At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive company strategy, lead high-impact projects, and enhance operational effectiveness.
- Company: Join Smart Bricks, a pioneering AI firm transforming real estate.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity package, private healthcare, and flexible working.
- Other info: Work alongside top-tier investors and founders in a dynamic environment.
- Why this job: Be a key player in shaping the future of AI in real estate.
- Qualifications: 7-12 years in operations or strategy roles, ideally in fast-scaling startups.
The predicted salary is between 70200 - 85800 £ per year.
Location: London (based at Balderton Capital), Dubai or San Francisco
Reports to: Founder & CEO
About Smart Bricks
Smart Bricks is building the future of AI for real estate. Every year, trillions of dollars are invested across residential, commercial and alternative real estate using fragmented systems, disconnected data and manual workflows. We're building an AI-native platform that helps investors, developers, lenders, governments and Fortune 500 companies source opportunities, underwrite investments, perform due diligence and manage portfolios using AI.
Alongside our software platform, we're building an Applied AI Lab that works directly with some of the world's largest real estate organisations to redesign complex workflows using AI. Every customer engagement generates institutional knowledge. Every deployment strengthens the platform. Every improvement compounds across every future customer.
We've raised over $5 million, led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and are backed by some of the world's leading technology ecosystems, including Techstars, Google, NVIDIA and Microsoft through their AI and startup programmes.
Our Founder is a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur and an Andreessen Horowitz Scout, helping identify and back the next generation of AI founders globally.
We're building our founding leadership team across London, Dubai and San Francisco. Our London team is based at Balderton Capital, one of Europe's leading venture capital firms, giving us the opportunity to work alongside some of Europe's most ambitious founders, investors and technology companies.
This is a chance to join at the earliest stage of building what we believe will be one of the world's leading Applied AI companies for real estate.
Why exceptional people join us
- Raised $5M+, led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
- Backed by Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft and Techstars
- London office based at Balderton Capital
- Building across London, Dubai and San Francisco
- Founder recognised as Forbes 30 Under 30 and an Andreessen Horowitz Scout
- Building Applied AI with leading institutional real estate organisations
Why this role?
This isn't a traditional Chief of Staff role. You won't manage calendars, produce endless slide decks or operate on the edge of the business. You'll work directly with the Founder across every major priority in the company, from strategy and fundraising to hiring, product, enterprise customers, partnerships and international expansion. One week you might help recruit a world-class Engineering Lead. The next you could be preparing board materials, redesigning the operating cadence, launching a partnership or supporting a major enterprise deployment. Your job isn't to own one function, it's to increase the effectiveness of every function. You'll be one of the few people with visibility across the entire business, solving the highest-leverage problems as Smart Bricks scales. The best Chiefs of Staff create leverage, and that's exactly what you'll do.
What You'll Build
- Company strategy and execution. Design how Smart Bricks operates, so that as the company grows it gets faster, not slower:
- Annual and quarterly planning and company OKRs
- Executive operating cadence and leadership reviews
- Business performance reporting and cross-functional planning
- Decision-making frameworks
- Executive partnership. Become the Founder's closest operating partner, maximising their effectiveness by making sure their time goes to the highest-impact work. You'll help prepare for:
- Board meetings, investor updates and fundraising
- Executive hiring and leadership reviews
- Enterprise customer meetings and strategic partnerships
- Strategic initiatives. Lead the company's highest-priority projects, the ones that don't naturally belong to any single function:
- International expansion and scaling the Applied AI Lab
- Enterprise customer deployments and product launches
- Executive hiring and organisational redesign
- Strategic partnerships, internal AI transformation and fundraising readiness
- Build a high-performance organisation. Partner with every executive leader to strengthen planning, prioritisation, accountability, communication, hiring and organisational design. Your job is to make Product, Engineering, Applied AI, Commercial and Operations operate as one company, not independent teams. As Smart Bricks grows, you make sure the complexity doesn't.
What Success Looks Like
Within your first 12 months you'll have:
- Built the company's operating cadence: planning, OKRs and business reviews running without you chasing them.
- Made the Founder measurably more effective, with their time shifted onto strategy, customers and fundraising.
- Delivered multiple company-wide strategic initiatives end to end.
- Built strong recruiting and onboarding processes for senior leaders.
- Established clear company goals and an accountability framework everyone can see.
- Created operational discipline without creating bureaucracy.
Success won't be measured by how many meetings you attend. It'll be measured by how much more effective the company becomes because you joined.
Who we're looking for
We're looking for exceptional operators who create clarity where others see complexity. Titles matter less than impact, we're interested in people who've repeatedly been trusted with a company's hardest problems.
Specifically, you'll likely have:
- 7 to 12 years across one or more of: Chief of Staff, Founder's Office, Business Operations, Strategy & Operations, General Management, top-tier strategy consulting, investment banking, VC/PE, or founder/startup operator.
- Operated inside a fast-scaling venture-backed startup or scaleup through a period of rapid growth (ideally Seed through Series B/C), and seen first-hand how companies break and how to fix them.
- Worked directly with founders or CEOs on their highest-leverage problems.
- Built operational systems from first principles: planning cycles, OKRs, board papers and investor updates.
- Led company-wide strategic initiatives and recruited senior leadership.
- Strong commercial and analytical judgement: you can read a P&L, pressure-test a model and make decisions with imperfect information.
- A degree from a strong institution, ideally with a track record of top academic and professional performance.
You're equally comfortable sitting in a board meeting, building an operating model, writing a strategy document, recruiting an executive, analysing business performance, leading a cross-functional initiative and rolling up your sleeves to execute. You move naturally between strategic thinking and hands-on execution, you don't wait for permission, and you create momentum.
Experience in AI, enterprise software or real estate is a bonus, not a requirement. We're far more interested in exceptional operators than industry specialists.
Compensation & Benefits
We believe exceptional people should share in the value they create. You'll receive a highly competitive salary and a meaningful equity package, private healthcare, flexible working, an annual learning and conference budget, access to the latest AI models and developer tooling, and a seat in our London office at Balderton Capital, alongside one of Europe's leading VC ecosystems.
How We Work
We hold ourselves to exceptionally high standards. We think like owners, move quickly without compromising quality, solve problems proactively, communicate with clarity, sweat the details, stay relentlessly curious and bias towards action. We optimise for execution and learning, not bureaucracy and hierarchy, and we care more about outcomes than job titles.
Why Join
We move insanely fast, with real rigour and standards, to build the company that redefines how AI works for real assets. You'll work directly with the Founder and executive team to shape company strategy, recruit world-class leaders, and solve the highest-leverage problems across product, engineering, Applied AI, commercial, fundraising, hiring and international expansion. The systems you build will determine how Smart Bricks scales over the coming years. If you're the type to get out of bed to build a company that defines an industry, in this generation and the ones after, Smart Bricks is the place for you. We'd love to talk.
Chief of Staff in London employer: Smart Bricks
As a Product Lead for AI Products, you will join a forward-thinking team in London, where innovation meets real estate. Our company fosters a dynamic work culture that prioritises collaboration and creativity, offering ample opportunities for professional growth and development. With a focus on cutting-edge technology and a commitment to employee well-being, we provide a unique environment that empowers you to make a meaningful impact in the AI landscape.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Chief of Staff in London
✨Get Involved in Industry Events
Jumping into industry events or leadership conferences can really help boost your visibility. Not only will you meet potential employers, but you’ll also get the chance to connect with other leaders in corporate management. Look for local or even virtual events that focus on leadership—every connection counts!
✨Engage in Professional Networks
Join professional management associations relevant to your career goals. These networks often host workshops, panels, and networking events that can put you in front of hiring managers. Plus, they can give you the scoop on upcoming roles, such as the full-time positions with companies like Smart Bricks.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
When reaching out to potential employers, particularly for leadership roles, demonstrate your leadership capabilities with real examples. Share stories from your previous positions that illustrate how you handled challenges and drove results. This will help you stand out when you apply to places like Smart Bricks.
✨Tailor Your LinkedIn Presence
Ensure your LinkedIn profile is specifically tailored to corporate leadership. Highlight achievements, showcase relevant content and engage with posts in management groups. This not only builds your credibility but keeps you on the radar of companies looking for candidates like you as they post full-time opportunities.
We think you need these skills to ace Chief of Staff in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Us Your Leadership Skills:In the corporate leadership and management field, it's essential to highlight your leadership experience. Use your CV to flesh out examples of how you've led teams to success or managed significant projects. We want to see specific instances where your actions made a tangible difference in your previous roles!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers talk, especially in management! When detailing your achievements in your CV or cover letter, don’t just say you improved team performance. Instead, say you boosted productivity by 30% over six months through effective strategy implementation. This makes your application pop and shows us what you can bring to Smart Bricks.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to narrate your professional journey. We’re looking for motivation and a clear understanding of what corporate leadership means to you. Dive into your aspirations and how they align with the values and vision of Smart Bricks. Make it personal – we want to get to know you!
Tailor Your CV for Management Roles:Ensure your CV reflects the management skills that are essential for this role. Focus on competencies like strategic planning, team building, and problem-solving. Use a clean layout, and don’t forget to align your experiences with those keywords mentioned in the job listing. This will help you stand out from the crowd!
How to prepare for a job interview at Smart Bricks
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
You’ll want to thoroughly convey your unique approach to leadership. During the interview with Smart Bricks, be ready to share real-life examples of how you've inspired and motivated teams in the past. Think about specific achievements that illustrate your strategic thinking and your ability to drive results.
✨Brush Up on Management Theories
Expect some technical questions related to management theories and practices. Brush up on concepts like transformational leadership, servant leadership, or situational leadership. Be prepared to discuss how you would apply these theories to the role at Smart Bricks, especially in the specific context of the challenges they’re currently facing.
✨Craft Your Vision for the Company
Since this is a full-time leadership role, spending time thinking about your vision for Smart Bricks could really set you apart. Consider potential strategies for growth and how you would lead teams towards achieving them. This shows not just enthusiasm, but also strategic foresight that they’ll likely be looking for in a candidate.
✨Emphasise Team Dynamics and Culture
In corporate leadership, team dynamics and organisational culture are everything. Be ready to discuss how you've fostered a positive work environment in previous roles. Bring up examples of how you've managed diverse teams effectively—this will resonate well at Smart Bricks as they’re likely seeking a candidate who can enhance their workplace culture.
