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Chief of Staff
Happyrobot Inc. · San Francisco
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About HappyRobot HappyRobot is the infrastructure for enterprises to build and orchestrate AI workforces. Our AI workers don't just communicate through voice and email
- they make decisions, take action, and run operations autonomously across entire enterprise systems. Born in Y Combinator (S23) and backed by a16z, Base10, Prysm Capital and Eurazeo with over $150M raised, we power critical operations for global enterprises worldwide. Our platform is battle-tested in the most demanding environments, where AI has real consequences. We started in logistics, built our own voice stack, models, and orchestration layer from the ground up, and are now bringing that infrastructure to every enterprise that runs the real economy. Learn more about our vision in our manifesto. Role Overview: Our leadership team is looking for a Chief of Staff to the CEO: a sharp, high-EQ operator who can triage relentlessly, communicate in the CEO's voice, and move fluidly between strategic alignment and commercial execution without losing stride. This is a senior chief of staff position, requiring 10 or more years of experience in high-ownership, cross-functional roles, ideally within a fast-scaling technology company. The role sits at the center of the company, working directly with the Co-Founder and CEO, and coordinating across the leadership team, the commercial organization, and key external stakeholders. This is an execution, alignment, and amplification role, not an administrative one. The chief of staff becomes the CEO's single point of coordination, replacing a request flow that today runs through multiple people with one clear channel, and serves as the CEO's proxy where appropriate. Equally central to the role is ownership of the CEO's communications and materials: the successful candidate will draft, produce, and often ghostwrite the content required for customer, investor, and internal engagements, extending the CEO's reach and preserving capacity for the highest-leverage strategic and relationship-building work. This will be a full-time, hybrid position, in the office aligned to when the CEO is in the office, based in San Francisco, with light travel (roughly once per month) expected to support customers. Key Responsibilities: Communications, Prep & Customer Partnership
- Own end-to-end preparation for the CEO's customers including briefing materials, talking points, and follow-up
- Draft, and produce the CEO's communications and materials
- from customer correspondence to internal updates and public-facing content
- capturing the CEO's voice and priorities
- Serve as a credible proxy in front of customers when appropriate, including running product demonstrations and speaking knowledgeably about the platform
- Build credibility with the commercial and go-to-market organization, and take on ad hoc revenue-related work that would otherwise sit on the CEO's desk Executive Partnership & Coordination
- Serve as the CEO's single point of coordination, consolidating requests that currently move through multiple people into one clear channel
- Filter incoming requests and gauge their importance, distinguishing what requires the CEO's attention from what does not
- Act as a genuine thought partner rather than an order taker: challenge assumptions respectfully, and know when to push and when to defer
- Protect the CEO's time and attention so they can focus on the highest-leverage decisions Operating Rhythm & Accountability
- Design and run leadership meetings, all-hands, and quarterly planning cycles, and continuously improve the systems that keep the company aligned
- Define and track company-wide OKRs with the executive team, and use data to surface where the company is off track
- Identify where structure or process is missing across the company and build what is needed to close the gap AI Enablement & Product Fluency
- Develop hands-on fluency with the platform, including configuring and building lightweight AI workers, to understand the product from the inside rather than from a pitch deck
- Apply that fluency to run credible customer demonstrations and to build customers' and the broader team's understanding of the platform's value
- Use AI tools proactively to increase the CEO's and their own effectiveness Requirements:
- 10+ years of experience in a high-ownership role such as management consulting, investment banking, startup or technology operations, and/or a prior Chief of Staff position (10 to 15 years ideal)
- Experience at a technology company required; time at an early or growth-stage startup strongly preferred
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft and ghostwrite materials in the CEO's voice and to synthesize complex information for executive, customer, and investor audiences
- Demonstrated ability to operate as a credible proxy in front of customers and partners, including running product demonstrations
- Experience working in a multi-stakeholder environment, interfacing between executives, commercial or go-to-market teams, and cross-functional partners
- Genuine interest in AI products and a willingness to develop hands-on platform fluency, including building and demonstrating the product rather than discussing it only at a high level
- Strong analytical aptitude, with the ability to work with data and translate it into clear, decision-ready recommendations
- Bachelor's degree required Preferred Skills & Attributes
- AI fluent and genuinely curious, motivated to develop hands-on fluency with the company's own platform, and to use AI tools to increase personal effectiveness
- Comfortable with ambiguity, and energized by building structure where none exists
- Low ego and high ownership mentality
- High EQ: reads rooms, manages tension, and knows how and when to challenge respectfully
- Trusted operator who earns credibility with executives, commercial teams, and individual contributors alike
- Calm in chaos, decisive under ambiguity, and comfortable prioritizing when everything feels urgent
- Casual but polished: comfortable in a fast-moving, founder-led culture while holding a high bar for craftsmanship
- Spanish fluency strongly preferred but not required
- High energy, collaborative, and fun to work with Why join us?
- Join a world-class team of engineers and builders.
- Backed by top investors including a16z, Y Combinator, Base10, Prysm Capital and Eurazeo.
- Have ownership and autonomy of projects and are encouraged to ship.
- Comprehensive Benefits including healthcare, dental, vision coverage.
- Competitive salary + equity in a high-growth startup. Our Operating Principles Extreme Ownership We take full responsibility for our work and outcomes. No excuses, no blame-shifting. If something needs fixing, we own it. Craftsmanship We sweat the details because details compound. We never settle for "just fine" — whether it's a scoping document, a prototype demo, or a customer conversation. We are "Majos" Be a good human. Friendly, genuine, kind. We're building something ambitious and it's better when we enjoy it together. Urgency with Focus Move fast, but in the right direction. Prioritize ruthlessly. Act decisively. Aim for the highest leverage action. Talent Density and Meritocracy Every hire raises the bar. Ability over seniority. Ownership goes to those who earn it. First-Principles Thinking Strip problems to their fundamentals, ignore industry dogma, and rebuild from scratch when needed. It's how we build what others think is impossible. The personal data provided in your application and during the selection process will be processed by Happyrobot, Inc., acting as Data Controller. By sending us your CV, you consent to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of evaluating and selecting you as a candidate for the position. Your personal data will be treated confidentially and will only be used for the recruitment process of the sele