Chief of Staff Fast-Growing Defence AI Company (West London)
KEY POINTS
- Full time, 5 days a week on site in Brentford, West London
- Right hand to a founder building AI autonomy for air, ground and drone systems
- Own the operational world behind a scaling defence AI company, trials, events, clearances, partnerships, standing up HR and finance
- Genuinely varied, no two days the same, a real doer role not a process role
- Clearable to SC then DV (you do not need to be cleared already, but you must be clearable)
- Salary £65,000 plus share options
- Right to work in the UK required, no sponsorship available for this role
ABOUT THE CLIENT
We are supporting a fast-growing defence AI company building autonomy across air, ground and drone systems, machine vision, edge AI and uncrewed platforms, working with the MOD and major defence primes. They have just closed new funding and landed a significant contract, and are scaling the team quickly.
This is a genuinely exciting environment, small, ambitious, technically serious, and attacking one of the most important problems in modern defence. The founders want someone alongside them who can take things off their plate and run with them.
THE ROLE, CHIEF OF STAFF
This is the founder's right hand. Not a PA, not a pure operations manager, but the person who owns the CEO's world and makes the company run day to day so the founders can focus on product and customers.
You will run field trials, manage CAA and export and military clearances for drone systems, own events and conferences from DSEI to private breakfasts, drive partnerships and research, and stand up the HR and finance procedures a scaling company needs. It is broad, hands on, and high trust.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Act as the founder's right hand, owning priorities and taking work off their plate
- Plan and run field trials, coordinating people, kit and logistics
- Manage regulatory, export and military clearances for drone and autonomy systems
- Own events and conferences end to end, from major industry shows to private engagements
- Build partnerships and support research and business development
- Stand up and run early HR, finance and operational procedures as the company scales
- Be the person who picks things up and gets them done, whatever they are
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
- A genuine doer, someone who goes and does the job rather than writing a plan for someone else to do it
- Strong educational background, we are looking for genuine intellectual curiosity and sharpness
- Operational or chief-of-staff experience, ideally from a defence, military or defence-technology environment
- Comfortable owning ambiguity and variety in a fast-moving, high-stakes setting
- Genuine interest in technology and the mission
- Clearable to SC and then DV (clearable, not necessarily already cleared)
- Right to work in the UK, no sponsorship available for this role
WHAT'S ON OFFER
- Salary £65,000 plus share options
- A true founding-team seat alongside the CEO of a scaling defence AI company
- Genuinely varied, high-ownership work at the cutting edge of defence autonomy
- The chance to build the operational backbone of a company on a steep growth curve
- On site with the team in Brentford, West London, where the real work happens
TO APPLY
Please apply via this advert or email Daniel.Jones@searchability.com directly. For further information, call 0203 763 3888 or 07704 152 638. By applying, you consent to us processing and submitting your application (subject to suitability) for this vacancy only.