Chief of Staff to the Managing Partner
Cogito Capital is a growth-stage venture fund based in Warsaw and New York. Since 2018 we have backed European B2B tech companies with proven models and helped them grow globally, especially in the US.
• EUR 90M first close of our second fund
• LPs including the EIF, EBRD, IFC, PFR and BGK
• Portfolio includes Allica Bank, Preply, Finom, Nomagic, Katana and Alcatraz AI
We are a small team, which is exactly why this role matters.
Sylwester JanikFounding and Managing Partner, Cogito Capital
Sylwester founded Cogito in 2018 and invests in fintech, enterprise software and AI. Before that he spent over a decade in senior roles in venture capital and growth equity, including Senior Partner at MCI Capital, where he led the European growth technology practice. He has sat on the boards of companies like iZettle, Allica Bank and Alcatraz AI.
MBA from Cass Business School in London, Master's in Economics from the University of Gdansk.
Full profile You become Sylwester's right hand, the person who keeps the fund and the projects around it moving. This is an operating role, closer in style to private equity than to a startup. It is not an investment track.
The fund, about 2/3 of your time
• Run the operational side of the Cogito Capital group with Sylwester
• Market and LP communication: the newsletter, announcements of investments, exits and hires, LP updates built on hard data
• Support recruitment and the team, and own the website and online presence
• Office admin and meeting logistics, about 10-20% of your time
Companies and projects, about 1/3 of your time
• Be the link between Sylwester and the subsidiaries and projects he oversees
• Run project meetings, keep documentation, track status and make sure what was agreed gets done
• For example, a grant-funded R&D project with a university building an IT platform
Structured, process-driven, and you own outcomes, not just tasks. Typically you come from strategy consulting, the Big Four, a large law firm, a growth equity fund, or a fast-growing tech company where you had a wide variety of work.
• Autonomous: we agree on the outcome, you get there without micromanagement
• Real experience working in structure and processes
• Native or C-level Polish, and business-proficient English for working with portfolio companies and external partners
• You have managed relationships and overseen people, organizations or projects for real
• Understand how a fund works: LP/GP relationships, the investment process, reporting cycles across a portfolio or a holding
• Can credibly represent the Managing Partner with LPs, co-investors and the press
• Turn a stack of material into a one-page memo
• Are discreet. You will see the fund's most sensitive information
• Set priorities yourself when Sylwester is unavailable, without overstepping your mandate
• Have worked on a grant-funded project
This isn't the role for you if
• You want an investment or associate track
• You are driven mainly by vision rather than getting things done
• You are looking for a pure office manager or assistant role
• You need constant direction, think very hierarchically, or struggle without formal authority
• You want to build your own territory inside the organization
Key info and compensation
• Salary: 13,000-16,000 PLN per month, negotiable for exceptional candidates
• Contract: full-time, B2B by default
• Location: office in central Warsaw (Krakowskie Przedmiescie), at least 4 days a week. Warsaw-based candidates preferred
• Languages: native or C-level Polish, business-proficient English
• Laptop and phone provided
• A view from the inside of how a EUR 100M+ fund and its group work
01 Apply through this form. It takes about 5 minutes
02 30-minute meeting with Tomek (Operator Talent)
03 Online call with Sylwester
04 Reference calls or a case study
05 Work-style assessment: a research-based personality questionnaire that shows how you work and where you perform best
This search is run by
Operator Talent, who place Chiefs of Staff and Founders Associates. We reply to every application.
Questions about the role, or know someone who would be a great fit? Write to Tomek at
tomek@operatortalent.io. Referrals are very welcome.