What are the responsibilities and job description for the Chief of Staff to the CEO position at Fern?
At Fern, we believe people deserve to own their money and transact with it freely. We’re building a set of first-of-their-kind products, powered by crypto, to enable that future.
We're building Fern API and Fern for Business. Fern API powers seamless and global currency conversions across fiat and crypto, and is powering several crypto payments companies in the US and abroad. Fern for Business is an onchain bank account that has seen tens of millions in transaction volume and exponentially growing revenue. We’ve gotten this far with a tiny team! We’re excited to scale our team as we enter the next phases of company growth.
As Chief of Staff to the CEO, you’ll be the right hand to a founder deeply committed to building an enduring company. This is a high-impact, high-autonomy position for someone who wants to be in the trenches of an early-stage startup and eventually run their own. You’ll help shape product, operations, marketing, sales, and strategy — jumping into the most critical projects, solving high-priority problems, and pushing the company forward with speed and precision.
Role description:
We're building Fern API and Fern for Business. Fern API powers seamless and global currency conversions across fiat and crypto, and is powering several crypto payments companies in the US and abroad. Fern for Business is an onchain bank account that has seen tens of millions in transaction volume and exponentially growing revenue. We’ve gotten this far with a tiny team! We’re excited to scale our team as we enter the next phases of company growth.
As Chief of Staff to the CEO, you’ll be the right hand to a founder deeply committed to building an enduring company. This is a high-impact, high-autonomy position for someone who wants to be in the trenches of an early-stage startup and eventually run their own. You’ll help shape product, operations, marketing, sales, and strategy — jumping into the most critical projects, solving high-priority problems, and pushing the company forward with speed and precision.
Role description:
- Act as a strategic thought partner and execution machine for the CEO across all functions, including product, GTM, regulatory and legal strategy, ops, and everything in between
- Lead and own cross-functional projects end-to-end across product launches, internal systems, brand messaging, documentation, regulatory licensing, and hiring
- Do whatever is needed to move the business forward
- Work closely with engineering and design to help shape product direction and user experience
- Spin up functional areas from 0 to 1, learning what it takes to achieve excellence in those roles, and then hire to build out those teams who can own those functions on an ongoing basis
- Learn fast, take initiative, and thrive in ambiguity
- Be a cultural cornerstone: sharp, hungry, humble, and invested in excellence
- Location: Remote-first, with optional in-person collaboration in NYC (Chelsea, Manhattan)
- Graduated from a top-tier school
- Have a technical degree or can grok technical concepts quickly and confidently
- Have a founder’s mindset (proactive, resourceful, gritty, and extremely curious)
- Have an eye for good design, strong writing chops, and exceptional taste across UX and brand
- Want to eventually start your own company
- Are energized by variety, wear lots of hats, and never say “that’s not my job”
- Operate with obsessive attention to detail and a deep sense of ownership
- Work fast, think clearly, and care deeply
- Work side-by-side with a founder on everything that matters
- See every part of what it takes to build a startup from the ground up
- Join an ambitious, mission-driven team building a category-defining company
- Accelerate your trajectory as a future founder, operator, or executive