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Chief of Staff (San Francisco only)

Formant

Formant

People & HR, Operations
San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on Jun 13, 2025

About Formant

Formant is building the interface layer for intelligent machines. As the leader in Physical AI, we help organizations orchestrate real-world robotic systems with the intelligence and flexibility of modern AI. Now, we’re looking for a Chief of Staff to own our operations and work closely with our CEO and Chief Business Officer — someone eager to help scale a company defining the future of intelligent machines.

This role is a rare opportunity for a scrappy, systems-minded generalist with 6–10 years of experience, a founder’s mindset, and a deep appetite for owning the operational heartbeat of a growing startup. If you’re energized by complexity, driven by impact, and comfortable moving from high-level strategy to hands-on execution, we’d love to meet you.

What You’ll Do

  • Own and upgrade operations — Streamline internal systems, implement tooling, and remove friction across the company
  • Drive alignment — Coordinate planning cycles, track progress against goals, and keep our leadership team focused on what matters most
  • Amplify leadership — Sit in on key meetings, prep materials, and help drive cross-functional decision-making
  • Tackle ambiguity — Whether it’s a hiring challenge, a product bottleneck, or a fire drill with a partner, you’ll step in and lead with a founders mindset.
  • Build for scale — Design systems that not only work now but scale with our growth

You Might Be a Fit If You:

  • Love people, optimizing workflows and work with an AI first mindset.
  • Are an entrepreneur (it’s acting on the world with high agency and bigger than starting companies) and know what it means to build
  • Have 6–10 years of experience across startups, consulting, product, operations, or similar generalist tracks
  • Are deeply curious about robotics, AI, or the infrastructure that powers them
  • Have a high EQ and communicate clearly and kindly in way that inspired trust and psychological safety
  • Can articulate how you uniquely contribute the diversity of our team
  • Are based in the San Francisco Bay Area or open to regular in-person time with the leadership team in San Francisco

Why This Role?

This is not a back-office role — it’s a gateway to executive leadership. You’ll be in the room where it happens, shaping the operating model of a company at the forefront of an emerging field. Whether your future path is COO, founder, or functional executive, this role will accelerate your trajectory.

Note: We are looking for candidates located in the San Francisco/Bay Area only.