Role: Chief of Staff to the CEO

Location: Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid — Culver City, ~25–50% In Office)

Our client is an early-stage defense and energy intelligence technology company building a software platform that brings real-time visibility and optimization to complex energy systems.

The company originated from a breakthrough battery safety technology developed within a U.S. national laboratory ecosystem, which helped secure early Department of Defense contracts and validate the founding team.

Today, the company is building an Energy Operating System (EOS) — a platform designed to unify energy monitoring, predictive maintenance, and optimization across mission-critical systems, including defense infrastructure and large-scale computing environments.

Backed by leading venture investors and supported by multiple government contracts, the company is now entering a pivotal phase as it completes its Series A financing and expands its software platform.

Position Overview:

The Chief of Staff will report directly to the CEO and serve as a strategic partner across the company’s most important initiatives.

The CEO is looking for a force multiplier — someone who can operate across strategy, execution, and company-building while helping the leadership team navigate a critical transition.

This role sits at the center of several high-impact efforts, including fundraising, international expansion, defense compliance initiatives, and building operating infrastructure for a newly streamlined team.

You will work closely with the CEO to translate complex discussions into execution, manage critical projects from ambiguous concept to completion, and ensure that key priorities move forward quickly.

This role is best suited for someone who enjoys operating at the intersection of strategy and execution and thrives in fast-moving, early-stage environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as a Strategic Partner to the CEO
• Support decision-making across the CEO’s highest-priority initiatives
• Draft investor communications, strategic updates, and external narratives
• Ensure leadership priorities are clearly tracked and executed
• Serve as a thought partner across company strategy and operational decisions
• Drive High-Stakes Strategic Projects
• Support the company’s Series A fundraising process and investor pipeline management
• Coordinate complex cross-functional initiatives involving legal, operational, and external partners
• Lead strategic projects spanning international expansion and organizational development
• Move initiatives from ambiguous concept to completed execution
• Build Internal Operating Infrastructure
• Design operating rhythms, decision frameworks, and internal communication systems
• Improve coordination between technical, commercial, and leadership teams
• Help establish operating infrastructure for a company that recently completed a major restructuring
• Bridge Strategy and Execution
• Work closely with leadership to translate strategic priorities into execution
• Operate comfortably between high-level strategy discussions and detailed operational work
• Serve as a trusted operator with visibility into sensitive company initiatives

Qualifications:

This role is designed for someone who combines strong strategic judgment with operational execution.

✅ You likely fit if you:

• Have 6–8+ years of experience in startups, strategy, operations, consulting, or a Chief of Staff role
• Have worked closely with founders or senior executives in high-growth environments
• Have operated through company transitions such as fundraising, pivots, or restructuring
• Write clearly and can translate complex thinking into concise communication
• Enjoy solving ambiguous problems and taking ownership of outcomes
• Move easily between strategic planning and hands-on execution
• Operate with discretion in high-trust environments involving sensitive discussions

❌ This role is not for you if:

• You prefer clearly defined roles with narrow responsibilities
• You primarily coordinate work rather than owning outcomes
• You require structured processes and established playbooks
• You prefer large organizations with stable operating systems already in place
• You are uncomfortable operating in ambiguous or fast-moving environments

What they offer:

• Base salary: $175k – $200k
• 0.1% – 0.3% equity in the form of stock options with standard vesting
• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families
• 401(k) with company match (100% match up to 3%, 50% match on the next 2%)
• Unlimited PTO
• A high-ownership role working directly alongside the CEO during a pivotal stage of company growth
• Direct exposure to fundraising, strategic initiatives, and executive decision-making
• Opportunity to help build the operating infrastructure of an early-stage defense technology company

Interested?

If you’re reading this thinking “this is exactly me”, please DM me on LinkedIn!🔗