Company
Navigating cancer is like embarking on a treacherous hike—without a map, gear, or guide. Manta Cares provides the most comprehensive self-advocacy toolkit available, empowering patients every step of the way. We are transforming the cancer journey.
Manta Cares is a digital health company founded and led by cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and oncologists. Our team brings over 50 years of combined healthcare experience, with backgrounds at McKinsey, Stanford, MIT, and ASCO, among others. Backed by top-tier venture funds—including Pear Ventures, Sozo Ventures, and 1843 Capital—we are generating revenue through partnerships with leading life sciences organizations.
Opportunity for Impact
As Chief of Staff at Manta Cares, you will build and optimize the operational foundation that enables the company to scale while staying mission-focused. In this fast-paced, early-stage environment, you’ll bring structure to ambiguity, streamline financial and administrative operations, and remove friction from day-to-day execution.
By owning invoicing, accounting oversight, HR processes, and company-wide initiatives, you’ll free up the CEO and leadership team to focus on growth and patient impact. Your ability to anticipate needs, solve problems proactively, and implement scalable processes will allow Manta Cares to move faster and make a greater difference in the lives of cancer patients and caregivers.
Role & Responsibilities
Manta Cares is seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff / Business Operations Lead to drive operational excellence, ensuring the company scales efficiently while staying focused on its mission of improving the lives of cancer patients and caregivers.
Reporting to the Founder & CEO, Samira Daswani, the Chief of Staff will:
Own and streamline all financial and administrative operations, including invoicing, reimbursements, expense tracking, and financial reporting within the first two weeks.
Develop and maintain a company-wide dashboard to track key financial and operational metrics, ensuring leadership has real-time visibility into priorities.
Manage accounting processes and vendor relationships, leading initiatives such as updating the company’s accounting firm, implementing structured P&L reviews, and improving financial planning and cash flow tracking.
Lead and facilitate weekly leadership meetings, OKR tracking, and monthly business reviews, ensuring alignment, accountability, and clear decision-making.
Oversee HR and people operations, including payroll, benefits administration, recruiting, and onboarding, ensuring a seamless experience for employees.
Ensure legal and compliance processes are in place, managing vendor contracts, corporate governance, intellectual property documentation, and regulatory adherence.
Own administrative operations, including office management, IT systems, security protocols, and overall process optimization, while also overseeing inventory management infrastructure and fulfillment of paper planners.
Drive automation and process improvements to eliminate inefficiencies and allow the company to move faster.
Act as an extension of the CEO, anticipating needs, proactively solving problems, and ensuring leadership is focused on high-impact work rather than day-to-day operational tasks.
Professional Qualifications
Experience in business operations, finance, consulting, investment banking, or a fast-growing startup environment.
Prior exposure to early-stage environments (0-1 is ideal, but 1-10 also valuable) or direct experience working in high-growth, fast-paced settings is a big plus.
Strong financial acumen, with experience in budgeting, expense management, accounting oversight, and vendor negotiations.
Background in TMT, consumer, or healthcare sectors is a plus, particularly for candidates coming from investment banking or consulting.
Highly organized and detail-oriented, with a track record of implementing efficient systems and operational frameworks.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, able to work closely with leadership and push back when necessary.
Ability to thrive in ambiguity, solve problems independently, and create structure where none exists.
Personal Characteristics
Mission-Driven & Impact-Oriented – Deeply committed to improving the lives of cancer patients and caregivers, with a strong sense of purpose in everything you do.
Highly Structured & Process-Oriented – Naturally brings order to chaos, with the ability to implement and refine systems that enable efficiency at scale.
Proactive & Self-Starter – Anticipates needs before they arise, takes ownership without waiting for direction, and finds solutions in ambiguous situations.
Adaptable & Scrappy – Comfortable operating across strategic and tactical levels, rolling up sleeves to solve problems big and small.
Clear Communicator & Thought Partner – Able to push back thoughtfully, influence decisions, and provide clarity in a fast-moving environment.
Growth-Oriented & Operationally Minded – Sees this role as a launchpad into a broader leadership position, with a desire to grow into a Head of Operations role in 2-3 years.
Values-Driven & Team-Oriented – Embodies Manta Cares’ core values: putting patients and caregivers first, communicating with empathetic candor, using data and creativity to drive decisions, and taking smart risks to build for impact.
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Join Manta Cares as the Chief of Staff and be a crucial part of a mission-driven team dedicated to transforming the cancer journey for patients and caregivers. Located in sunny Palo Alto, you'll be stepping into a role that combines operational excellence with a heartfelt cause. At Manta Cares, we know that navigating cancer can often feel overwhelming—like hiking without a map—so we empower our users with a comprehensive self-advocacy toolkit to guide them every step of the way. As Chief of Staff, you will work closely with our visionary Founder & CEO, Samira Daswani, and take charge of optimizing our operational foundation. Your tasks will include streamlining financial operations, overseeing HR processes, and managing vendor relationships—all while ensuring our leadership team stays focused on growth and making a genuine impact in the lives of others. We value innovation and your ability to anticipate needs and solve problems proactively will be key to driving our mission forward. This is an exciting opportunity to leverage your experience in business operations and management within a startup environment, and to grow into a major leadership role as Manta Cares supports cancer patients and caregivers in their time of need. Together, we're not just building a business—we're creating a movement to ensure no one has to navigate their cancer journey alone. If you're ready to roll up your sleeves and make a real difference, we’d love to hear from you!
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