Chief of Staff

Bright Money; Karnataka; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent benefits package

Job summary

Bright Money, a consumer fintech, seeks a Chief of Staff (path to COO) to work directly with the CEO and leadership. Drive operating rhythm, translate strategy into execution, and lead high-priority initiatives shaping Bright’s growth.

Role designed as a path to COO; begin with strategy and execution alongside the CEO and progressively own functions, teams, and P&L as you build operating track record.

Qualifications

• Experience in management consulting, investment banking, or strategy roles at high-growth technology companies.
• Proven track record working with founders or CXOs; prior CoS or BizOps leadership is preferred.
• Fintech, consumer internet, or financial services experience is a strong plus; exposure to the U.S. market is an advantage.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills; comfortable with financial models and data‑driven decisions.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, including Board presentations and executive storytelling.
• Degree from a leading institution; MBA is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Strategic partnership: advise the CEO on strategy, priorities, and key decisions—frame problems and drive closure.
• Operating cadence: own annual and quarterly planning, OKRs, reviews, and leadership meetings with clear accountability.
• Cross-functional execution: lead high-priority initiatives across Product, Engineering, Data Science, Growth, Finance, and People teams.
• Board & investor readiness: prepare decks and updates with rigor and clarity.
• Performance insight: track metrics, surface risks and opportunities, and provide data-backed recommendations.
• Special projects: own strategic projects like new product or market evaluations and process improvements.
• Path to COO: progressively take ownership of functions and P&L as the business scales.

Skills

Strategy & Ops

Cross-functional leadership

Data analysis

Stakeholder communication

Education

MBA preferred

Job description

About Bright Money

Bright Money is a consumer fintech built for middle-income consumers. Our platform helps consumers build credit, manage debt, and access suitable loans and credit cards - addressing the key financial needs of people living paycheck to paycheck.

Bright is a profitable, India-built fintech serving the U.S. market, with a clear trajectory toward $100 million in revenue. Our business model combines subscription revenue with a financial-services marketplace across loans, credit cards, and credit-building solutions.

We have launched an AI-powered money assistant and agentic AI experiences that simplify access to credit. Our ambition is to build the first AI-driven consumer-fintech platform for middle-income consumers.

Founded in 2019, Bright’s founding team includes leaders from McKinsey’s Banking Practice - Petko Plachkov and Avi Patchava - and data science leaders from InMobi. Bright is backed by leading global venture capital firms and technology investors across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

With a data-driven, high-ownership, and fast-paced culture, we are building a global consumer-fintech company from India.

What is the role about?

We are looking for a Chief of Staff (with a path to Chief Operating Officer) to work directly with Bright’s CEO and leadership team as a strategic partner and force multiplier. You will drive the company’s operating rhythm, translate strategy into execution across functions, and lead the high-priority initiatives that shape Bright’s next phase of growth.

This role is designed as a path to Chief Operating Officer. You will begin by driving strategy and execution alongside the CEO, and progressively take direct ownership of functions, teams, and P&L as you build the operating track record to step into the COO seat.

We are looking for a seasoned operator who combines strategic thinking with hands‑on execution, influences senior stakeholders without formal authority, and is ready to carry line accountability.

What will you do?

• Strategic partnership: Act as a thought partner to the CEO on company strategy, priorities, and key decisions—framing problems, analyzing options, and driving decisions to closure.




• Operating cadence: Own the company’s planning and review rhythm, including annual and quarterly goal-setting, OKRs, business reviews, and leadership meetings, with clear accountability and follow-through.




• Cross-functional execution: Lead high-priority initiatives from scoping through delivery, aligning Product, Engineering, Data Science, Growth, Finance, and Human Potential teams.




• Board & investor readiness: Prepare board decks, investor updates, and leadership communications with Board-level rigor and clarity.




• Performance insight: Track key business metrics and surface risks, bottlenecks, and opportunities early, with data-backed recommendations.




• Special projects: Own strategic projects such as new product or market evaluations, organizational design, and process improvements.




• Leadership leverage: Manage the CEO’s priorities and time, serve as a point of escalation, and represent the CEO in internal and external forums as needed.




• Path to COO: Progressively take direct ownership of functions, operating teams, and P&L, stepping into the Chief Operating Officer mandate as the business scales.

Ideal candidate profile

Experience & Background:

• Experience: 12+ years of professional experience, with a strong foundation in management consulting, investment banking, or strategy and operations roles at high‑growth technology companies.




• Leadership exposure: A proven track record of working closely with founders or CXOs; prior experience as a Chief of Staff or in Strategy or BizOps leadership is strongly preferred.




• Domain: Experience in fintech, consumer internet, or financial services is a strong plus; exposure to the U.S. market is an advantage.




• Analytical depth: Strong quantitative and problem‑solving skills; comfortable with financial models, business metrics, and data‑driven decision‑making.




• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication, including Board-level presentations and executive storytelling.




• Education: Degree from a leading institution; an MBA is preferred.




• Operating scope: Experience owning a function, business line, or P&L, and building and leading teams; the ambition and readiness to step into a COO mandate.

Mindset & Operating DNA:

• Ownership: Treats company outcomes as their own and closes loops without being asked.




• Structured thinking: Brings clarity to ambiguous problems and turns them into actionable plans.




• Bias for action: Moves quickly, prioritizes ruthlessly, and balances speed with rigor.




• Influence without authority: Builds trust across teams and aligns senior stakeholders through credibility rather than hierarchy.




• Discretion & judgment: Handles sensitive information with integrity and makes sound calls under pressure.




• Leadership scale: Ready to move from influence to direct accountability—setting standards, building teams, and owning outcomes end to end.

Non-Fit Profiles

• Profiles focused mainly on executive assistance, scheduling, or administrative support.




• Candidates who prefer advisory work without hands‑on ownership of execution and outcomes.




• Those uncomfortable with ambiguity, shifting priorities, or a fast‑paced, high‑cadence environment.




• Candidates seeking a long‑term staff or advisory seat, with no appetite for line ownership or P&L accountability.

What Bright Offers?

• A profitable sub‑unicorn with U.S. market scale – liquidity potential at $1–3B valuations.




• Real ownership: You grow into running your own BU with an independent P&L.




• Wealth creation: Equity at an inflection stage of scale.




• A data‑driven, high‑cadence culture that combines consulting rigor with FinTech speed.




• Benefits: Excellent benefits package in line with sector best practice.