Chief of Staff, R&D

About the role

The Chief of Staff will partner with R&D leaders to translate strategy into action, serving as a trusted advisor and thought partner to both the CPO and CTO.

Responsibilities

• 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).
• 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 asynchronously.
• 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.
• 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.

Requirements

• 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.

Qualifications

• You are a strategic operator who thrives at the seam of product and engineering.
• You bring a rare combination of analytical rigor, executive presence, and operational discipline, and you know what "good" looks like because you've built and worked within high-performing R&D organizations.
• You can hold the trust of two principals at once, influence without formal authority, and move fluidly between the details and the strategic picture.
• You build processes where none exists and simplify and streamline to increase efficiency.
• You also possess a high emotional intelligence and discretion, with the judgment to navigate sensitive issues and competing priorities.

Skills

• 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.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive, competitive benefits program including:

• Comprehensive Health & Wellness
• Premium Mental Health Support
• Retail Retirement Savings
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Annual Lifestyle Stipend
• Work From Home Support
• Volunteer Time Off
• Discounts on Pet Insurance and Financial Wellness

Pay

$216,000.00 – $300,000.00 annually.

Schedule

Full-time.