Chief of Staff

Overview

At Merit First, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how companies identify and evaluate talent, regardless of background. By rejecting outdated, unreliable proxies for capability and embracing objective, merit-based assessments, we are rebuilding the meritocratic infrastructure of opportunity from the ground up.

You will operate as the CEO’s force multiplier, ensuring that strategic priorities are executed with precision and speed. From preparing board materials and managing investor relations to tightening internal operations and leading special projects, you will do whatever it takes to keep the pace high. You are the glue between the CEO, the team, and external stakeholders. This is a high-ownership role for a high-bandwidth generalist who thrives in ambiguity and wants a masterclass in building and scaling a business from the ground up.

• Maximize CEO leverage:
  Manage the CEO’s priorities, ensuring time is spent on highest-leverage activities; triage requests and draft communications for internal and external stakeholders.
• Own special projects:
  Lead high-stakes, ambiguous initiatives that don’t fit neatly into a function - from organizing a fundraising round to launching a new operational workflow or recruiting key talent.
• Drive insight and reporting:
  You will turn raw metrics into clear narratives that drive decision-making.
• Build internal operating systems:
  Design processes to automate repetitive tasks and improve systems across hiring, finance, and operations. You turn chaos into order.
• Keep us fast and focused:
  Ruthlessly prioritize, communicate clearly, and unblock teammates across functions to ensure alignment with company goals.

• Demonstrated success in high-rigor environments:
  Background in management consulting, investment banking, PE, or high-growth startup ops where attention to detail and speed are paramount (that said, we honestly don t really care if you came from one of those fields, just what you can do in the seat, so please don t let that deter you from jumping in).
• Strong analytical toolkit:
  Comfortable with financial modeling in Excel/Sheets and basic BI; able to synthesize complex data into clear, executive-level insights.
• AI-native:
  You leverage AI tools daily to accelerate research, draft content, and automate workflows, allowing you to produce the output of three people.
• Ownership mentality:
  No task too small, no problem someone else’s. You are high-discretion, low-ego, and results-oriented.

• Autonomy
  : rapid growth with outsized ownership and scope
• Meritocracy
  :
  We focus on real capabilities, not credentials. You’ll be assessed based on your skills and ability to execute, not the name of your school or employer.
• Innovation
  :
  Work on cutting-edge projects that challenge the status quo and empower people to succeed.
• Backed by the best
  :
  We’re funded by 8VC and Slow Ventures, with support from world-class builders like Joe Lonsdale and Sam Lessin who’ve helped scale some of the most influential tech companies of the last decade.

We practice what we preach. Core to our thesis is that resumes, school names, and pedigree are poor proxies for capability. We want to see what you can actually do.

We have designed a hiring process that gives everyone a fair shot to showcase their skills through objective work samples.

We are an in-person team based in Austin, TX. We believe the speed of iteration required at this stage happens best when we are in the same room.

Even if this specific role isn t the right fit - or if the location doesn t work out - your effort won t be wasted. By completing our assessments, you will create a verified profile in the Merit First Talent Network. This allows you to showcase your validated skills to other world-class companies in our ecosystem without having to apply from scratch.