The Role

Sofar is building the first full-stack ocean intelligence platform to help solve some of the world’s hardest problems, and contribute to a more sustainable future. From an operational perspective that means that we combine advances in technology with ocean and atmospheric science to create data services and SaaS products for our customers.

To help accelerate the growth of our company, we are seeking a Chief of Staff to work closely with the CEO and provide strategic and operational support across the organization. This role will be instrumental in driving the execution of key business initiatives, aligning cross-functional teams with the company’s goals, and supporting the CEO in setting and executing the company’s strategic vision. We are looking for a seasoned operations leader with a passion for building high-growth companies, capable of thriving in a dynamic and fast-paced tech environment.

The Chief of Staff will play a critical role in ensuring operational efficiency, driving key projects, and fostering a culture of collaboration. This role will involve implementing operational processes, optimizing reporting structures, and providing managerial oversight to enable smooth scaling. As a trusted partner to the CEO, you will help shape the company’s growth trajectory and contribute to the success of the business.

Impact You’ll Own

• Strategic Planning & Execution: Collaborate with the CEO to develop and execute business strategies, ensuring alignment across departments, driving key initiatives, and tracking performance metrics to measure progress toward company objectives.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Serve as a bridge between leadership teams and the CEO, facilitating communication and ensuring the smooth operation of daily activities and projects across departments.
• Operational Efficiency: Identify and prioritize operational challenges, streamline processes, and drive improvements to enhance overall business performance.
• Executive Decision Support: Provide high-level insights, data analysis, and recommendations to support the CEO in decision-making and the development of business strategies.
• Project Management: Lead and oversee high-impact projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within scope, and aligned with business objectives.
• Fundraising & Investor Relations: Assist the CEO with fundraising activities, prepare investor updates, manage relationships with investors, and coordinate materials and agendas for board meetings.
• CEO’s Trusted Advisor: Act as a strategic advisor to the CEO, helping manage priorities, oversee key communications, and ensure the CEO’s time is focused on the highest-value activities.

About You

• 7+ years of experience in operations, business strategy, or a similar role, ideally in a tech startup or high-growth environment
• Hybrid, 3-4 days in our San Francisco office.
• Strong project management skills, with a proven track record of leading cross-functional initiatives from concept to execution, while delivering measurable business results.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with senior leadership, team members, and stakeholders across the organization.
• Strategic thinker with analytical abilities—capable of synthesizing data, spotting trends, and making data-driven recommendations to drive company growth and innovation.
• Experience working closely executives, and managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and proactively solve problems while maintaining a focus on high-level company goals and fostering a culture of operational excellence.
• A deep passion for the Ocean and a desire to make an impact

Estimated Salary Range

• $125,000 - $177,000
• The range listed is what we reasonably expect to pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and may be modified in the future. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, experience, and equity package.

Sofar’s Commitment to Climate Justice

We at Sofar Ocean acknowledge that careers in the marine sciences “... have traditionally been, and remain, non-diverse work environments”, thereby limiting the entry and prosperity of underrepresented groups in the space. (Johri et al., 2021) Many of these same groups are disproportionately affected by climate change, and are often excluded from decision making that directly address their interests and needs.

We are committed to addressing these climate injustices and highly encourage people who identify as women, LGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to apply