About the role

Role Overview

Founding Chief of Staff to help the CEO scale an ambitious AI startup. This is an early business hire role focused on building the company’s operating rhythm—owning day-to-day execution across functions so the CEO can focus on customers, fundraising, and long-term strategy.

Responsibilities

Act as the operational extension of the CEO across multiple business functions.
Customer Success Operations: run weekly customer check-ins and coordinate with Product/Engineering to resolve issues quickly.
Sales Operations: maintain CRM accuracy, produce pipeline reporting, and prepare customer meeting/demo materials.
Recruiting (non-executive hires): manage sourcing, interview coordination, and first-round screening.
Support the commercial team via BDR stand-ups, reviewing outbound activity, and identifying coaching opportunities.
AI-powered workflow design: build and implement internal automations to remove repetitive work and improve operational efficiency.
Continuously identify process improvements as the company grows.

Requirements

Early-stage startup operating experience, ideally after consulting or investment banking (e.g., Chief of Staff, founder, founding operator, or similar cross-functional role).
18+ months experience at MBB (McKinsey/Bain/BCG) or within a top-tier investment bank.
2–6 years total experience with a track record of taking ownership and driving initiatives independently.
Experience building and scaling teams to support growth over the next 6–9 months.
AI-first mindset with hands-on experience using tools such as ChatGPT/Claude/Zapier to automate workflows.
Strong organizational skills, commercial awareness, and ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
Excellent written and verbal communication.
Based in or willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area and work 5 days/week in the Redwood City office.

Nice to Haves / Additional Signals

Comfort working in fast-moving, ambiguous environments and building from scratch.

About Mekion Consulting

Mekion Consulting partners with a fast-growing, venture-backed AI startup that helps consumer brands buy and manage goods. The role supports building scalable operations for an early-stage company focused on AI-first workflows and automation.