---
title: 'Chief of Staff at Hayden AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/chief-of-staff-hayden-ai-san-francisco-1gep07m3batc'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Chief of Staff at Hayden AI

- **Company:** Hayden AI
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $212k–$276k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-08-31
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/haydenai/1629ef11-5399-4658-af5b-326b434fa470

## Job description

## About Us

At Hayden AI, we are on a mission to harness the power of computer vision to transform the way transit systems and other government agencies address real-world challenges. From bus lane and bus stop enforcement to transportation optimization technologies and beyond, our innovative mobile perception system empowers our clients to accelerate transit, enhance street safety, and drive toward a sustainable future. Job Summary: The Chief of Staff partners closely with the CEO and executive leadership team to help drive and shape corporate strategy, then operationalize it so it translates into real execution across the company. This role acts as connective tissue across the organization, catching what falls between functions, managing information flow to leadership, and taking on the ambiguous or cross-functional initiatives that don't have a natural home elsewhere. The role combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution. The Chief of Staff identifies new market opportunities, analyzes competitive and industry dynamics, supports board and investor preparation, and ensures alignment against key company objectives, while also driving the follow-through that turns strategy into results. This leader works across Product, Growth (Sales), Engineering, Operations, Government Affairs, and Finance to improve decision-making, drive strategic initiatives, monitor key performance indicators, and ensure organizational alignment as the company scales. Success in this role requires analytical rigor, sound business judgment, strong operational execution, and the ability to communicate clearly with both executives and cross-functional teams. As Hayden scales, this role is expected to evolve. In year one, the priority will be developing the strategy and then operationalizing it; the remaining responsibilities below will be layered in as capacity allows once that foundational work is underway. Responsibilities:

- Strategic Partnership & Thought Leadership
- Serve as an active thought partner to the CEO and executive leadership team, offering perspective and pressure-testing ideas before decisions are finalized.
- Assess market opportunities for potential new investments and growth initiatives, including market size, competitive dynamics, and fit with the current Hayden roadmap.
- Pull data from a variety of sources, including current customers or partners, investors, industry analysts, and other primary and secondary sources, to support key insights, conclusions, and recommendations.
- Become deeply familiar with the Hayden system, roadmap, and market dynamics to quickly support other teams' market and product investigations, becoming the go-to source for this type of information.
- Lead the annual strategy process
- Operationalizing Strategy & Cross-Functional Alignment
- Translate strategic priorities into clear, actionable plans, and own the follow-through that keeps workstreams moving across functions.
- Gather and synthesize operational data and performance metrics across departments, ensuring insights are communicated clearly to drive action.
- Contribute to Finance's Monthly Operating Review by tracking metrics in real time through the goal-setting process and monitoring progress against key strategic objectives
- Serve as connective tissue across Product, Growth, Engineering, Operations, Government Affairs, and Finance, identifying gaps and misalignment before they become problems.
- Executive Cadence & Meeting Rhythm
- Own the ELT meeting cadence, including agenda setting, pre-reads, and follow-up tracking to ensure decisions and action items move forward.
- Partner with the CEO to structure recurring leadership rhythms, such as weekly staff meetings, monthly business reviews, and quarterly offsites, that keep the organization focused on priorities.
- Executive Support & Board Engagement
- Serve as a trusted partner to the executive team, managing the flow of information and priorities so leadership's time and attention go to what matters most.
- Prepare for strategic reviews, Board meetings, and other key engagements, providing insights, analysis, and recommendations that support informed decision-making.
- Take on ambiguous, sensitive, or cross-functional special projects that don't have a natural owner elsewhere.
- Market Monitoring & Intelligence
- Proactively track and analyze data relevant to Board inquiries, ensuring accurate and timely business intelligence to support informed decision-making.
- Maintain an ongoing, deep understanding of market trends and competitive dynamics to support strategic discussions at the ELT and Board level.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or a related field; graduate degree a plus
- 7+ years of experience in strategy consulting, business operations, or product management, in technology companies of comparable size and complexity
- Experience working with and presenting to C-level executives and Boards of Directors
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, both one-on-one and with groups
- Demonstrated experience applying AI tools (e.g., Claude, Claude Code) to data analytics, reporting, and productivity, beyond general familiarity
- Demonstrated ability to move fluidly between strategic thinking and hands-on execution
- High degree of discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential and sensitive information

## About Hayden AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Hayden AI provides an AI-powered, vehicle-mounted mobile perception platform that helps cities automate traffic enforcement to make streets safer and public transit more efficient.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Zac Levin (noted as Product Lead on the company site)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Smart City Technology, Transportation, Government Technology (GovTech), Artificial Intelligence, Geospatial Analytics
- **Target customers**: B2G (Business to Government) - specifically municipal transit authorities, city transportation departments, and local governments.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "To develop artificial intelligence and geospatial analytics that will revolutionize how governments and businesses solve real world problems." [hayden.ai](https://hayden.ai/company)

## Products & Services
- **Automated Bus Lane & Bus Stop Enforcement**: The flagship product. A mobile perception system mounted on public transit buses that automatically detects and records vehicles illegally parked in bus lanes or bus stops. This helps cities clear unauthorized parking, improving bus speeds, reliability, and ridership.
- **Automated Bike Lane Enforcement**: A similar system for detecting vehicles illegally parked or driving in bike lanes, enhancing cyclist safety. Currently being deployed in cities like Santa Monica. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)
- **Digital Twin Modeling & Spatial Analytics**: The platform can also be used to create digital twins of city environments and provide spatial analytics to help governments and businesses solve real-world problems.
- **Civil Traffic Enforcement System**: An integrated hardware and software system (including forward-facing cameras, ALPR, and detection software) that has received UK Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) approval for use in England to detect parking, bus lane, cycle lane, and moving contraventions. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: **$173.42M Total Funding** across multiple rounds, with the most recent being a **$90M Series C** raised approximately two years ago. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai) Annual Revenue is not publicly available.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Includes Autotech Ventures, Berkeley SkyDeck, Drawdown Fund, and The Rise Fund. The company also has a strong partnership network with major US transit authorities. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)
- **Growth Signals**:
    - **GovTech 100 Winner**: A six-time consecutive winner (2021-2026) of the GovTech 100 award. [hayden.ai](https://hayden.ai/company)
    - **TIME Magazine Top GreenTech Company 2024**: Recognized as a leader in green technology.
    - **Global Top 100 Geospatial Company**: Listed among the top geospatial companies globally.
    - **International Expansion**: Received UK VCA approval in June 2026, enabling expansion into the United Kingdom and signaling a major new market. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)
    - **Proven US Deployment**: Already deployed in major US cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
    - **Patents**: The company has filed 27 patents, primarily in machine learning, road traffic management, and artificial neural networks. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Purpose-Built AI Hardware & Software**: Unlike generic computer vision systems, Hayden AI develops its own purpose-built cameras and hardware optimized for vehicle mounting and real-time analysis.
- **Privacy-First Design**: The platform is explicitly designed to identify objects (vehicles, license plates) and not people, using edge processing and encryption to comply with privacy regulations. This forward-thinking approach is a key selling point for privacy-conscious governments. [hayden.ai](https://hayden.ai/company)
- **Real-World, Proven Impact**: The company's technology has a strong track record of measurable results in major cities, such as increasing bus speeds and reducing traffic violations.
- **Regulatory Endorsement**: The recent VCA certification in the UK provides a strong, independently verified stamp of approval that eases adoption in new markets.

## Strategic Focus
- **International Expansion**: The VCA approval for the UK market is a major strategic focus, opening a new continent for business development.
- **Product Diversification**: Expanding from bus lane enforcement into bike lane enforcement and general civil traffic enforcement (restricted routes, parking), broadening their addressable market.
- **Continued Innovation**: The company's patent filings and focus on "digital twin modeling" suggest a long-term strategy to become a core data and analytics platform for urban management, not just an enforcement tool.

## Why Work Here
- **High-Impact Mission**: Employees have a clear, tangible impact on making city streets safer and public transit more efficient. The work directly improves quality of life in urban areas.
- **Market Leadership & Reputation**: Joining a six-time GovTech 100 winner and globally recognized leader provides strong career validation and exposure to cutting-edge technology.
- **Strong Growth Trajectory**: The company is well-funded (over $173M raised), actively expanding internationally, and has a clear product roadmap, suggesting strong job security and opportunities for advancement.
- **Technical Challenges**: The work involves solving complex problems in computer vision, embedded systems (firmware), state estimation, and large-scale data processing, making it a compelling environment for engineers.
- **Work Policy**: **Hybrid** model. Employees typically work on-site **3 days a week** at one of their three offices (San Francisco, CA; Kenilworth, NJ; New York, NY). [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/hayden-ai)
- **Culture**: Described as "curious, ambitious, and always optimistic," the company values innovation and is looking for motivated people to join their mission. They emphasize an inclusive, equal-opportunity workplace. [hayden.ai](https://hayden.ai/careers)

## Sources
1. [hayden.ai - Company Page](https://hayden.ai/company)
2. [hayden.ai - Careers Page](https://hayden.ai/careers)
3. [cbinsights.com - Hayden AI Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)
4. [builtin.com - Hayden AI Careers](https://builtin.com/company/hayden-ai)
5. [linkedin.com - Hayden AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haydenaitech)
6. [jobs.ashbyhq.com - Hayden AI Jobs](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/haydenai)

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