Chief of Staff

Nift; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Medical / Dental / Vision

Equity potential

Unlimited Responsible PTO

Job summary

Nift is seeking a Chief of Staff to the CEO in the Boston area who will become the operating engine of a fast-growing company. You will take the CEO's workload, design and implement the operating rhythm, and drive critical cross-functional initiatives to completion.

The role emphasizes execution over strategy, requiring someone who can systemize processes, coordinate teams, and deliver measurable outcomes with transparency and urgency.

Qualifications

• 6–10+ years in high-trust operating roles, Chief of Staff, or equivalent.
• Proven track record installing operating cadence and running exec meetings.
• Cross-functional delivery across multiple initiatives with credibility.
• Comfort in fast-changing, ambiguous environments and fast decision cycles.
• Proximity within ~75 miles of Boston, MA, or willingness to relocate.

Responsibilities

• Establish and manage the company's operating rhythm (OKRs, cadence, board prep).
• Identify missing systems and implement light-weight fixes to close gaps.
• Drive cross-functional execution with clear milestones and outcomes.
• Own communications flow from the CEO's office to internal and external stakeholders.
• Serve as the CEO's early-warning system, surfacing issues quickly and tactfully.

Skills

Operating cadence

OKRs

Cross-functional delivery

Ambiguity navigation

Investor relations exposure

Job description

Nift · Office of the CEO · Boston, MA strongly preferred (within ~75 miles) · Flexible remote

The role

Nift is growing fast - 1,111% over the last three years, profitable and scaling to become one of the largest sources of new-customer acquisition in the world. Growth like that creates a very specific problem at the top: our CEO is spending the majority of his time running operations when he should be driving product and growth.

This role fixes that. As Chief of Staff to the CEO, you are the operating engine of the company, the person who takes the machinery of a fast-moving business off the CEO's plate and runs it better than it has ever run. You find what's broken before anyone flags it, build the system that fixes it, and drive it to completion. You turn a company that debates into a company that ships.

This is not a strategy seat, and it is not an executive-assistant role. It's for an operator, someone who is patient with people and impatient about progress, who would rather demonstrate a better way than write a memo arguing for it, and who is at their best in the ambiguity of "this is broken, nobody owns it, go."

If you read that and feel pulled toward it, keep reading.

Our mission

Nift is reshaping how people discover and try new brands, introducing them to new products and services through thoughtful "thank-you" gifts. Our customer-first approach helps businesses acquire new customers efficiently while making customers feel genuinely valued and rewarded. We're a data-driven, cash-flow-positive company backed by the investors behind Fitbit, Warby Parker, and Twitter, and we're scaling toward global impact. Read more about our growth here.

What you'll own

• The company's operating rhythm. You'll run the cadence that keeps Nift aligned - the OKR process, the company meeting, management meetings, and board and investor prep. Not the logistics; the substance. What gets decided, and what happens to the decision afterward. Over time, you'll run parts of it without the CEO in the room.
• The systems that are missing. Much of what slows a fast company down isn't hard,it's unowned. A commitment made in one meeting that nobody tracks. A handoff between two teams with no system behind it. Reporting that simply doesn't exist yet. You'll notice these before they're raised and build the lightest thing that closes the gap,starting with the one that moves the business most, rather than trying to fix everything at once.
• Cross-functional execution. When something critical doesn't fit neatly into one team, it becomes yours,and you'll carry several of these at a time. You'll drive them to real milestones and clear outcomes, earning cooperation through credibility rather than authority.
• Communication from the office of the CEO. In partnership with our People and Communications leads, you'll own the flow of internal and external communication, one sharp, consistent narrative across the company, the board, investors, and press. When the organization feels unclear about where things stand, that's a communication problem, and it's yours to solve.
• Separating signal from noise. You'll be the CEO's filter and early-warning system, surfacing the emerging issue quickly and tactfully, keeping the noise off his desk, and making sure nothing important falls through the cracks. You'll help the executive team operate with shared clarity, urgency, and accountability..

A few things this role is not

• Not an executive assistant. Nift has a separate EA / project manager. You won't be managing the CEO's calendar, travel, or inbox.
• Not a strategy-deck role. You'll drive execution and own outcomes, not produce recommendations for other people to run with.
• Not a COO. You won't have direct reports or personnel authority; your influence comes from judgment, credibility, and results.

You might be a fit if you…

• Default to action. You prove a better way by running it, and you ship when the cost of failure is low rather than waiting for perfect. (It's how we live our value of Innovation.)
• Own things without being asked. You notice the gap, form a point of view, and close it, the CEO can drop you into ambiguity and trust that you'll figure out what matters and handle it.
• Move people through respect. You bring executives and teams along by earning trust, not pulling rank, empathetic, but decisive.
• Are radically transparent. You raise the hard thing early and directly, and people trust your read on reality completely.
• Find the five things that matter, fast. You can walk into complexity and discern signals from noise in weeks, not quarters.
• Operate without ego or politics, and stay calm and confident when things move fast and the stakes are high.

What you'll need

• 6-10+ years in high-trust operating or leadership roles, Chief of Staff, Business Operations, Strategy & Operations, startup founder, or a functional leader at a company small enough that you ended up owning several things at once. (If your title was never "Chief of Staff", we still want to hear from you.)
• A track record of installing an operating cadence, OKRs, executive meetings, board prep, that you built, not just inherited.
• Proven cross-functional delivery with no direct reports and no budget authority, ideally several initiatives running at once.
• Comfort in a fast-changing, high-growth, occasionally messy environment, and genuine enthusiasm for an AI-forward, build-first culture.
• (Preferred) Experience scaling internal operations in a mid-sized, fast-growing startup.
• (Preferred) Exposure to investor relations, board operations, or cross-functional program management.
• Strong preference for candidates within ~75 miles of Boston, MA.

What you get

• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits (401(k), Medical / Dental / Vision), and equity potential for all full-time employees
• Unlimited Responsible PTO
• The chance to join a growing, cash-flow-positive company and have direct, visible impact on Nift's revenue, growth, scale, and future success

Location

We have a strong preference for candidates within ~75 miles of Boston, MA, proximity to the CEO genuinely changes how well this role works. For an exceptional candidate we'll consider other arrangements, and the role offers flexible remote work.