Chief of Staff

Harmonic Security is seeking a dynamic and proactive Chief of Staff to join our team. This role will serve as a strategic and operational partner to our leadership team, Alastair Paterson, Co-Founder & CEO and Bryan Woolgar-O’Neil, Co-Founder & CTO, as well as several VPs of sales, marketing, product and operations. Both Alastair and Bryan are highly technical, multiple-time startup operators with deep engineering expertise. Their previous company, Digital Shadows, sold to KKR for $160M, and more than half of the Harmonic's employees are formerly from that company.

The Chief of Staff role will have extensive exposure to leadership and the company’s daily operational functions, driving growth and success by managing critical priorities, streamlining operations, and leading strategic growth initiatives. Key responsibilities include CEO operations, AI special projects, leadership team cross-cutting initiatives, team and culture. Finally, the Chief of Staff will have an accelerated growth plan to become a future leader at the company. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, hard worker and strategic thinker who excels at learning new skills and driving results in a fast-paced environment.

About Harmonic Security

Harmonic Security is on a mission to help companies securely adopt GenAI. We are a fast-growing Series A cybersecurity startup building the next generation of security solutions. Founded by seasoned industry veterans, we're creating cutting-edge AI security technologies to protect organizations from evolving threats. 

We're backed by strong investors, Ten Eleven Ventures, In-Q-Tel and Next47, as we scale toward our Series B funding round. In just 18 months, we’ve been named a Gartner cool vendor and onboarded dozens of new clients, while achieving product market fit. Our largest deployment covers 110,000 end users.

We are a small, high performance team working on difficult, high-impact problems. We primarily work in-person from our offices in downtown San Francisco and London. We are high-agency, adaptable, and collaborative.

About the Role

We're seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff to serve as CEO Alastair's strategic partner and force multiplier during this critical growth phase. This is a high-impact role for a driven, strategic operator who wants to learn from an experienced CEO while directly contributing to company success.

As Chief of Staff, you'll be the CEO's extension across all facets of the business - from go-to-market optimization and AI strategy development to operational excellence and executive communications. You'll work closely with our newly hired VP of Operations and emerging leadership team to drive initiatives that accelerate our path to market leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Operations

• Manage CEO calendar, priorities, and time optimization to maximize impact
• Serve as CEO proxy in some meetings, customer calls, and strategic discussions
• Drive cross-functional project management for high-priority initiatives, particularly on AI
• Lead preparation and follow-up for board meetings and investor communications

Go-to-Market

• Optimize CEO-customer relationship management and touchpoints
• Support upselling and net new customer acquisition efforts
• Coordinate CEO speaking engagements and industry appearances
• Partner with VP Marketing on thought leadership and content strategy

AI Strategy & Innovation

• Research and implement AI tools to optimize internal operations
• Lead AI experiments and proof-of-concept development
• Create comprehensive AI roadmap aligned with business objectives
• Stay current on AI trends and competitive landscape

Team & Culture

• Plan and execute company off-sites, all-hands meetings, and retreats
• Drive culture initiatives supporting our bi-coastal team in SF & London and new SF office

• Facilitate communication between CEO and internal teams

What We're Looking For

• At least 5+ years of professional experience with 2+ years in management consulting at a top tier firm (BCG, McKinsey, Bain) or investment banking, plus 3+ years in a startup
• Proven track record in fast-paced, high-growth environments, Series A/B preferred
• ‘AI native’ someone who lives and breathes emerging technologies and has already integrated GenAI into their personal operating system
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking abilities with excellent problem-solving skills
• Exceptional communication skills - with ability to interact confidently with executives, customers, and external stakeholders
• Project management expertise with demonstrated ability to drive complex, cross-functional initiatives
• Entrepreneurial mindset with willingness to get hands dirty and tackle any challenge

• International experience or experience working across global teams

• High intellectual curiosity and rapid learning abilities
• Adaptability and resilience in ambiguous, fast-changing environments
• Collaborative leadership style that builds trust across diverse teams

Why You’ll Love Working With Us

• Competitive base salary: $180,000 - $220,000 based on experience
• Meaningful equity stake in a fast-growing security company
• Comprehensive benefits package including health and dental

• Direct mentorship from experienced CEO and leadership team
• Accelerated career trajectory with clear path to senior leadership roles after ~2-3 years
• Broad exposure across all aspects of building and scaling a tech company

Location Requirements

• San Francisco-based role with expectation to be in office when CEO is present (typically 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM)
• ~10-15% travel for off-sites, conferences, and customer meetings