EA to CEO (Chief of Staff growth path)

Talisman is hiring a Chief of Staff to work directly with our CEO and founding team. This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role — perfect for someone who wants to earn their seat at the leadership table by building the table.

You’ll need to be scrappy. You’ll need to be hungry. And most importantly, you’ll need to believe. This isn’t a cushy strategic role with lots of perks and polish — it’s a high-leverage operating role with real sacrifice, skin in the game, and comp structured with long-term equity upside, not short-term cash comfort.

If you're the type who wants to put your fingerprints on something early, stretch your limits, and co-create the next chapter of a venture-backed company — we’d love to meet you.

Why This Role Matters

You won’t just support the founders — you’ll partner with them. You’ll help prioritize what matters, unblock what’s stuck, and build what doesn’t exist yet.

And because you’re joining at the earliest stage, you’ll be part of the founding story. Your impact will help shape Talisman’s culture, voice, and operating rhythm for years to come.

What You'll Do

• Serve as the CEO’s strategic right hand and glue — a force multiplier across daily operations, decision-making, and prioritization
• Drive key internal projects, unblock bottlenecks, and ensure no ball is dropped — whether that’s setting up an investor CRM or structuring OKRs
• Partner closely on fundraising, hiring, investor updates, and board prep
• Write clearly and with context — from async updates to investor comms to executive summaries
• Think and act like an owner: challenge ideas, provide leverage, and hold a high bar

Who You Are

• 3–5+ years in a high-performing, operational, generalist, or Chief of Staff role (startups, consulting, or founder’s office experience is ideal)
• Clear, intentional communicator who thrives in ambiguity
• Self-directed, high-ownership operator who doesn’t need permission to lead
• Emotionally intelligent, with high trust and low ego
• Willing to bet on something early — and match the founder’s level of commitment

What We’re Really Looking For

• You’re in it for the build, not the badge. You care more about building something real than polishing your LinkedIn.
• You know that equity is the long game — and you want upside, not salary comfort.
• You’ve felt what it’s like to earn trust, not be handed it. Titles don’t impress you — impact does.
• You’re ready to stretch beyond what’s comfortable, because you’re hungry for growth.
• You’ve got founder energy, without needing to be “the” founder.

Why Work with Us

• Founding team seat: You’ll help shape the culture, norms, and operating cadence of a venture-backed startup from day one.
• Real ownership: Equity is a big part of how we think about compensation — because we want you to win with us.
• Speed of growth: This is a high-trust environment where you’ll get to stretch, experiment, and lead sooner than you thought possible.
• Day one impact: You’ll be central to how the company runs, from systems to strategy to investor relations.
• Human, always: We take the work seriously — but not ourselves. We work hard, laugh often, and support each other deeply.

About Talisman

We’re a U.S.-based, venture-backed startup rethinking how accounting gets done. Our platform uses AI to automate the month-end close for accounting firms — freeing up teams to focus on value, not busywork.

We’re still early. We’re moving fast. And we’re backed by top-tier early-stage investors like Brickyard, Active Capital, Capacity Capital, and Underdog Labs.

If you want to join a team where sweat earns equity, and belief precedes comfort, this is your shot.