What is a Chief of Staff?
Plus the 5 major Chief of Staff archetypes, the CoS responsibilities matrix, when to hire a Chief of Staff, 1 new CoS req we're working on, and more
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This question is more common than you might think! For anyone who is coming across this title for the first time, a Chief of Staff (CoS) is a senior role that serves as the right-hand person to a top executive in an organization — typically the CEO, but in bigger orgs it can be others in the C-suite or even SVPs.
Chiefs of Staff can complement or amplify their Principal’s strengths and help drive communication, collaboration, and decision-making velocity across the executive team.
And if you’ve met one Chief of Staff, then you’ve met one Chief of Staff. Core responsibilities can vary significantly depending on the organization's size, structure, and needs. But some common duties and attributes of a Chief of Staff include:
Strategic advisor + thinker: The CEO’s oracle who’s always thinking three steps ahead. They're the ones connecting the dots and making sure the big picture always stays in focus.
Gatekeeper: It's not about being a barrier but more about ensuring their executive's time is spent on what truly matters.
Communicator: The CoS ensures that messages coming from the top (and going down the org or out to the world) are clear, consistent, and aligned with organizational goals. They also help information flow between different departments and within the executive team.
Project manager: They take ownership of “ownerless” projects, and coordinate between teams, manage timelines, and keep stakeholders informed (and accountable where necessary!).
Problem solver: The CoS is the consummate Chief Rubik’s Cube Officer. They are the ones who identify current or potential issues, come up with solutions, and implement them.
What are the typical Chief of Staff archetypes?
I’ve arrived at 5 major archetypes — The Finance Pro, The Management Consultant, The Startup Buff, The Entrepreneur, and the Super EA from two perspectives:
Candidates with certain backgrounds coming to me looking to make the jump to Chief of Staff
Founders & executives looking for specific profiles and skillsets
Below is a handy sheet outlining each archetype and their superpowers. Of course there are a few more archetypes, these are just the more common ones. For example, I’m seeing more and more product leaders gunning for the Chief of Staff title (and they could be amazing fits for CoS to CPO roles), as well as more unconventional candidates like lawyers.
Right Hand has represented and placed all 5 archetypes — including “pure play” and blended archetypes — and led some challenging searches, e.g. placing a candidate that had very deep finance experience, time in the Chief of Staff seat at a tech startup, real estate investment experience AND was excited about being onsite 4-5x per week. And all this amidst multiple highly competitive offers. 😤
What skills are the different Chief of Staff archetypes really good at?
This also answers the question “what type of Chief of Staff should you hire?” Below is a companion matrix to the 5 archetypes that highlights particular Chief of Staff responsibilities and how that aligns with a specific archetype’s core strengths.
Note that this is just a rough guideline. A Startup Buff may have led change management efforts, for example, but if that’s a core skill that your Chief of Staff needs, you may be better off with the Management Consultant archetype who’s done this many times over for countless clients.
My advice to founders regarding how to define the CoS core responsibilities is to ask yourself the following:
What are you currently doing that you shouldn’t be doing?
What aren’t you currently doing that you should be doing?
What are the top 3 things that must get done in the next 3-6 months for the business to scale?
Sitting down with a blank page in front of you and answering those questions in a stream of consciousness is a great way to get started on 1) identifying the “themes of work” the CoS will focus on in the short, medium, and long-term, and ultimately, 2) their specific core responsibilities.
What is the appropriate leveling for a Chief of Staff?
Using the Chief of Staff Network’s framework, a Chief of Staff can range from Level 1 to Level 5, so someone who operates with very little independence to someone who doesn’t need any operational supervision.
My personal opinion is that if you’re hiring a Level 1 or 2, then this person is probably better suited for a more well-defined associate or manager role/title, not Chief of Staff.
This is because to a large degree, the Chief of Staff isn’t another person an executive needs to manage; they are a massive leverage unlock for their them and so the best fit is the “outlier” self-starter with an extreme ownership mentality who spends more time managing up then being managed themselves.
Our focus at Right Hand has been Level 4 Chiefs of Staff, and we’ve been told by one of our repeat clients (net new CoS role for a different executive 😊) that we have developed a hallmark for our brand based on the candidates we present.
They are candidates with strong business acumen and operational rigor/expertise who clearly check all the boxes on the hard skills side — but also over-index on EQ, polish, executive presence, and are fantastic chemistry matches— some of the hardest aspects to get just right.
When should you hire a Chief of Staff?
This is one of the most common questions I get. The major inflection points for a venture-backed startup are at the Series A/B/C rounds or later. Any sooner and it’s likely too early, unless there is a need for immediate strategic support or operational bandwidth beyond the capabilities of the existing team.
Hiring a Chief of Staff in these earlier stages can be strategic if it fills a critical gap that frees up the CEO or founders to focus on scaling the business and product development, for example.
Ultimately, the right time to hire a Chief of Staff depends on the ability of this person to significantly contribute to the company’s growth trajectory and operational efficiency at that point in time.
If you’re hiring and feel like the candidate showcased here could be who you need on your team, just reply to this email! :)
🙋♀️ Candidate Background
This candidate most recently held leadership roles in Strategy and Product at a consumer startup, where he was recruited to join the team as employee #5. He wore dozens of hats while helping the company scale to 50 employees and raise a Series B.
Consistently tasked with leading the most transformational initiatives in the business from zero to one, this candidate was responsible for the development and launch of new products and new sales channels; building internal functions from scratch; creating significant cost savings through operational efficiencies; generating strategy-defining insights through primary and secondary research and analytics; and more.
Before entering the startup world, this candidate spent 4 years as an investment banker specializing in technology, media, and marketing, advising C-suite executives on M&A and fundraising. During his tenure he helped win and close 12 deals generating $20M+ in revenue, and reached the Vice President level before taking time off to travel the world.
💪🏻 Top 3 Skills
Highly strategic thinking and intentional execution
Exceptional written and verbal communication
Figuring it out and getting it done
✨ Proudest Achievement
Gaining admission to his dream (Ivy League) school, launching products used by tens of thousands of customers, developing an advanced yoga practice, mentoring the success of his junior colleagues.
🔥 What’s Unique
While he cringes at the word, this candidate is an extremely strong... generalist. In fact, a former executive called him "our strongest athlete on the field." He is equally comfortable and confident in modeling and analytics as he is in providing creative direction for marketing collateral. Underpinning this dexterity is a sharp intuition and EQ.
🎯 Career Goals
In his next role, this candidate wants to work on high-value initiatives alongside high-caliber colleagues, at a company that offers significant opportunity for growth. Ultimately, he intends to start a company of his own. He is eager to have a positive impact on people along the way.
Chief of Staff @ E-Learning Startup
This E-Learning startup specializes in empowering female leadership and offers enterprise solutions to Fortune 500 companies to enhance organizational performance and personal growth.
The founder's journey to find her "why" ignited a passion to help others in discovering their own paths and blending professional success with personal fulfillment.
The company is hiring a Chief of Staff who will be heavily focused on:
• Strategic planning + execution
• Operational efficiency
• Project management
Ideal candidates will have 3-5 years of professional work experience (preferably at a SaaS startup) and some time in the Chief of Staff seat.
𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀:
💰 ~$120-150k base salary
⚕️ Medical/vision/dental insurance
🏦 401k contributions
🔥 Personal development programs
📍 100% remote
If you're interested and want to learn more about the company, just apply here! I’ll get back to you ASAP if your experience aligns with what they’re looking for.
Check out our job board for the full list of opportunities with our clients!
📊 Chief of Staff, Marketing at Fivetran — the all-in-one data movement platform
My thoughts: Fivetran’s built a smart way to help businesses get their hands on the data they need without the headache, allowing for data pipelines to be easily and efficiently managed, with the goal of making it more accessible and actionable.
They were last valued at $5.6 billion and this is the size of company where you start seeing CoS to CXO roles, e.g. a Chief of Staff to an executive other than the CEO.
As the Chief of Staff to Fivetran’s CMO, you'll be the central nerve of their marketing team, working on big-picture initiatives while keeping all the marketing gears running smoothly. You’ll be getting into:
Thinking big by partnering with the CMO to dream up and roll out marketing strategies that'll knock people's socks off.
Becoming the “team whisperer” — the glue that keeps everyone focused and fired up about where they're headed together.
Getting stuff done! Streamlining processes and optimizing workflows
The numbers. Digging into and analyzing data to identify trends and derive actionable insights.
Ideal candidates will have 7-10 YoE in a strategic or operational role in a marketing or tech-driven org, strong project management and analytical skills, and the ability to lead and influence across all levels of an organization.
💰 Compensation: $164,560—$205,700
📍This role is remote.
📥 Apply here.
🏘️ Strategic CoS at Avenue One — investment marketplace for institutional buyers and sellers of residential homes
My thoughts: This CoS role is hybrid in NYC 4-5 days/week. I’m starting to see this regression to pre-pandemic times of more in-office days being expected of Chiefs of Staff. In some cases, candidates who are on board with this are seen as being more excited about the opportunity than those who angle for more flexibility. So in a way, it can be used as a proxy for commitment, desire to learn + grow, excitement about the mission, etc (for better or worse).
In this role, the Chief of Staff will work directly under the Business Unit Head, orchestrating strategies for lead generation, deal sourcing, and capital raising. The CoS will be key in aligning team efforts with the company's ambitious growth plans, enhancing operational processes, and fostering a culture of accountability and collaboration.
Ideal candidates will have 5-7+ YoE, with a strong background in real estate or financial services. Key attributes include exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, leadership in managing cross-functional teams, and proficiency in Google Workspace. Of course, the ability to work independently and drive initiatives is crucial.
💰 Salary: $150,000 to $180,000
📍This role is hybrid in NYC (4-5 days a week).
📥 Apply here.
🌱 CoS at Little Leaf Farms — the #1 indoor leafy green brand in the US
My thoughts: Little Leaf Farms is building the “farms of the future” and they’re running a $100M/year business and have a whopping 50% of market share — insane.
They're on the lookout for a Chief of Staff to work directly with the CEO, Paul Sellew, to focus on strategic planning & execution, operational efficiency, and org-wide communication.
Ideal candidates will be the “Management Consultant” or “Finance Pro” archetype with 4-6 YoE blending strong analytical skills and strategic thinking with a passion for sustainable agriculture and tech innovations. Key to success in this role are excellent organizational and communication skills, and a deep commitment to making a positive environmental impact.
💰 On top of getting paid + stock options, you get free lettuce. Nice.
📍 This role is hybrid in Shirley, MA (in-office 3x/week)
📥 Apply here.
- (CEO at AppSumo) shares how he plans his week
- hosts (GP at Hustle Fund) on his pod and they candidly discuss their addiction to work and the struggles with being present for their families
Elon Musk is suing OpenAI, and Jason Calacanis gets excited about the implications
- makes the case for hiring a smart generalist
- launches Downshift, the world’s first “decelerator” program for high performers in transition
If you’re a candidate looking to get placed as a Chief of Staff with Right Hand, just submit this application.
If you’re hiring a Chief of Staff and need help accelerating your search with Right Hand, I’d love to talk. Just respond to this email!
Where else you can find me: X and LinkedIn, where I post daily on all things Chief of Staff, personal growth, and consciousness.
Finally, if you liked reading this, feel free to click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack 🙏
Until next time, Right Hand fam! 👋
I've been thinking a lot about this article since you published it. I definitely agree with the 5 archetypes and the strengths they exhibit and the role they fill. I'd add one more to this list - The Chameleon. It likely resembles the Startup Buff (wearing many hats) but given the limitations you suggest for this archetype, it creates room for one more on the list. The Chameleon is able to flex into any of these archetypes as needed on any given day...or meeting. Personally, I've had to craft yearly strategic objectives (Management Consultant), identify and drive the initiatives aimed at achieving those objectives (Entrepreneur), while simultaneously planning a global SKO with content that aligns and enables teams to achieve the objectives and build camaraderie (Super EA). Some execs can probably accomplish a lot with a single-archetype CoS. The real difference-maker is the CoS who has the agility and guts to take on any of the listed responsibilities - but, with enough self-awareness and humility to know when it's the right time to handoff or seek support.
If you were to build a CoS with ai for any CxO, would you start from scratch from what you want it to learn or would you take one as is and refurbish it by (un/re)learning the computer brain piece by piece and perspective by perspective. Short answers only…j/k! Not kidding on how much fun it was to read. Well done!