Chief of Staff, R&D

Responsibilities

• Own the R&D rhythm of business, including leadership staff meetings, product and technology reviews, quarterly planning, R&D all-hands, and board meeting preparation.
• Run the R&D planning cycle end to end, coordinating team-level plans across Product, Engineering, and Design and establishing company-level commitments.
• Surface prioritization trade-offs with options, costs, and recommendations.
• Write board materials, strategy reviews, decision memos, and R&D-wide communications.
• Connect Product, Engineering, Data, and Design; identify misalignment early and help leaders converge on direction and next steps.
• Address high-priority, under-owned problems such as organization design, capacity and roadmap-resourcing alignment, and adapting operations to AI-enabled work.
• Partner with Finance and People on headcount planning, capacity modeling, budget governance, and senior onboarding.
• Improve escalation discipline and ensure risks reach the right leader quickly with follow-through.
• Represent R&D leadership in relevant meetings.

Requirements

• Experience supporting a product or engineering executive as a Chief of Staff.
• 10+ years across strategy, business operations, management consulting, product management, engineering leadership, or Chief of Staff roles.
• Deep understanding of R&D organizations, including product development lifecycles, organizational structures, capacity planning, and roadmap-resourcing alignment.
• Excellent writing skills, including the ability to turn complex and contested topics into concise briefs, memos, or presentations that enable decisions.
• Technical fluency sufficient to discuss architecture, technical risk, and engineering trade-offs with senior engineers.
• Ability to influence without formal authority and build trust with peers and executives.
• Ability to structure ambiguity while maintaining speed and sound judgment.
• AI-native working practices and a clear perspective on how AI changes R&D operations.

Nice to Have

• Experience in healthcare, marketplaces, or other multi-stakeholder businesses.
• Experience at a company scaling through 1,000 employees.

Compensation and Benefits

• Expected base pay range: $230,000-$300,000.
• Equity compensation.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• HSA/FSA.
• 401(k).
• Work-from-home stipend.
• Therapy reimbursement.
• 16-week parental leave for eligible employees.
• Carrot Fertility annual reimbursement and membership.
• 13 paid holidays and a holiday break during the week between December 25 and December 31.
• Flexible PTO.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Training and professional development.