Chief of Staff

We are hiring a Chief of Staff to work directly with Hugh & co in expanding the garden3d creative collective

Original job posting link

🌎 About garden3d

We are worker owned creative collective, innovating on everything from brands and IRL communities to IoT devices and cross platform apps. We share profit, open source everything, spin out new businesses, and invest in exciting ideas through financial and/or in-kind contributions.

Our client roster includes Google, Stripe, Figma, Hinge, Black Socialists in America, ACLU, Pratt, Parsons, Mozilla, The Nobel Prize, MIT, Gnosis, Etsy & Gagosian. We’re the software team behind innovative products like The Light Phone & Mill, and we have a global, decentralized community space collective called Index Space.

We think of our garden3d as collective for creative people, prioritizing a happy, talented, and diverse studio culture. We work on projects that bring value to our world, and we balance deep care for the work we do with a genuine curiosity about life outside of our jobs.

Sanctuary Computer — Development

At Sanctuary Computer we’re building a different type of technology shop – one that prioritizes close collaboration between the client and the craftsperson.

Our projects range from design-forward websites, to robust web apps, to native mobile development.

XXIX — Design

When we started XXIX in 2013, we set out to create a different kind of design studio and we’ve thrived because we continually ask what a creative practice can be.

We’re building a radically different kind of organization that values autonomy, growth, transparency, and shared responsibility.

Index Space — Community

A network of physical spaces all around the world, Index provides space for the exchange of knowledge and tools.

We nurture trust within the creative community through generosity and abundance of ideas and care.

garden3d TK — Media

At garden3d, we’re in the early stages of building an experimental media company exploring emerging themes related to the evolving landscape of technology, design and culture.

We aim to monetize this outlet, publish books, produce screenplays, and release music.

Plus, our partner organizations https://www.thelightphone.com/ https://www.mill.com/ https://www.ingredient-ai.com/

The Chief of Staff Role The garden3d Chief of Staff role is a senior operating partner responsible for translating our vision into coordinated execution across a collective of creative, technical, and physical businesses, a revolving door of 50+ contributors at any given time. This role serves as a force multiplier - coordinating many parties, aligning priorities, driving clarity, and ensuring that strategy turns into measurable progress. While operating in close partnership with our founder & president Hugh Francis, the Chief of Staff will exercise significant autonomy in day-to-day decision-making and cross-functional leadership.

This role will interface with designers, developers, strategists, controllers, marketers, business developers, architects, landlords, accountants, illustrators, animators, film makers, screen writers, lawyers, event planners, ad buyers, etc.

Simply, this individual must be comfortable interfacing with experts in any field, understanding limiting factors and quickly orientating and solving problems.

With an operating mandate, this role oversees and supports client services, resourcing, hiring, leadership development, and performance systems across all business lines. The Chief of Staff will work directly with department heads to improve utilization, strengthen team structures, build new capabilities, and elevate management quality. They will own special projects that cut across the organization - including launching new Index spaces in the USA and beyond, building new product companies and supply chains, standing up new departments, and evaluating expansion or M&A opportunities - ensuring disciplined execution, financial rigor, and timely delivery.

The ideal candidate is both strategic and operational: a systems builder who can move fluidly between high-level planning and hands-on implementation. They bring sound judgment, strong financial literacy, and the credibility to lead diverse teams ranging from designers and engineers to retail and hardware operators. Above all, this person is a trusted thought partner to Hugh - capable of absorbing complexity, making principled decisions independently, and strengthening the organization’s long-term scalability and resilience.

Responsibilities & Mandates

🧑‍🎨 Uncompromising on Quality

Brings an inherently high bar and strong sense of taste across design, product, and execution. Sets and defends clear standards for craft and client experience, holding teams accountable without micromanaging. Protects quality as a defining competitive advantage across all business lines.

🖇️ Transparent Scope & Change Management

By documenting deliverables in a paper trail and enforcing formal change-request processes, they ensure every enhancement is tied to updated timelines, budgets, and resource allocations-eliminating surprises and maintaining alignment.

👔 Executive-Level Relationship Management

They engage C-suite and senior stakeholders as trusted advisors, translating technical roadmaps into strategic business imperatives. Their credibility at the top table opens doors for cross-sell opportunities and multi-year engagements.

⚠️ Escalation & Issue Resolution

Adhering to a “no-surprises” pledge, they own any client or team concern — whether a payment discrepancy or delivery snag — and mobilize the right experts to resolve it within 48 hours. Post-mortems on each incident drive continuous improvement.

🔁 Operational Excellence & Process Improvement

Expert in building disciplined, high-performance operating systems. Deeply fluent in project management and resourcing tools, they drive accountability, predictability, and margin through clear workflows, dashboards, and performance tracking. They create lockstep execution across teams without slowing creative momentum.

🌭 Culture

They model garden3d’s values of partnership, curiosity, and accountability, fostering an environment where every team member feels empowered and supported. Through mentorship and recognition, they knit together diverse talents into a cohesive, high-performing team.

🔥Special Projects In addition to day to day responsibilities, here’s an idea of some of the projects this role may spearhead or support in coming years →

• Opening Index Spaces in SF, LA and other cities
• Buying land in upstate NY to develop into a natural building campus
• Establishing supply chains in Taipei / Shenzhen
• Acquiring & running other businesses & studios
• Developing new business ideas under the garden3d umbrella
• Building a publishing arm to our business
• Operationalizing our Government Solutions arm
• Helping us open a restaurant and other hospitality spaces
• Supporting fundraising activities or loan applications
• Improving our content production capacity across multiple social properties

Qualifications

This is a great opportunity for someone looking to make a significant impact in a growing, dynamic company. Based on the responsibilities of this role, we think the right candidate has the following experience and skills:

🔑 Must have:

• 8–15+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, organizational management, or general management roles
• Experience in a software development, design consultancy or other creative industry
• Proven experience scaling a services-based organization (agency, consultancy, or creative/technical firm) from ~20+ employees to materially larger size
• Direct experience with workforce planning, resourcing models, and utilization management in a client-services environment
• Demonstrated success building org structures, defining roles, and implementing accountability frameworks
• Experience designing and improving hiring processes, including senior-level recruitment
• Track record of building performance management systems (career ladders, review cycles, compensation bands, or similar frameworks)
• Experience leading cross-functional teams across multiple departments or business units
• Ownership of complex, multi-stakeholder projects (e.g., launching a new office/space, standing up a new department, restructuring a team, or executing a strategic initiative)
• Strong financial literacy, including comfort reading P&Ls, understanding margin drivers, and evaluating ROI on hires and initiatives
• Experience operating in founder-led or entrepreneurial environments with high ambiguity and rapid change
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and hold managers accountable without relying solely on positional authority
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including running leadership meetings and synthesizing complex information into clear decisions
• Evidence of sound judgment under pressure, particularly in environments with cash flow sensitivity or operational volatility
• Previous experience working with outside legal counsel on financial aspects of contracts (e.g., NDAs, MSAs)

🧁 Nice-to-have:

• A strong sense of design, experience using Figma, experience giving in creative direction or feedback
• Prior experience serving as a Chief of Staff, COO, VP Operations, or General Manager in a multi-entity or portfolio-style organization
• Exposure to M&A processes, including due diligence, financial modeling, integration planning, or post-acquisition operational alignment
• Experience launching or managing physical spaces (retail, coworking, hospitality, or event venues), including vendor coordination and CapEx oversight
• Background in hardware, product manufacturing, or supply chain–oriented businesses
• Experience implementing KPI dashboards, OKR systems, or company-wide performance tracking frameworks
• Formal training in executive coaching, leadership development, or organizational psychology
• Experience building internal training programs or learning and development systems at scale
• Capital strategy exposure, including fundraising, investor relations, or debt structuring
• Experience working closely with creative, technical, and product teams simultaneously
• Background in management consulting or operational advisory work prior to moving into an operating role
• Experience supporting a founder or President directly in a high-growth, high-ambiguity environment
• Familiarity with tools commonly used in agency and multi-business operations (e.g., resource planning software, financial forecasting tools, project management systems)
• Experience in lead prospecting and outbound lead generation
• Up-to-date knowledge of emerging technologies (e.g. AI/ML, AR/VR, headless CMS) and how they drive competitive advantage
• Strong network of contacts across Fortune 500s, fast-growth startups, or key design/development decision-makers
• Familiarity with project-based accounting and financial metrics such as utilization and profitability

🧗 Who you are

The person we’re looking for is happy, relaxed and easy to get along with and appreciates a commitment to a culture of transparency, non-dictatorial leadership styles, and alternative methodologies. They’re flexible on anything except conceits that will lower their usually outstanding work quality. They work “smart” by carefully managing their workflow and team.

🎤 How we interview

After you submit your application, a member of our team will reach out. Our interview process starts with an intro call to answer any questions you have about the role and to learn a bit more about your experience and interests.

From there, we’ll follow up with a panel interview call where you get to meet a few members of our team, to openly discuss some of our challenges and ensure your skills and interests align with where we’re going as a business.

For qualified candidates, the process wraps with a reference call, and an offer to follow.

💸 Compensation

This role greatly favors autonomous, competent & ambitious operators. This role will begin with a 4-month (ideally full time) trial contract, paid hourly between $100 - $125 p/hr pending seniority & experience. In the first few weeks of the trial, this individual will propose their own goals to define success in their trial, and present them to our founder, financial controller, and communications director for approval.

At garden3d, we believe that those who shoulder the most responsibility and create the greatest impact should be paid accordingly, so if this individual exceeds expectations by the end of the 4-month period, they’ll be offered a permanent, high risk / high reward role that will take a % cut of all garden3d inflowing revenue. At our current revenue rate, this cut is expected to result in a gross yearly pay of $160,000 — $225,000 USD per year; with no cap as the top-line revenue of the collective grows. If we double our revenue, this role’s compensation doubles too.

Finally, after a period of proven success in this role (12 - 24 months), this individual will become eligible to join our worker ownership program.

👩‍🏭 How we work:

We believe that there’s a better balance between the poles of freelancing & full time, and for that reason Sanctuary works differently to most shops:

• Transparency & Ownership: We release out Profit & Loss statements to the community each year, open source our best ideas, and talk business & money with everyone in the company. We’re proud to run our business with integrity, and for that reason we share everything with our team & community.
• 150% Carbon Negative: Our studio offsets 150% of the carbon we use to do business each year, dated back to our founding in 2015. We turn down work that is not in-line with our morals, and we encourage our peers to do the same. We have been certified climate neutral since 2021.
• Strong Morals: Since our founding, we've turned down somewhere between $1mm - $2mm of work that didn't meet our moral standards. (Most of that was DTC brands that can't show a valid sustainability initiative).
• Async & Decentralized: We use tools optimized for calm, thoughtful communication, and opt for async whenever possible. We fight hard to maintain our focus time.
• Remote Friendly: Our company is fluent in remote work, making our workplace more decentralized, and democratized in the process.
• Ideas & Products: In our spare studio time, we work to build our own open source or internal products to diversify & bolster our income. We create amazing technology products for our clients, so why not for the studio?

→ Read more on our Substack, over here.

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