity, venture capital or strategic finance who want to stop advising on companies and start building one.

THE SHORT VERSION

A venture-backed company building AI into heavy industry is hiring a Chief of Staff to work directly alongside its founder-CEO. You will sit at the point where capital, engineering and manufacturing meet: in the room for fundraising conversations, close enough to the factory floor to know whether the numbers in the model are real, and trusted to turn messy information into a clear recommendation.

This is not a scheduling or inbox-management job. It is a seat for someone with genuine financial judgement who wants scope, ownership and a direct line to the person running the company.

WHAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY DO

Work alongside the CEO. Hold their priorities in your head. Know which decisions, relationships and commitments need attention before they become urgent. Prepare for the meetings that matter, bring a view of your own, and make sure what was agreed actually happens.

Carry the investor relationship. Work with the CEO to build and maintain relationships with current and prospective VC investors. Own the mechanics — outreach, meeting preparation, follow-ups, diligence requests — and the substance: pitch materials, investor updates and the data room.

Connect what is being built to how the business performs. Pull together what is happening across AI, engineering, manufacturing, operations and finance. Work out what has genuinely changed, where execution is slipping, and what that means for growth, customers and the next raise.

Bring financial rigour to real decisions. Partner with finance to build models, test business cases and assess where capital and people should go. Challenge assumptions, run the scenarios, explain the trade-offs.

Keep decisions moving. Run leadership meetings and board preparation. Make sure every decision has an owner and a date, and raise problems early.

Own projects end to end. Assessing a partnership, sizing a new market, supporting a critical hire, or untangling an operating problem that crosses several teams.

WHO THIS IS FOR

A real foundation in finance, built through investment banking, private equity, growth equity, venture capital, strategic finance or something comparable. You can interpret financial statements, pull apart unit economics, challenge an assumption that does not hold, and put together investor material that stands up.

Experience in or very close to a high-growth company. A finance or investing background combined with hands-on operating experience is the strongest profile for this role.

The ability to follow complex technical work, ask questions that get to the point, and explain why it matters commercially. Experience in AI, industrial technology, aerospace, defence or manufacturing is a real advantage.

Clear, concise writing and the confidence to deal directly with senior investors, executives and technical leaders.

Judgement and discretion with sensitive information, and a track record of delivering ambiguous work as priorities change.

THE PRACTICAL DETAIL

Location: New York City, with regular travel to the company's facilities.

Travel: approximately 50%, with the CEO, at the factories, and with investors, customers and partners. Regular travel is a core part of this role.

Compensation: up to USD $210,000 base plus equity, with some flexibility for an exceptional candidate.

Work authorisation: you must be a US citizen or green card holder. We cannot provide visa sponsorship for this role, and we are unable to consider H-1B, F-1, TN, E-3 or other visa holders.

THE THREE SKILLS THAT MATTER MOST

Financial Modeling · Strategic Planning · Investor Relations

HOW TO APPLY

Apply here with your CV. Big Wave Digital is running this search directly with the CEO, so you will get a straight answer quickly either way.

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