Chief of Staff - US

Background

Praan (Praan, Inc.) is an impact focused deep-tech startup democratising clean air using breakthrough filterless technology. Incubated at Georgia Tech, Praan is now backed by top tier VCs and CXOs globally and currently operates between the United States and India. We are a mission driven company, and try to build aspirational products and technology which can scale widely and impact over 1 Billion people. Praan's team and culture is positioned to empower people to solve large global problems at an accelerated pace.

Why

Everyone worries about the dooms-day in climate change which is expected to occur in the 2050s. However, there's one doom's day which is the reality for millions of people around the world today. Air pollution takes more than 7 Million lives globally every single year. Over 5% of premature children death occur due to air pollution in developing countries. Everyone has relied on governments or experts to solve the problem, but most solutions up until today have either been too expensive or too ineffective. Air purifiers have existed for decades but somehow they're not in every room in every home. Praan is an attempt at making the future cleaner, healthier, and safer for the generations to come.

Job Description

• Partner with the founder to help set up new operations in the Bay Area
• Drive customer acquisition, retention, and expansion initiatives
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, clients, and partners.
• Drive strategic business initiatives in Praan’s B2B and B2C product channels partnering with the founder to acquire the first set of US Customers
• Plan, Measure, Improvise, and Report daily, weekly, and monthly performance metrics across assigned projects
• Scout, reach out, and help establish critical meetings with potential partners and talent in the US
• Develop and negotiate business deals, contracts, and agreements on behalf of the founder where relevant
• Collaborate with the sales team to develop effective sales strategies and tactics.
• Provide support in lead qualification, sales presentations, and proposal development.
• Run all operations and business development related program management in the US
• Identify and analyze growth opportunities, market trends, and competitive landscape.
• Design and implement comprehensive marketing plans to enhance brand awareness and drive lead generation.
• Oversee the creation of marketing materials, including brochures, presentations, and case studies.
• Prepare regular reports and presentations for the founder and senior leadership team.
• Work closely with product, operations, and customer success teams to ensure alignment and drive cohesive strategies.
• Act as a liaison between the US and India Operations for Praan ensuring seamless communication and execution.
• Execute anything and everything necessary to help build up Praan's presence in the valley, drive early customer acquisition, partner with the founder through the Series A fundraise, and help build Praan's new US leadership and tech team.

Skill Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; preferably some form of engineering.
• Proven experience in a similar multifaceted role
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills - should be able to speak to and pitch customers wherever necessary
• Proven track record with cold emailing/getting meetings with people outside of your network
• Proficient in data analysis, translating information into actionable insights for informed decision-making by the founder.
• Adaptable to a dynamic environment, adept at prioritizing tasks to meet evolving needs and support company growth.
• Capable of conveying complex ideas clearly both internally and externally.
• Proactive and self-motivated, demonstrating ownership and accountability in driving initiatives within the founder's office.

Good to have

• Past experience in startups and sales - Pipeline building, lead qualification, presentations, solutioning, negotiations
• Past experience in office operations - scouting, rent negotiations, permissions, etc.
• Past experience in copywriting for proposals, emails, marketing materials, social media
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Praan is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, religion, caste, gender, disability or any other criteria. We just care about working with great people!