Chief of Staff | AI Startup | San Francisco | US$120k-$160k + Equity

Big Wave Digital is partnering with a premier AI technology client in San Francisco—a YC and Google-backed startup building self-improving software for fast-growing consumer apps. This AI doesn’t just write summaries; it generates, tests, learns, and improves product experiences, lifts revenue, optimizes onboarding, experiments with paywalls, and helps apps convert and retain users at scale.

The company is tiny, elite, and moving fast: 8 people (mostly engineers, 75% ex-founders), all three co-founders hold ML degrees, $6M raised from top AI investors, revenue doubling monthly, and on a Series A trajectory.

About the role

This is a Chief of Staff role for someone who wants to be inside the engine room of a high-growth AI startup. You will work directly with the CEO across whatever matters most—onboarding enterprise customers, building internal processes, hiring, growth projects, fundraising prep, customer support, events, automation, or product feedback. This is operator mode: messy problem? You turn it into a plan. Customer issue? You jump in. Process broken? You fix it. Team drowning? You build the raft.

Responsibilities

• Turn chaotic context, customer noise, and half-finished thoughts into clean, executable plans.
• Own strategic projects while also jumping on bugs, late-night support, or operational details when needed.
• Communicate clearly, calmly, and directly in high-stakes or tricky conversations.
• Use AI tools daily to produce faster, sharper work.
• Embrace intensity, proximity to founders, and rapid ownership—potentially managing half the company’s operating system by month three.

Requirements

• 1 to 4 years of experience in a high-intensity environment (startup, consulting, banking, operations, elite sport, military).
• Organized but not rigid—able to structure chaos without losing flexibility.
• Low ego: happy to own big projects or tackle small, messy tasks if it moves the needle.
• Strong communicator: clear, calm, likeable, and direct.
• AI-native working style—using tools daily to improve output.
• Thrives in fast-paced, founder-adjacent environments.

Nice to have

• Early-stage startup experience.
• Background in consulting, banking, operations, founding, sport, or military.
• Strong academic signal.
• Evidence of building, launching, shipping, organizing, or rescuing things under pressure.
• Ability to stay calm amid chaos (e.g., "when the flamingo mallets come out").

Pay

US$120,000 to US$160,000 + 0.30% to 0.60% equity.

Benefits

• All meals provided in-office.
• Gym membership.
• Quarterly off-sites.
• Real ownership and early access to frontier AI models.

Schedule

Full-time, on-site in San Francisco. Visa sponsorship not available.

Who this is not for

• Someone seeking a calm 9-to-5 role.
• Someone who prefers pure strategy without execution.
• Someone who needs a large team, perfect structure, or a clearly defined lane.
• Someone who defers urgent problems ("I’ll circle back next week").