10 non-technical jobs in tech, demystified
What you *actually* do as a Chief of Staff or Program Manager
As always - Reply to this email if you have a job you’d like me to share!
My first job at a tech startup was in a role I'd never heard of: Product Operations.
I had to Google the title several times before I interviewed.
When I was looking for my first jobs in tech, I was convinced I needed a CS degree or a coding bootcamp. It wasn't until I started applying and interviewing that I discovered my finance toolkit (analysis, strategy, operating fast and working hard) was exactly what a startup needed. And that there was room to bring skills that technical people didn't have.
I'd assumed I had to land my "dream role" before I even applied, only to learn that titles at early-stage companies are surprisingly mobile.
Six months into Product Ops, I was essentially doing three jobs: product management, operations, and strategy, and it opened up a lot of future opportunities. All because I could connect the dots across functions. Tech startups, especially in growth mode, prize problem-solvers, communicators, and operators far more than rigid job descriptions.
So if you don't land your dream role on day one, don't panic. In tech and especially startups, job descriptions are fluid, and your first title is a foot in the door, not a life sentence.
Here are 10 of my favorite non-technical entry points you might not have considered.
You might have seen these roles in my job postings but not know what you'd actually do, so I hope this helps pull back the curtain. All of them are great for generalists who know how to ask questions, analyze problems, and drive results.
1️⃣ Solutions Engineer: You help customers understand technical products through demos and customization. The title is misleading—you don’t need to code. Great if you're both good with people and love problem-solving. If you're interviewing, expect to do mock demos where you learn a product and present it like you're selling to a real customer.
2️⃣ Business Operations (BizOps): You're the CEO's special projects person for high-priority initiatives that span multiple functions. Think Swiss Army knife for business problems. The recruiting process typically includes consulting-style cases like "how would you expand this product into a new market?" You'll assess demand, competition, operational challenges, etc.
3️⃣ Customer Success: You make sure customers actually use what they bought and get value from it. This role is on a tear as more companies realize that keeping customers is way cheaper than finding new ones (high LTV/CAC). Break in by highlighting relationship-management experience—account management, consulting, client work.
4️⃣ Product Marketing: You bring new products to market—positioning, messaging, pricing, launch strategy. You're translating what engineers built into something customers want to buy. I may be biased, but this is a great role for combining both strategy and execution. Most roles want marketing backgrounds, but some also love hiring ex-consultants and people with business strategy experience.
5️⃣ Business Development / Partnerships: You find companies to partner with for joint marketing and other collaborations. Great if you like meeting people, negotiating contracts, and creative problem-solving. You can break in from sales, consulting, marketing—anything where you built complex partnerships.
6️⃣ Revenue Operations (RevOps): This has been one of the fastest-growing jobs in tech in the last few years, and perfect for detail-oriented people who like solving problems. When revenue is down and nobody knows why, you dig into the data and systems to find what's broken. You connect the dots between sales, marketing, and finance to help grow revenue. You might be analyzing conversion funnels, fixing CRM processes, or building executive dashboards.
7️⃣ Product Operations: Super underrated role where you work with product managers and engineers to make building features more efficient. You might set up launch processes, build analytics dashboards, roll out new tools, or coordinate product releases. It's basically the operational backbone that lets product teams move fast, and a great stepping stone into product management if that's still your goal. Experience in operations, project management, or process improvement helps you break in.
8️⃣ Strategic Finance: Where finance meets strategy. You build models and analyses to guide big bets—market entry or fundingnew product lines. This role offers more predictable hours than banking and direct impact on business decisions, making it perfect for ex-finance pros.
9️⃣ Corporate Development: Similar to Strategic Finance, but more focused on M&A, deals, etc. You lead due diligence, valuation, deal structuring, and integration planning—essentially doing investment banking in-house.
🔟 Chief of Staff: The CEO’s right hand—anticipating needs, driving strategic projects, and aligning the org. One day you might draft board decks; the next you clear roadmap roadblocks or lead cross-functional launches. Startups hire Chiefs of Staff to amplify executive impact: streamline communication, surface critical insights, and keep leadership in sync. Break in from consulting, banking, or any senior-leader–partnering role.
Tech Jobs I'd Apply to This Week
Curated US roles (mostly) for generalists in tech with ~2+ years of experience.
Typically includes: Strategy & Ops / BizOps / GM, Chief of Staff, GTM, Program/Project Manager, Product & Product Marketing, etc.
Head of Operations – Gumloop (Productivity Tech, Early‑stage, SF)
Chief of Staff – Neros Technologies (Defense Tech, Series A, CA)
Operations – Oura Health (Health Tech, SF)
Sales Engineer – Motive (Logistics/IoT, Growth, Remote)
Chief of Staff – Timely Schools (EdTech, Early‑stage, Remote)
Operations – Baton (Ops Tech, Early‑stage, NYC)
Senior Operations Manager – Belvo (Fintech, Early Stage, Remote)
Product Operations – Celonis (Process Mining/AI, Growth, NYC)
Strategy & Ops– Prosper Health (Healthcare, Growth, NYC)
Product Operations – Copilot (Fintech, Early‑stage, NYC)
Customer Success – Clay (SaaS, Early‑stage, NYC)
Strategy & Operations – Sailor Health (Healthcare Tech, Early‑stage, NYC)
Strategy & Operations – Candid Health (Healthcare Tech, Early‑stage, Various)
Chief of Staff to CEO – Tapestry (Consumer, Public, NYC)
Startups Ambassador – Brex (Fintech, Growth, NYC/SF)
Strategy & Ops – Pearl Health (Health Tech, Growth, NYC)
Senior Operations Manager – Lime (Mobility/Transportation, Growth, Chicago)
Solutions Consultant – Navan (Corporate Travel Tech, Growth, NYC)
GTM – Lassie (AI/Healthcare Admin SaaS, SF/Remote)
Business Operations Lead – Meadow Memorials (Consumer, Remote)
Head of GTM/Growth – Freckle (SaaS/SMB Productivity, SF)
Investor Relations Lead – Paradromics (Neurotech, Austin)
Strategy & Operations Manager / Various – EliseAI (AI/Healthcare & Housing, NYC)
Partnerships Lead – Ambrook (Agtech SaaS, NYC/Denver/Remote/SF)
Customer Success Manager – Plain (AI Customer Support SaaS, SF)
Product Operations – Reevo (Revenue Management SaaS, SF)
Corporate Development – Figma (Design Collaboration SaaS, NY/SF)
Chief of Staff – Atlan (Data, Series C, Remote)
Business Operations & Data Analytics – Decagon (AI × Customer Support, Series C, SF)
Business Operations – Column (Banking, SF)
Finance & Operations Manager – Cube (Fintech, Series B, NYC/Hybrid)
Business Operations Specialist – Cyvl (Infrastructure, Series A, Boston, MA)
Business Operations Analyst – Flipturn (Electric Vehicles, Series A, NYC/Hybrid)
Strategy & Operations Manager – Fora (Travel, Series C, NYC)
Senior Director, Business Operations – Galileo (Fintech, Series C, Various)
Strategy and Operations Manager, Payments – GlossGenius (Creator Economy, Series C, NYC)
Head of US Operations – Halter (Agriculture, Series D, Boulder, CO)
Founding Strategic Operations – Key (Networking, Seed, SF)
1st Hire → Business Operations – Kovo (Fintech, Seed, Remote)
Strategy & Business Operations Associate – Peek (Travel, Series C, Remote)
Head of Operations – UpCodes (Compliance, Series A, Remote)
Chief of Staff - Stealth (Consumer, NYC)
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Solid post!
Great post!