Chief of Staff

Chief Of Staff

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

Key

Qualifications and Skills:

• 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 realities; energized by remote power applications and national programs (not purely climate-first motivations).
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree a plus.

Job Functions:

• Position requires in-office presence in Washington, D.C. (Mt. Vernon/Chinatown) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, remote work is optional on Mondays and Fridays. Exceptional Seattle candidates will be considered with an expectation of at least one week per month in DC.
• Travel:
  Travel is required, 15-20%
• Motor Abilities:
  Sitting and/or standing for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands)
• Physical exertion and/or requirements:
  Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 15 pounds
• Repetitive work:
  Prolonged
• Special Senses:
  Visual and audio focused work
• Work Conditions:
  Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hrs./day

Compensation and Benefits:

The anticipated salary band for this position is $,000. The final job level and compensation will be determined by various factors such as a candidate's relevant work experience, years of relevant experience, skills, qualifications, certifications, and other business considerations.

In addition to competitive compensation, we also…