About Formant

**NOTE This Role is open to candidates living in the San Francisco/Bay area only.

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.