Chief of Staff

About Bright Money

Bright Money is a consumer fintech built for middle-income consumers. Our platform helps consumers build credit, manage debt, and access suitable loans and credit cards - addressing the key financial needs of people living paycheck to paycheck.

Bright is a profitable, India-built fintech serving the U.S. market, with a clear trajectory toward $100 million in revenue. Our business model combines subscription revenue with a financial-services marketplace across loans, credit cards, and credit-building solutions.

We have launched an AI-powered money assistant and agentic AI experiences that simplify access to credit. Our ambition is to build the first AI-driven consumer-fintech platform for middle-income consumers.

Founded in 2019, Bright’s founding team includes leaders from McKinsey’s Banking Practice - Petko Plachkov and Avi Patchava - and data science leaders from InMobi. Bright is backed by leading global venture capital firms and technology investors across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

With a data-driven, high-ownership, and fast-paced culture, we are building a global consumer-fintech company from India.

What is the role about?

We are looking for a Chief of Staff (with a path to Chief Operating Officer) to work directly with Bright’s CEO and leadership team as a strategic partner and force multiplier. You will drive the company’s operating rhythm, translate strategy into execution across functions, and lead the high-priority initiatives that shape Bright’s next phase of growth.

This role is designed as a path to Chief Operating Officer. You will begin by driving strategy and execution alongside the CEO, and progressively take direct ownership of functions, teams, and P&L as you build the operating track record to step into the COO seat.

We are looking for a seasoned operator who combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution, influences senior stakeholders without formal authority, and is ready to carry line accountability.

What will you do?

• Strategic partnership: Act as a thought partner to the CEO on company strategy, priorities, and key decisions—framing problems, analyzing options, and driving decisions to closure.

• Operating cadence: Own the company’s planning and review rhythm, including annual and quarterly goal-setting, OKRs, business reviews, and leadership meetings, with clear accountability and follow-through.

• Cross-functional execution: Lead high-priority initiatives from scoping through delivery, aligning Product, Engineering, Data Science, Growth, Finance, and Human Potential teams.

• Board & investor readiness: Prepare board decks, investor updates, and leadership communications with Board-level rigor and clarity.

• Performance insight: Track key business metrics and surface risks, bottlenecks, and opportunities early, with data-backed recommendations.

• Special projects: Own strategic projects such as new product or market evaluations, organizational design, and process improvements.

• Leadership leverage: Manage the CEO’s priorities and time, serve as a point of escalation, and represent the CEO in internal and external forums as needed.

• Path to COO: Progressively take direct ownership of functions, operating teams, and P&L, stepping into the Chief Operating Officer mandate as the business scales.

Ideal candidate profile

Experience & Background:

• Experience: 12+ years of professional experience, with a strong foundation in management consulting, investment banking, or strategy and operations roles at high-growth technology companies.

• Leadership exposure: A proven track record of working closely with founders or CXOs; prior experience as a Chief of Staff or in Strategy or BizOps leadership is strongly preferred.

• Domain: Experience in fintech, consumer internet, or financial services is a strong plus; exposure to the U.S. market is an advantage.

• Analytical depth: Strong quantitative and problem-solving skills; comfortable with financial models, business metrics, and data-driven decision-making.

• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication, including Board-level presentations and executive storytelling.

• Education: Degree from a leading institution; an MBA is preferred.

• Operating scope: Experience owning a function, business line, or P&L, and building and leading teams; the ambition and readiness to step into a COO mandate.

Mindset & Operating DNA:

• Ownership: Treats company outcomes as their own and closes loops without being asked.

• Structured thinking: Brings clarity to ambiguous problems and turns them into actionable plans.

• Bias for action: Moves quickly, prioritizes ruthlessly, and balances speed with rigor.

• Influence without authority: Builds trust across teams and aligns senior stakeholders through credibility rather than hierarchy.

• Discretion & judgment: Handles sensitive information with integrity and makes sound calls under pressure.

• Leadership scale: Ready to move from influence to direct accountability—setting standards, building teams, and owning outcomes end to end.

Non-Fit Profiles

• Profiles focused mainly on executive assistance, scheduling, or administrative support.

• Candidates who prefer advisory work without hands-on ownership of execution and outcomes.

• Those uncomfortable with ambiguity, shifting priorities, or a fast-paced, high-cadence environment.

• Candidates seeking a long-term staff or advisory seat, with no appetite for line ownership or P&L accountability.

What Bright Offers?

• A profitable sub-unicorn with U.S. market scale – liquidity potential at $1–3B valuations.

• Real ownership: You grow into running your own BU with an independent P&L.

• Wealth creation: Equity at an inflection stage of scale.

• A data-driven, high-cadence culture that combines consulting rigor with FinTech speed.

• Benefits: Excellent benefits package in line with sector best practice.