Chief of Staff & AI Lab Lead

Art of Tea | Palm Beach County, Florida | Hybrid | Full-Time

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THE OPPORTUNITY

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Art of Tea is a leading wellness tea brand rooted in craftsmanship, ritual, and intentional living. We're scaling nationally, expanding operations into South Florida, and building something most companies our size haven't attempted: a dedicated AI Lab that takes real business problems, builds AI-driven workflows, tests them at the edges, and graduates only what's proven into the company's operations.

The CEO leads the Lab's vision and builds alongside a full-time Operator. What's missing is the strategic and operational leader who sits at the center of everything — the person who connects the Lab to the business, keeps the CEO's day running, and over time becomes the company's Florida-based operating leader.

This is not a traditional Chief of Staff role. AI is not one of five workstreams — it's the throughline. You'll lead the Lab's strategic layer, manage executive operations, and help build a modern, AI-native operating model for a brand that's growing fast and thinking long-term.

If you're a strategic operator who's genuinely curious about AI, thrives on variety, and wants to build something from the ground up — this is the role.

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WHAT YOU'LL OWN

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PRIMARY: AI LAB STRATEGY & INTEGRATION (50% of role)

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Find the Opportunity

- Spend structured time inside each operating team — wholesale, D2C, marketing, fulfillment, customer support

- Surface operational pain, bottlenecks, and repetitive work where AI-driven workflows can measurably improve outcomes

- Translate pain points into one-page pilot proposals with a clear problem statement, proposed workflow, and success metric

- Prioritize based on impact (revenue, margin, customer experience)

Run the Cadence

- Own the weekly 30-minute demo where the Lab presents work-in-progress to stakeholders

- Own the monthly steering review where pilot decisions are made (continue, pivot, kill)

- Hold the Lab Operator and operating teams to their commitments

- Manage the four-stage graduation gate: Hypothesis → Pilot (~30 days) → Validated (~60 days) → Graduated (ownership transfers to AoT operating team)

Close the Feedback Loop

- Be the connective tissue between what the Lab builds and what the operating teams actually need

- Ensure graduated workflows are genuinely adopted — not just technically deployed

- Track post-graduation performance; when something doesn't work, kill it cleanly

- Surface insights from graduated workflows that inform the next round of pilots

SECONDARY: EXECUTIVE & OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP (50% of role)

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CEO Partnership & Confidential Support

- Own the CEO's calendar, inbox, and communications with high discretion

- Anticipate needs, flag risks, and keep initiatives moving without bottlenecks

- Prepare agendas, track priorities, and ensure follow-through on action items

- Act as liaison between the CEO, executive team, and external partners

Marketing & Growth Support

- Support Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) strategy ensuring Art of Tea shows up in AI-powered search results

- Coordinate marketing initiatives across digital channels, content, and brand partnerships

- Help execute product launches, campaigns, and thought leadership content

Construction & Facilities Coordination

- Oversee the buildout of Art of Tea's new Fort Lauderdale location — vendors, timelines, permits, budgets

- Manage communication between contractors, architects, municipalities, and internal stakeholders

- Track milestones, flag delays, keep the project on schedule

Operations & Cross-Functional Support

- Support business scaling through research, analysis, and coordination

- Handle light accounting and operational tasks (payments, reporting, compliance)

- Step into coverage functions as needed during leadership transitions

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WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

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First 30 Days

- You've embedded inside at least 3 operating teams and surfaced 8–10 candidate AI workflows

- The CEO's calendar and inbox are running with minimal intervention

- You have a clear picture of the Fort Lauderdale buildout status and are tracking milestones

- You've attended (or run) your first weekly Lab demo

First 90 Days

- Two AI pilots are running in parallel — one B2B, one D2C — with clear success metrics

- The weekly demo cadence is established and attended by stakeholders

- At least one workflow has reached the Validated stage with measurable results

- Operating teams describe you as someone who solves their problems, not someone who drops tools on them

- The CEO has gained 10–15 hours per week of reclaimed strategic time

First 12 Months

- Multiple AI workflows have graduated into production and are delivering measurable ROI

- The Lab model is proven and you're helping the CEO decide what's next — scale the Lab, expand the team, or evolve the model

- The Fort Lauderdale buildout is complete or near-complete

- You've become the de facto operating leader for Art of Tea's Florida operations

- The path to a formal Operations title is clear

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WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

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Must-Haves

- 5+ years in Chief of Staff, strategic operations, management consulting, or cross-functional leadership roles

- Demonstrated ability to bridge strategy and execution — you don't just plan, you make things happen

- Intellectual curiosity about AI, you don't need to build models, but you understand what AI agents can and can't do and you stay current

- Experience running structured cadences: standups, reviews, stage-gates, or similar accountability rhythms

- Strong enough presence to hold department heads accountable without pulling rank

- Analytical rigor — you evaluate initiatives on data, not enthusiasm

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills

- High level of discretion, dependability, and trustworthiness

- Based in or willing to relocate to South Florida (Boca Raton / Fort Lauderdale area)

Strong Pluses

- Experience with AI tools in a professional context (Claude, ChatGPT, automation platforms)

- Background in food & beverage, CPG, wellness, or DTC brands

- Project management experience coordinating vendors, timelines, and budgets

- Marketing awareness — digital marketing, content strategy, SEO/AEO basics

- Experience supporting a CEO or founder in a high-trust, high-access role

- Construction or facilities project coordination experience

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THE TRAJECTORY

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This role has a clear growth path:

Phase 1 (Months 1–6): Chief of Staff & AI Lab Lead

- Run the Lab's strategic layer + CEO support + construction oversight

- Prove the AI Lab model delivers measurable results

Phase 2 (Months 6–12): Expanded Operating Leader

- Construction wraps

- AI Lab mandate expands: more pilots, more teams, more graduated workflows

- You begin owning operational P&L decisions for Florida operations

Phase 3 (Year 2+): Lead of AI Operations /

- The Lab model is proven and scaling

- You're the operating leader for Art of Tea's Florida hub

- Title evolves to reflect the scope

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WHY ART OF TEA

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- Work directly with a CEO who is hands-on in AI and building the Lab himself

- Shape how the company operates — not just what it does, but HOW it does everything

- Build an AI operating layer inside a brand-forward company from the ground up

- Hybrid work environment with real autonomy and room to grow

- Join a respected wellness brand rooted in craftsmanship and intentional living

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