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 $1,000 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: $216,000.00 – $300,000.00 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): $237,000.00 – $356,000.00

Zone 2 (All other US states): $216,000.00 – $324,000.00

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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