Chief of Staff R&D

Description Sprout Social is looking for a Chief of Staff to partner with our R&D leaders (Product Engineering and Design) to turn strategy into motion. Reporting to the CPO and supporting both the CPO and CTO you will hold a high-visibility high-leverage position at the intersection of strategy and execution. You’ll shape how a category-leading Social Intelligence company builds and scales for the world's most forward-thinking social media practitioners.

Why join Sprout's R&D team? R&D is Sprout’s single largest investment area and the engine of our growth. As Chief of Staff you’ll help senior leaders run this complex organization with the speed and clarity expected by our shareholders. We value transparency and ownership offering the autonomy to build scalable AI-forward operating systems. This role provides a rare seat with direct exposure to executive leadership and the opportunity to influence the decisions shaping our roadmap.

What you’ll do

• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to both the CPO and CTO shaping the R&D leadership agenda and preparing them for board and executive interactions.
• Lead the operational teams managing the R&D operating cadence (meetings reviews and quarterly planning) and drive the tracking reporting and alignment of R&D OKRs with company strategy..
• Act as the first line of judgment on escalations and meeting requests—triaging what requires direct leadership attention versus what can be resolved async.
• Build and maintain the R&D operational dashboard translating data on delivery velocity capacity and headcount into clear narratives that drive decisions.
• Lead high-priority ambiguous initiatives (e.g. org design or AI-operating-model buildouts) across the R&D portfolio.
• Serve as the primary POC and partner for FP&A leading overall budget governance across Engineering Product and Design.
• Surface trade-offs by bringing options costs and recommendations to the CPO and CTO to make prioritization calls highly visible.
• Partner with People and Finance on the joint R&D hiring plan capacity model and senior onboarding.
• Draft and own key R&D communications ensuring a consistent voice across executive memos and board content.

What you'll bring

You are a strategic operator who thrives at the seam of product and engineering. You bring a rare combination of analytical rigor executive presence and operational discipline and you know what "good" looks like because you've built and worked within high-performing R&D organizations. You can hold the trust of two principals at once influence without formal authority and move fluidly between the details and the strategic picture. You build processes where none exists and simplify and streamline to increase efficiency. You also possess a high emotional intelligence and discretion with the judgment to navigate sensitive issues and competing priorities.

The minimum qualifications for this role include:

• 12+ years of experience spanning strategy operations management consulting product management or a prior Chief of Staff role ideally within a high-growth or public B2B SaaS company
• 5+ years of direct people management experience
• Deep fluency in how R&D organizations operate — the product development lifecycle product design and engineering org structures capacity planning and the relationship between roadmap resourcing and business outcomes. You don't need to have been an engineer but you do need to read an architecture diagram a capacity model and a P&L with confidence
• A proven track record of influencing VP- SVP- and C-level leaders without owning the org chart
• Exceptional written and verbal communication — you can draft board materials and present to senior leaders framing complex topics clearly and proactively
• Strong operational and analytical rigor: you build repeatable processes and hold yourself to a high standard of accuracy and accountability

Preferred qualifications for this role include:

• Experience supporting a combined Product and Engineering (or R&D) organization or reporting into a CPO CTO or CPTO
• Background in high-growth SaaS or technology companies ideally with exposure to multiple planning cycles and periods of organizational change
• Familiarity with the tooling of modern R&D operations — OKR and planning systems roadmapping tools and delivery/velocity analytics

What this role is not: To set clear expectations: this is not a senior Technical Program Manager or Engineering Manager role and it is not an Executive Business Partner role.

How you'll grow

Within 1 month you'll plant your roots including:

• Build trust and working rhythms with both the CPO and CTO and relationships across the R&D leadership team and key cross-functional partners
• Develop a deep understanding of Sprout's business model product strategy and R&D operating model
• Diagnose the current state of the R&D operating cadence OKRs and reporting and identify the highest-leverage opportunities to improve

Within 3 months you'll start hitting your stride by:

• Standing up a single unified R&D operating cadence and OKR ledger jointly owned by the CPO and CTO
• Documenting a clear decision-rights framework so it's always evident which principal owns which class of decision
• Establishing yourself as a trusted thought partner to both principals and a reliable connection point for cross-functional leaders

Within 6 months you'll be making a clear impact through:

• Delivering multiple cross-cutting strategic initiative end-to-end
• Running a crisp quarterly business review and a maturing R&D operating review that leadership relies on
• Demonstrably recovering time and focus for both the CPO and CTO and surfacing trade-offs early enough to keep priorities aligned

Within 12 months you'll make this role your own by:

• Operating as an indispensable partner to the R&D leadership team through full annual and quarterly planning cycles
• Owning the R&D operating system end-to-end with rigor agility and a strong point of view
• Building a track record that positions you for your next leadership step at Sprout

Of course what is outlined above is the ideal timeline but things may shift based on business needs and other projects and tasks could be added at the discretion of your manager.

Our Benefits Program 

We’re proud to regularly be recognized for our team product and culture. We invest in our team with a comprehensive competitive benefits program:

• Comprehensive Health & Wellness: Premium BCBSIL medical dental (high/low plans) and vision (Eyemed) insurance for you and your eligible dependents.
• Premium Mental Health Support: Full free access to Modern Health for you and your dependents including coaching therapy sessions and digital wellness resources.
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with a 50% company match on your first 6% of contributions (a 3% total match).
• Financial Security: 100% employer-paid Life and Disability insurance for your peace of mind.
• Flexible Paid Time Off: A flexible PTO policy supplemented with additional company-wide Rest & Recharge days throughout the year.
• Paid Parental Leave: Up to 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents to support you in expanding your family.
• Annual Lifestyle Stipend: A $1000 USD annual Lifestyle Spending Account to spend on your physical mental and financial well-being.
• Work From Home Support: A one-time $550 USD stipend to set up your home office plus a monthly $50 USD stipend for internet.
• Giving Back: 16 hours of paid volunteer time annually plus a $100 annual match for your charitable donations.
• Additional Financial Perks: Access to pre-tax commuter benefits subsidized child/eldercare (Care.com) discounted pet insurance (Figo) and no-cost personalized financial wellness support through Your Money Line.

*This list is for informational purposes only. Benefit offerings are discretionary and subject to change and do not constitute a contract or guarantee of benefits.

Whenever possible Sprout wants to provide our team with the flexibility to work in the location that makes the most sense for them. Sprout maintains a remote workforce in many places in the United States. However we are not set up in all states so please look at the drop-down box in our application to see whether your state is listed. Few roles require an office setting. If your position requires a physical presence in a Sprout office it will be evident in the job listing and your offer letter.

Our salary ranges reflect the expected earning potential for this role. Individual pay is based on geographic zone relevant experience and skills.

Our current hiring range for this role: $216000.00 – $300000.00 annually. Offers are made within this range with opportunities to grow within the broader band based on performance and impact.

We share both our current hiring range and our broader geographic salary bands to provide transparency into our compensation philosophy. This ensures you understand not only your starting potential but also the long-term growth potential available as you progress in your role.

We have two geographic pay zones in the United States:

Zone 1 (New York California Washington): $237000.00 – $356000.00

Zone 2 (All other US states): $216000.00 – $324000.00

These ranges were determined by a market-based compensation approach; we used data from trusted third-party compensation sources to set equitable consistent and competitive ranges. We also evaluate compensation bi-annually identify any changes in the market and make adjustments to our ranges and existing employee compensation as needed.

Base pay is only one element of an employee's total compensation at Sprout. Every Sprout team member has an opportunity to receive restricted stock units (RSUs) under Sprout’s equity plan. Employees (and their dependents) are covered by medical dental vision basic life accidental death and dismemberment insurance and Modern Health (a wellness benefit).  Employees are able to enroll in Sprout’s company’s 401k plan in which Sprout will match 50% of your contributions up to 6% with a maximum contribution. Sprout offers “Flexible Paid Time Off” and ten paid holidays. We have outlined the various components to an employee’s full compensation package here to help you to understand our total rewards package.

Sprout Social is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on identity- race color religion national origin or ancestry sex (including sexual identity) age physical or mental disability pregnancy veteran or military status unfavorable discharge from military service genetic information sexual orientation marital status order of protection status citizenship status arrest record or expunged or sealed convictions or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal state or local law. Because Sprout Social is a federal contractor we affirmatively recruit individuals with a disability and protected veterans. Learn more about our commitment to diversity equity and inclusion in our latest DEI Report.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process please contact us by email at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. We'll do all we can to ensure you're set up for success during our interview process while upholding your privacy including requests for accommodation. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity please click here (1) Equal Opportunity Employment Poster and (2) Sprout Social's Affirmative Action Statement. 

Additionally Sprout Social participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law

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What We Do

Sprout Social is a leading AI-powered social intelligence platform built on the belief that All Business is Social℠. Powered by Trellis Sprout’s proprietary AI agent the platform transforms real-time social media signals into actionable insights that drive business forward. Consistently recognized as a top software by G2 Sprout enables brands to deliver smarter faster business impact through a suite of solutions including comprehensive publishing and engagement customer care influencer marketing advocacy and predictive media intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT) visit sproutsocial.com.

Why Work With Us

We are a diverse team of talented and thoughtful individuals who are driven to push the boundaries of what is possible for our customers. We are dedicated to solving the toughest problems in the industry and even better we have a lot of fun doing it.

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