Chief of Staff
MeiliSearch
People & HR, Operations
Paris, France
Posted on Oct 14, 2024
About the company
Meilisearch is on a mission to help developers create outstanding search experiences. We strive to make it effortless to find anything, anywhere, by offering a search engine that is quick to set up and easy to understand.
With our $15 million funding round completed in September 2022, backed by leading international investors like Felicis Ventures, CRV, and LocalGlobe, our growth is accelerating.
About the role
As a fast-growing startup, we are looking for a dynamic Chief of Staff who can help us manage and scale our operational, people, and financial functions. This is a pivotal role that will support Thomas, co-founder and COO, in optimizing operations, ensuring financial health, and driving people initiatives that align with our company’s growth strategy.
Your work will directly impact how the company functions and grows, helping leadership make strategic decisions that align our internal operations with our external goals. This role offers an exciting opportunity for someone eager to take on broad responsibilities and grow alongside the company, with the potential to evolve into a higher leadership position.
Expected impact for this role:
- Ensure financial stability and operational efficiency, helping the company scale while aligning with business goals.
- Shape and lead strategic initiatives that improve internal processes and cross-departmental collaboration.
- Support company growth by creating efficient systems and driving HR initiatives that build a strong, positive company culture.
🇫🇷 This position is based in Paris. We are looking for someone asap.
Key Responsibilities
Operations Management
In collaboration with department heads, your mission is to ensure smooth, efficient day-to-day operations, while developing systems to support growth and cross-departmental alignment.
Tasks include:
- Help the leadership team optimize its performance.
- Acquire and maintain visibility over the company's operations, specifically key activities such as product development, engineering, sales, and marketing.
- Based on business needs, optimize internal processes, and lead cross-functional projects to enhance team performance and internal communication.
- Promote transparency and visibility across departments, ensuring company-wide alignment on initiatives.
People Management (HR)
Translate business objectives into People Management operations and internal culture initiatives. Oversee HR operations, lead culture-building initiatives, and support people-related strategies as the company scales.
Tasks include:
- Manage recruitment, performance reviews, and compliance with local and international regulations.
- Oversee the activity of our freelance Admin Ops.
- Drive career development processes and ensure effective performance management.
Financial Oversight
In collaboration with the COO, you will monitor and support the company’s financial health, ensuring effective financial planning, budgeting, and reporting.
Tasks include:
- Monitor cash flow, track department budgets, and analyze financial performance indicators.
- Oversee compensation policies, including stock option programs and salary grids.
- Collaborate with external accountants on financial reporting and account closures.
- Prepare financial reports for Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and investors.
- Ensure compliance with financial regulations, including tax filings (e.g., VAT) and research tax credits (CIR).
- Coordinate with legal teams regarding BSPCE/BSA contracts.
The profile we are looking for
We aren’t looking for an expert in all those fields! We know this role implies wearing many hats, and it would be unrealistic to look for someone who masters all these areas, so if you don't have experience in 100% of these areas but still think the fit would be good, please apply :)
Here’s what we feel we need:
Experience
- You have worked in a company operating under French regulations, and you have enough exposure to financial, HR, and administrative areas to feel comfortable discussing matters with accountants and lawyers and handling contracts such as employment and BSPCE.
- You have worked in a startup and thrive in fast-paced environments where an entrepreneurial mindset is the key to success.
- Ideally, you’ve worked in tech, where you’ve developed an understanding of product development and how engineering teams operate.
- You’ve managed teams or projects, demonstrating your ability to lead and inspire others.
- You have hands-on experience in creating and structuring processes, whether in HR, finance, or operations, and you’re eager to expand your knowledge in other areas.
- You have worked with remote, distributed teams and understand the challenges and opportunities of managing them effectively.
Soft skills
- Skilled communicator: You understand the importance of adapting your communication to your stakeholders and can efficiently communicate your decisions, manage diverse expectations, and generate enthusiasm through your communications.
- Adaptable: You thrive in an environment where you can jump from one topic to another, balancing operational and strategic responsibilities.
- Analytical and structured: You can dive into complex topics, make sense of data, and present clear insights to drive decision-making. You can articulate your analysis in a way that influences decisions while also making critical decisions yourself when needed.
- People-focused: You understand the importance of company culture on performance and are sensitive to human management, diversity, and inclusion issues.
Recruitment process
- Screening interview: 30 min with Thomas, COO and co-founder of Meilisearch. Basics like availability and salary will be checked, along with a brief overview of your background and your motivation for your next role.
- Hiring Manager interview: 1h with Thomas, COO, and Gillian, Engineering Manager. They will ask for more details about your experience and the skills you’ve developed.
- Technical assessment: 1h with Thomas and Clémentine, Head of Engineering. We will send you data about the company (main KPIs, goals, information about the teams, etc.) for you to study before the interview. The goal of the interview will be to assess your analytical skills, your business mindset, and your strategic thinking.
- Team fit interview: 1h with Maya, Head of Marketing, and Quentin, co-founder and COO of Meilisearch. They will assess your fit with our culture and values.
What we offer
- An opportunity to be part of a fast-growing project, in an environment that encourages personal growth and professional development,
- A four-day workweek,
- A fully remote experience,
- Healthcare taken in charge at 100% (Alan),
- Access to mental health support, a monthly sports stipend,
- Participation in 2 company offsites per year.
Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend not to apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do!
We strive to develop an inclusive work environment that reflects the diversity of our open-source community, and we strongly encourage you to apply.