Chief of Staff, R&D

Role Description

Sprout Social is looking for a Chief of Staff to partner with our R&D leaders (Product, Engineering, and Design) to turn strategy into motion. Reporting to the CPO and supporting both the CPO and CTO, you will hold a high-visibility, high-leverage position at the intersection of strategy and execution. You’ll shape how a category-leading Social Intelligence company builds and scales for the world's most forward-thinking social media practitioners.

What you’ll do

• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to both the CPO and CTO, shaping the R&D leadership agenda and preparing them for board and executive interactions.
• Lead the operational teams managing the R&D operating cadence (meetings, reviews, and quarterly planning) and drive the tracking, reporting, and alignment of R&D OKRs with company strategy.
• Act as the first line of judgment on escalations and meeting requests—triaging what requires direct leadership attention versus what can be resolved async.
• Build and maintain the R&D operational dashboard, translating data on delivery velocity, capacity, and headcount into clear narratives that drive decisions.
• Lead high-priority, ambiguous initiatives (e.g., org design or AI-operating-model buildouts) across the R&D portfolio.
• Serve as the primary POC and partner for FP&A, leading overall budget governance across Engineering, Product, and Design.
• Surface trade-offs by bringing options, costs, and recommendations to the CPO and CTO to make prioritization calls highly visible.
• Partner with People and Finance on the joint R&D hiring plan, capacity model, and senior onboarding.
• Draft and own key R&D communications, ensuring a consistent voice across executive memos and board content.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience spanning strategy, operations, management consulting, product management, or a prior Chief of Staff role, ideally within a high-growth or public B2B SaaS company.
• 5+ years of direct people management experience.
• Deep fluency in how R&D organizations operate — the product development lifecycle, product, design, and engineering org structures, capacity planning, and the relationship between roadmap, resourcing, and business outcomes.
• A proven track record of influencing VP-, SVP-, and C-level leaders without owning the org chart.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication — you can draft board materials and present to senior leaders, framing complex topics clearly and proactively.
• Strong operational and analytical rigor: you build repeatable processes and hold yourself to a high standard of accuracy and accountability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting a combined Product and Engineering (or R&D) organization, or reporting into a CPO, CTO, or CPTO.
• Background in high-growth SaaS or technology companies, ideally with exposure to multiple planning cycles and periods of organizational change.
• Familiarity with the tooling of modern R&D operations — OKR and planning systems, roadmapping tools, and delivery/velocity analytics.

How you'll grow

• Within 1 month: Build trust and working rhythms with both the CPO and CTO, and relationships across the R&D leadership team and key cross-functional partners.
• Within 3 months: Stand up a single, unified R&D operating cadence and OKR ledger jointly owned by the CPO and CTO.
• Within 6 months: Deliver multiple cross-cutting strategic initiative end-to-end.
• Within 12 months: Operate as an indispensable partner to the R&D leadership team through full annual and quarterly planning cycles.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health & Wellness: Premium BCBSIL medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your eligible dependents.
• Premium Mental Health Support: Full, free access to Modern Health for you and your dependents, including coaching, therapy sessions, and digital wellness resources.
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with a 50% company match on your first 6% of contributions.
• Financial Security: 100% employer-paid Life and Disability insurance.
• Flexible Paid Time Off: A flexible PTO policy, supplemented with additional company-wide Rest & Recharge days throughout the year.
• Paid Parental Leave: Up to 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents.
• Annual Lifestyle Stipend: A $1,000 USD annual Lifestyle Spending Account.
• Work From Home Support: A one-time $550 USD stipend for home office setup, plus a monthly $50 USD stipend for internet.
• Giving Back: 16 hours of paid volunteer time annually, plus a $100 annual match for your charitable donations.
• Additional Financial Perks: Access to pre-tax commuter benefits, subsidized child/eldercare, discounted pet insurance, and no-cost personalized financial wellness support.