Founding Operator / Chief of Staff & Co-Founder (Equity Heavy)

PROFID; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

PROFID is seeking a Founding Operator / Chief of Staff to help build a category-defining company in San Francisco. This role is hands-on and equity-heavy, focusing on creating operational structures, driving fundraising processes, and strategic partnerships.

The right candidate will have experience in scaling startups, work directly with the founder, and significantly influence the company's trajectory. A strong network across U.S. investors and operators is highly valuable.

Qualifications

• Experience with meaningful operating responsibility in a startup or high-growth environment.
• Proven track record of driving commercial relationships.
• Capable of working directly with founders across high-priority problems.

Responsibilities

• Help sharpen investor process and strengthen positioning.
• Create operating structures and cadences for scale.
• Work directly with the founder on strategic partnerships.

Skills

Building or scaling a venture-backed startup

Enterprise sales and partnerships

Operating under ambiguity

Strong U.S. network

Job description

Founding Operator / Chief of Staff & Late Co-Founder (Equity Heavy)

Location: U.S.-based only (mandatory)

About PROFID

PROFID is building a new global trust layer for the future economy.

If Visa built the infrastructure for the movement of money, PROFID is building the infrastructure for the movement of trust — between companies, individuals, platforms, and AI systems.

This is not a small SaaS business and not another verification service.

This is a category-defining company being built for a world where traditional ways of checking people, reputation, and reliability are no longer enough.

Where We Are Now

• $2M+ invested by the founder
• Working product
• Engineering leadership with ex-Uber Director of Engineering background
• Founder with 5+ startup launches and 2 exits
• Early commercial traction across SMB, mid-market, and enterprise conversations
• Fundraising materials and process substantially prepared

What This Role Actually Is

This is a hands‑on, equity-heavy founding role for a U.S.-based operator who wants to help build a serious company from the inside.

This is not a polished corporate seat.

You will not inherit a finished machine, a large team, or a fully built operating structure.

You will work directly with the founder and help turn an already-built foundation into real commercial movement, real operating discipline, and real scale readiness.

The right person for this role is not a title collector.

They are a builder.

Why This Seat Exists

The vision is clear.

The product is built.

The technical base is strong.

Founder commitment is real.

What is missing is a U.S.-based operator with enough judgment, intensity, and execution power to help drive the next phase of the company.

That means helping the founder move faster and stronger across:

• strategic partnerships
• early scale architecture

What You Will Own

Help sharpen investor process, strengthen positioning, improve discipline across outreach and follow‑up, and materially increase the probability of closing the right round.

Help turn real pipeline into real pilots, contracts, and strategic customer relationships. Not activity for the sake of activity — actual movement.

Operating Build‑Out

Create cadence, prioritization, accountability, and the early operating structure required for scale.

Founder‑Level Execution

Work directly with the founder across high‑priority company‑building problems — including partner conversations, execution bottlenecks, decision support, and special situations that do not fit neatly into one function.

What This Role Is Not

This role is probably not right for you if:

• you want a polished corporate environment
• you prefer managing an existing machine instead of helping build one
• you need a fully de‑risked role from day one
• you want a narrow functional seat instead of broad company‑building responsibility
• you are stronger in theory, process language, and executive presence than in direct execution
• you are looking for a title‑first opportunity rather than an outcome‑first role

Who This Role Is For

This role is likely a fit if you have real experience doing some combination of the following:

• building or scaling a venture‑backed startup
• carrying meaningful operating responsibility in an early‑stage or high‑growth environment
• driving enterprise sales, partnerships, or strategic commercial relationships
• working closely with founders in high‑intensity environments
• operating effectively under ambiguity, pressure, and incomplete information
• staying hands‑on instead of relying on layers of people below you

A strong U.S. network across investors, operators, or enterprise buyers is highly valuable.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, success is not measured by meetings, frameworks, or impressive language.

Success looks like:

• a sharper and more disciplined fundraising process
• stronger investor and partner movementpipeline converting into real pilots and contracts
• better operating cadence and execution discipline
• the founder becoming more leveraged, not more overloaded
• the company becoming more fundable, more credible, and more scalable

Compensation

This is a real co‑founder‑level opportunity with meaningful long‑term upside.

Pre‑raise cash compensation is limited, but real.

This is not a symbolic role, and it is not a “work for free and hope” situation.

The structure is intended for someone who understands the trade‑off: lower cash before the round, meaningful upside through equity, real influence on company outcome, and the opportunity to help shape the business at a foundational stage.

Post‑raise compensation is expected to normalize at a market executive level.

Why a Strong Person Would Take This Seriously

Because this is not a “join early and maybe something happens someday” situation.

The product already exists.

The founder has already committed serious capital.

The technical base is already in place.

The opportunity is real.

And the right person will have genuine influence on what happens next — not just a title.

How to Apply

Please do not apply with a generic executive résumé and a vague note.

Instead, send a short, direct message answering these three questions:

• What have you personally built or scaled that is most relevant to this role?
• What concrete operating, fundraising, or commercial outcomes did you personally drive?
• Why does this specific role make sense for you now?

We are looking for people who are serious, sharp, and ready to build.