Chief of Staff at Hume AI

We are seeking a Chief of Staff to help our team advance our core mission: using the world’s most advanced technology for emotion understanding to build empathy and goal-alignment into AI. This role combines hands-on problem-solving, process improvement, and cross-functional coordination to keep our organization running smoothly. You'll work closely with the COO and leadership team to implement key initiatives, manage critical projects, and optimize day-to-day operations. Join us in New York City and contribute to our endeavor to ensure that AI is guided by human values, the most pivotal challenge (and opportunity) of the 21st century.

About Us

Hume AI is dedicated to building artificial intelligence that is directly optimized for human well-being. We raised a Series B funding round at the beginning of the year and just launched the beta of our next flagship AI model, EVI 2, a foundational audio-language model that drives an empathic AI assistant for any application.

Our models understand subtle tones of voice, word emphasis, facial expression, and more, along with the reactions of listeners. These behaviors reveal our preferences—whether we find things interesting or boring; satisfying or frustrating; funny, eloquent, or dubious. We call learning from these signals “reinforcement learning from human expression” (RLHE). AI models trained with RLHE can serve as better question answerers, copywriters, tutors, call center agents, and more, even in text-only interfaces.

Our goal is to enable a future in which technology draws on an understanding of human emotional expression to better serve human goals. As part of our mission, we also conduct groundbreaking scientific research, publish in leading scientific journals like Nature, and support a non-profit, The Hume Initiative, that has released the first concrete ethical guidelines for empathic AI (www.thehumeinitiative.org). You can learn more about us on our website (https://hume.ai/) and read about us in WIRED, Forbes, and Venturebeat.

About the Role

A Chief of Staff serves as the operational linchpin of our organization, actively working across departments to execute strategic initiatives and improve processes. This role blends financial operations, project management, and technical support to ensure the company's agility and growth. You'll be hands-on in implementing new systems, managing vendor relationships, coordinating cross-team projects, and providing data-driven insights to guide decision-making. The ideal candidate is a versatile problem-solver with a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude, able to juggle multiple priorities in a dynamic startup environment. Your ability to navigate both financial and technical domains, coupled with strong communication skills, will be essential in this multifaceted role.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the COO to identify operational gaps and implement solutions across all departments
• Oversee financial operations, including accounting tasks, financial reporting, and budgeting
• Manage HR systems, including ATS, payroll, and onboarding processes
• Coordinate with legal counsel on board communications, compliance matters, contract management, and other legal requirements
• Lead cross-functional projects, adapting quickly to new technical and operational challenges
• Develop and maintain dashboards to track key technical, financial, and operational metrics
• Identify opportunities for efficiency gains and lead implementation of new tools or processes
• Support various teams in their day-to-day operations and special projects as needed
• Provide technical customer support for API product when required, including troubleshooting issues

Requirements

• Willingness to be present in the NYC office at least 3 times per week
• 1-2 years of experience in tech startups, consulting, or investment banking
• Proven experience with financial operations, including proficiency in accounting and financial statement analysis
• Basic technical background with understanding of APIs, software development, and developer tools
• Experience with vendor management, contract negotiation, and basic legal/compliance requirements for startups
• Excellent project management capabilities, with experience coordinating across technical and non-technical teams
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, find creative solutions, and deliver results in ambiguous situations
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, adaptable to various audiences from developers to executives