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Chief of Staff

Remote - US

Role Description: 

We are seeking a talented Chief of Staff to support our senior leadership team in advancing business objectives from concept to completion in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. This role will be instrumental in crafting and executing a strategic roadmap based on data-driven recommendations that aligns with the Defense Unicorns growth objectives. Are you a bold, analytical leader who thrives in navigating uncertainty and is driven to make an impact? With a strong focus on adaptability and reasoned judgment, this person will leverage their risk-taking mindset to influence the company’s direction, driving initiatives that support meaningful transformation in a high-stakes, mission-oriented environment.

The ideal candidate brings a strong operational background with a proven ability to translate strategic concepts into successful execution. They excel at building structure and problem solving within a high-growth, remote environment, all in support of our mission of transforming how the U.S. defense apparatus buys, builds, delivers, and sustains mission capabilities.

 

Key Responsibilities:

 

Data-Driven Insights:

  • Leverage available data to measure KPI’s and articulate the company’s performance story, fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making.
  • Develop, maintain and enhance methods for collecting and analyzing data to improve operational outcomes and support key decisions.

Investor and Stakeholder Engagement:

  • Collaborate with executive leadership to prepare for and execute Series B, or C funding rounds, showcasing a clear growth narrative and data-driven projections.
  • Create materials (e.g. investor updates, pitch decks, etc.) to communicate the company’s progress and milestones to stakeholders and investors, ensuring alignment and clarity on Defense Unicorns trajectory.

Strategic Planning and Execution:

  • Own and manage the strategic planning framework, guiding teams and contributing from the ideation of business objectives through the translation into actionable plans.
  • Serve as the architect of company-wide initiatives, ensuring alignment and clear communication of objectives, metrics, and outcomes through all levels of the organization.

Operational Leadership:

  • Act as a bridge and drive accountability between departments, creating processes and facilitating collaboration  that enable operational efficiency and connect cross-functional initiatives to company-wide objectives.
  • Build and implement new structures, processes, and tools to support business objectives, especially in areas with limited existing frameworks.
  • Support the CEO and executive team in day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives, taking charge of critical projects to ensure timely execution.

Risk Management and New Project Innovation:

  • Identify potential operational risks and develop mitigation strategies while fostering a culture of innovation and calculated risk-taking.
  • Lead discovery initiatives in new business areas, navigating ambiguity and implementing structure in uncharted territories.

 

Travel Expectations/Requirements: 25-40%

 

The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned or discovered based on the evolving needs of the organization. The successful candidate is a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise. You will be expected not just to fill gaps as they arise, but proactively identify and take ownership of gaps to drive toward new processes and solutions.

 

Preferred Experience and Qualifications:

  • A proven track record of having a high-impact in either:
    • Venture Capital or Private Equity
    • Operations role (e.g., Chief of Staff, VP of Operations, or similar) in a fast-growing startup
    • Strategy Consulting
  • Strong background in operational leadership with experience moving from concept to execution, particularly in data-constrained environments.
  • Demonstrated ability to drive measurable outcomes and provide data-backed insights and storytelling to executive teams and stakeholders.
  • Experience navigating Series B, C, or D funding rounds with a deep understanding of investor relations and funding strategies.
  • Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making abilities, with a strategic mindset 
  • Experience supporting business initiatives across functional areas to inform business strategy and evolution.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills; the ability to effectively interact with Mission Heroes, stakeholders, and team members at all levels of the organization and across all Departments.

Full compensation packages are based on candidate experience. Compensation ranges are established using national benchmarking data and apply across all geographic locations within the United States. 

Remote - USA

$186,000 - $225,000 USD

Who We Are

Defense Unicorns delivers mission value by streamlining software delivery so our customers can focus on the most important challenges. We share a vision of freedom and security for the advancement of progress and innovation. Our commitment to this vision, and to our mission-driven customers, means a commitment to speed, user experience and optionality, without compromising security. Our team is composed of innovators, software engineers, and veterans with decades of experience delivering technology programs across the federal market.

What We Do

We create and deliver secure solutions for continuous software integration and delivery. Defense Unicorns consolidates the best practices for security pipelines, testing, and deployment automation in order to meet the high security requirements valued by mission owners. Our solutions are agnostic by design and we believe that growing a robust ecosystem of secure, cloud-native software solutions can help enterprise customers inside and outside the federal market buy and integrate software more easily.

Who We Serve

Defense Unicorns’ customers are mission-focused leaders across public and private enterprises. We proudly support defense and civil agencies across the U.S. government and we work closely with the creators of leading-edge software solutions to deliver value to the mission-owner by improving the security and consumability of commercial software products.

What We Work On

  • Kubernetes
  • Cloud Environments (AWS/GCP and Azure)
  • Infrastructure-as-code (like Terraform/Pulumi)
  • Continuous Delivery and automation tooling
  • GitOps
  • Containers
  • CNCF projects and open source products and packages
  • Helm/Kustomize-Value Stream Mapping
  • Building and improving security delivery
  • Building Kubernetes and cloud native applications

Benefits Our Unicorns Enjoy

Health:

  • Medical/Dental/Vision
  • Premiums are 100% Company Paid
  • Health Reimbursement Account
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance

Financial:

  • 401k Retirement Plan
  • Company Stock Options
  • Home Office Setup Budget

Leave:

  • Unlimited paid time off, with a mandatory 10 days off on top of 11 federal government holidays, week of Thanksgiving, last two weeks of December (including New Year’s Day)
  • Paid Parental Leave

Learning:

  • Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
  • Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)

Don’t have all the preferred experience or qualifications? Studies show that underrepresented groups like women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don't meet every requirement listed. 

At Defense Unicorns, we're committed to diversity. If you're enthusiastic about the role but don't match every criteria, we encourage you to apply. You could be the perfect fit for this or another role! Defense Unicorns is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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