Chief of Staff | International

Our client offers the legal way to show movies and TV in public or commercial spaces across the globe in more than 28 countries. They are currently restructuring around a small, high-leverage central team based in Rome, Italy. The Chief of Staff is one of the two most important hires in that team. You will be the right hand of the VP International, with a broad mandate covering everything that is not pure sales execution: program delivery, strategic projects, operating-model design and the day-to-day discipline of how the international team runs. This is a generalist role for someone who is equally comfortable with strategy and operations, who can move seamlessly between a project plan, a difficult HR conversation and a coordination call with Legal or Tech. It is highly visible and unusually senior for its level: you will work directly with the VP International, the Sales Director and the Country Managers.

Your mission

To make the central international team work by owning the operating cadence, the cross-functional projects and the strategic workstreams that turn the international plan into delivery, and by acting as the single point of connection between the international team and the company's support functions.

Program and project delivery

• Own delivery of the international plan's non-sales workstreams: operating model, systems, processes and organisational design.
• Lead implementation of strategic operating-model initiatives across the international portfolio.
• Drive the international CRM standardisation program together with the Sales Operations Manager.

Cross-functional coordination, the bridge to support functions

• Act as the central point of connection between the international team and the company's support functions: HR, Tech, Legal, Finance, Marketing and Studio Relations.
• Ensure international territory needs are surfaced, prioritised and delivered by the right support function at the right time.
• Manage cross-functional initiatives end-to-end, removing blockers and keeping stakeholders aligned.

Strategic and analytical

• Lead strategic deep-dives on territories, verticals or commercial questions as required.
• Build and maintain the international management dashboard and reporting cadence.
• Support new-territory feasibility work in 2026 and 2027.

Operating model and team

• Own the operating cadence of the international team: weekly business reviews and monthly territory reviews.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and development of the wider international team.
• Act as a sounding board and trusted partner to the VP International on people, process and prioritisation.

The ideal profile

• 7 to 10 years of experience combining strategy and operational delivery: top-tier consulting, corporate strategy, programme management, COO-office or chief-of-staff roles.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication, comfortable engaging senior stakeholders independently.
• Strong project and programme management skills, comfortable owning complex, cross-functional workstreams from start to finish.
• Able to travel up to 20%, primarily within Europe.
• Highly analytical and structured thinker, comfortable in spreadsheets and in slides.
• Calm, low-ego operating style, able to influence without authority and to push back constructively.
• Experience in international scale-ups, post-acquisition transformations or central-team roles is a strong plus.
• Fluent business English (C1/C2). Italian welcomed but not required.

Why our client

• A permanent contract (CCNL Commercio).
• A base salary of 55.000 to 62.000 euro (14 months) plus a 15% bonus on objectives.
• A rare opportunity to be a founding member of a central team that is being built from scratch within a growing international business, working directly with the VP International on the highest-priority commercial and operational questions.
• Meal vouchers, a company laptop and phone.
• Visible ownership of multiple workstreams across the international portfolio.
• Broad operating experience across territories, functions and challenges.
• A clear path into senior international leadership over time.

About them

Our client is a leading global copyright licensing organization, founded in the UK in 2004. Operating across 28 countries, they represent over 5,000 rights holders, including major Hollywood studios such as Disney, Universal and Paramount, as well as independent TV producers. They facilitate the legal public display of movies and TV programmes by issuing public performance licenses to businesses and organizations worldwide. With a dedicated team of over 200 professionals worldwide, they are now further strengthening their established Italian office, which will serve as the central hub for their international team.

Interested or have questions?

Apply directly through the form on this page, or reach out to Darcie at darciehudson@goaheadhire.com or call +31 6 57049518. Every applicant hears back from a consultant personally.