chief of staff (6 months intern) (Palo Alto)

Start Date: ASAP

About Us

Mundane is a venture-backed, seed-stage robot learning company founded by Stanford researchers and builders. We deploy humanoid robots into real commercial environments to collect data and build the next generation of embodied intelligence.

We operate as a small, highly technical team with a strong bias toward execution. Our work spans robotics, machine learning, and real-world deployment, and requires rigor, judgment, and ownership at every level of the organization.

Our mission is to build robotic systems that feel natural to control — extending human intent into the physical world with speed, precision, and reliability.

About the Role

This Chief of Staff Intern role is a 6-month, full-time position working directly with Mundane’s founding team on the company’s highest-priority strategic and operational initiatives.

You will act as a force multiplier for the founders—owning cross-functional projects, driving execution on strategic priorities, and ensuring critical initiatives move forward with speed and rigor. The scope is intentionally broad and will evolve with the needs of the business.

This role is designed for a high-caliber operator with strong judgment, versatility, and drive, who is comfortable working in ambiguous, high-responsibility environments.

Responsibilities

• Partner closely with the founding team to drive execution on top strategic and operational priorities
• Own cross-functional initiatives from definition through completion, ensuring clarity, accountability, and results
• Support strategic planning, goal-setting, and internal operating cadence
• Conduct structured analysis on business, financial, and operational questions
• Support financial planning, budgeting, and performance tracking
• Prepare high-quality materials for internal decision-making and external stakeholders
• Identify execution gaps and design processes or systems to address them
• Act as a connective layer across engineering, product, and operations to ensure alignment and follow-through

Qualifications

Required

• Demonstrated excellence as an operator , with a track record of owning critical initiatives and delivering results in demanding environments
• Strong foundation in economics or finance , through education or professional experience
• Exceptional judgment and attention to detail , particularly in high-stakes or ambiguous situations
• Versatility and drive , with the ability to shift between strategic thinking and tactical execution
• Clear, structured written and verbal communication , suitable for executive-level contexts
• Strong analytical skills , including comfort with models, metrics, and incomplete information
• Ability to work in-person in downtown Palo Alto for the duration of the internship

Nice to Have

• Prior experience in investment banking, management consulting, venture capital, private equity, or early-stage startups
• Experience working on or alongside highly technical deep-tech projects (e.g., robotics, AI/ML, infrastructure, hardware)
• Previous exposure to Chief of Staff, strategy, or operations roles

Candidate Expectations

We hire A players only .

In your application, please clearly articulate:

• The most impactful work you have owned end-to-end
• Examples of operating under ambiguity and delivering results
• Why you believe you would be effective working directly with a founding team

We place greater weight on demonstrated capability, judgment, and execution than on titles or pedigree alone.

What You’ll Get

• Direct partnership with Mundane’s founding team
• Ownership over strategic initiatives that materially impact the company
• Broad exposure to company-building at a seed-stage robotics startup
• A rigorous, execution-focused working environment

Perks: free merch, robots, espresso, flexible hours, sauna & cold plunge (pending).