Why this role is on the menu

Instacart’s Advertising business is scaling fast—and the complexity of operating a billion-dollar retail media platform across the Instacart Marketplace, off-platform partnerships, and in-store touchpoints demands more than great strategy. It demands relentless operational discipline and someone who can hold the center together. We’re hiring a Chief of Staff to the General Manager, Advertising to be the connective tissue across an ambitious, fast-moving organization. Twelve months from now, this person will have made the Ads org measurably sharper: clearer priorities, stronger cross-functional alignment, and a GM who can operate at full strategic altitude because the infrastructure around them just works.

What you’ll cook up in your first year

• The Ads organization runs on a clear operating rhythm—team meetings, leadership cadences, and organizational communications are designed and consistently executed so the GM and senior leaders spend their time on the right things.
• Cross-functional leaders and external partners trust the Ads organization to show up prepared and aligned—because every major meeting is backed by crisp briefings, sharp talking points, and the research to support strong decisions.
• Priority initiatives across the Ads org land on time and with impact—because someone is tracking deliverables, surfacing blockers early, and keeping stakeholders aligned before small misalignments become big ones.
• Budget visibility across the Ads organization is tight and reliable—workforce and non-workforce spend are tracked in partnership with Finance, and the GM heads into annual planning with clear, defensible numbers.
• The GM is operating as a more effective leader—because they have a trusted thought partner who can both give strategic counsel and get things done, freeing them to focus on the moves that grow the business.

 

The secret ingredients we’re looking for

Must-have pantry staples

(Minimum Qualifications)

• 10+ years of experience in consulting, corporate tech, or advertising/media, with meaningful exposure to executive audiences.
• Strong grounding in digital advertising, retail media, or adjacent businesses—enough to engage credibly on the substance, not just the process.
• High EQ and a track record of building trusted advisor relationships with senior leaders; known for being the person who can say the hard thing and still move the room forward.
• Exceptional analytical ability—comfortable taking complex, ambiguous challenges and turning them into structured, actionable plans.
• Demonstrated project management chops: managing multiple high-stakes workstreams simultaneously, under tight deadlines, without dropping balls.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills—able to produce crisp executive-ready materials and represent the GM’s voice with fidelity.

 

Optional garnishes

(Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience in high-growth, technology-driven companies where ambiguity is the norm and the playbook is still being written.
• Comfort building structured processes from scratch to deliver on complex, cross-functional objectives at scale.
• Direct experience partnering with Finance on budget management and annual business planning.

 

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