Chief of Staff

Company Overview

Zeno Power’s (Zeno) mission is to provide clean, plug-and-play power anywhere in the universe. To do that, Zeno is developing a next-generation radioisotope power system (RPS) that generates carbon-free, resilient power for decades, utilizing material found in nuclear waste. Zeno’s technology is both light-weight and cost-effective compared to historic RPS, opening up broad market opportunities in space and terrestrially. To bring this breakthrough technology to market, Zeno is seeking out purpose-driven and innovative professionals who are comfortable working in a startup environment.

Team members will have a direct impact in enabling commercial and national security missions from the depths of our oceans, to the surface of the moon, and in austere environments here on Earth.

Zeno is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Zeno Power is seeking a dynamic and strategic Chief of Staff to work alongside the CEO and leadership team to drive operational excellence, support business development activities, and help scale the company through its next phase of growth. This is a high-impact role offering broad exposure across strategy, partnerships, and organizational operations. The ideal candidate is a mission-driven operator who can seamlessly shift between tactical execution and strategic thinking, is deeply organized, and is energized by helping Zeno achieve its boldest goals.

In this role you will:

• Act as an extension of the CEO to drive clarity and execution on priorities; accelerate post-meeting follow-ups with substantive deliverables (e.g., tailored two-pagers, client-specific decks, briefings)
• Build and run the internal operating rhythm: design and refine weekly leadership meetings, quarterly strategy/OKR processes, and cross-functional accountability cadences; track outcomes and follow-ups without directly managing people.
• Lead special projects with high ownership from zero-to-one (e.g., analyze and validate new business lines; develop market sizing, customer mapping, feasibility, and go/no-go business cases for alternative isotope or adjacent opportunities).
• Support investor relations and capital readiness: contribute to board materials, orchestrate fundraise data room, coordinate diligence responses, and ensure timely, accurate information flow; prioritize investor outreach and inbound coordination for the CEO.
• Conduct targeted market/competitor assessments tied to near-term decisions (defense, space, government programs), producing concise, decision-ready briefs.
• Partner with internal communications team on executive communications, memos, and presentations that synthesize technical and commercial inputs for external stakeholders (DoD/NASA/Space Force/Navy, partners, investors) and internal audiences

• 5–8+ years relevant experience in defense/space/hardware/robotics or adjacent deep-tech environments; growth-stage startup experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with government customers or programs (DoD/Space Force/NASA/Navy) and familiarity with government contracting processes; prior BD/strategy/ops interfacing with federal stakeholders is a plus.
• Strong operator with bias to action: able to independently scope ambiguous problems, drive research, synthesize insights, and produce exec-ready outputs quickly.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; can translate complex technical and regulatory topics into clear, actionable materials.
• Process builder who has implemented OKRs/KPIs and cross-functional operating rhythms; comfortable driving accountability without direct people management.
• High EQ, discretion, and stakeholder management across senior leaders and technical teams.
• Mission-aligned with Zeno’s government-facing, hardware/deep-tech…