Ask a Chief of Staff: How to Position Yourself for a Chief of Staff Role
🗓️ Join us on March 12th!
The path to a Chief of Staff role rarely looks the way you'd expect. The titles are inconsistent, the job descriptions shift depending on the company, and there's no single "right" background. So how do you translate your existing experience into CoS-relevant language — and position yourself as a standout candidate, even when you haven't held the title yet?
Join us for a facilitated, AMA-style discussion with two of our mentors, Zack Rhoades and Aisling Douglas — built around your questions. We'll kick things off with a few questions to set the context, and then it's an open floor. No lecture, no rigid agenda, just a candid conversation shaped by what matters most to you.
Zach brings his perspective as a Chief of Staff in biotech and larger corporate environments, while Aisling draws from her experience as a former Chief of Staff to a CEO/CTO in the startup world. Together, they'll dig into how to better craft a narrative around your experience, translate your skills when you haven't been in the CoS role yet, and how to think about positioning — all through the lens of their different paths.
✅ You should attend this session if...
You're eyeing a CoS role but unsure how to make yourself stand out
You're trying to reframe your background in a way that resonates
You're weighing the startup vs. corporate route
You're looking to differentiate yourself — even without a traditional CoS title on your resume
✨ How to show up:
Fully present and engaged
Ready to ask questions
Open to sharing your own insights and experiences where they might benefit the group
🎙️ More about the Speakers
Zack Rhoades is Head of Strategy & Operations and Chief of Staff to the President at GRAIL, where he leads enterprise-wide initiatives at the intersection of science, technology, and executive decision-making. With deep experience across R&D, Medical Affairs, and Corporate functions, he specializes in turning complexity into clarity, enabling faster decisions, better communication, and stronger cross-functional alignment. Before GRAIL, Zack held leadership roles at Genentech and Gilead, and began his career in mass spectrometry education. He holds an undergraduate degree in Analytical Chemistry and a Masters in Education.
Aisling Douglas is a Director of Business Operations and her work spans Customer Experience, Engineering, Product, and corporate operations - building the systems, operating rhythms, and clarity required to scale. Known for operating without functional silos, Aisling specializes in simplifying complexity and turning high-level priorities into measurable outcomes.
Previously, Aisling held senior leadership roles at Volta Labs and served as Chief of Staff to the CTO at Shogun. Across venture-backed technology companies, she has built and led functions at the intersection of operations, strategy, and execution - bringing a company-wide operating lens to leadership teams navigating growth, change, and scale.
💜 Ask a Chief of Staff
Ask a Chief of Staff is a premier executive search and career development platform dedicated to placing top-tier Chiefs of Staff and empowering professionals in strategic leadership roles. We serve ambitious professionals and high-growth companies by offering executive recruiting, mentorship programs, and career resources tailored to Chiefs of Staff. By addressing the lack of structured career paths for this role, we provide guidance, connections, and opportunities that accelerate leadership development and organizational success.
Learn more at askachiefofstaff.com.