Unit
Office of the CEO
Reports To
Systems Architect
Band / Track
IC-3 · Senior Individual Contributor
Employment
Full-Time · rthmc Payroll
Comp Range
IC-3 Band (see compensation framework)
Role Focus
Proof Pack QA, gate score validation, portfolio integrity, evidence standards enforcement
THE ROLE
The Venture Quality & Gates Analyst owns the quality assurance layer in rthmc's stage-gate pipeline. Before any venture advances, its Proof Pack must pass through you. You validate completeness, evidence quality, scoring accuracy, and recency — and you produce an independent assessment that the gate decision is based on real evidence, not the team's belief in their own venture. You report to the VP of Operations and have no gate decision authority — but you are the only person who can block a gate review from proceeding.
THE REAL JOB
Your job is to see what teams want you to miss. Every Proof Pack that reaches you was assembled by a team that wants to pass the gate. Your job is to assess whether the evidence actually supports the conclusions — not whether the conclusions are plausible. Strong research design. Credible sample sizes. Evidence that is current. Financial assumptions that are grounded. If the pack doesn't meet the standard, you flag it before it wastes a gate decision.
WHAT YOU OWN
Gate QA & Validation
- Review every venture's Proof Pack before it enters a gate decision — completeness, evidence quality, recency, and scoring accuracy
- Confirm M1 Proof Pack QA before the gate decision meeting proceeds (SOP-0.8.01)
- Validate dual gate requirements are met for ventures entering the fundraising stage
- Execute weekly portfolio integrity checks across all active ventures
Evidence Standards
- Enforce evidence freshness rules — flag evidence older than 60 days, block reviews on evidence older than 90 days
- Validate source data quality for ideas entering the gate pipeline (SOP-6.1.00)
- Flag submissions where the team's conclusions do not match their data
Reporting & Audit
- Produce a weekly integrity summary to the VP of Operations — open flags, gate queue status, patterns of concern
- Conduct quarterly audits of the full venture portfolio against the operating framework
- Maintain audit trail for all gate QA decisions and flag resolutions
VALUES ALIGNMENT
Value : What it means in this role
Signal over Noise
Your assessments say what the evidence actually shows. Not what the team hopes it shows.
Integrity over Optics
A gate blocked on evidence grounds is a success, not a failure. You do not fold under Machine Owner pressure.
Systems over Symptoms
You flag evidence pattern failures, not just individual weak data points.
Precision as a Standard
Every QA assessment is structured, defensible, and logged. Vague concerns do not reach the VP.
WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED
Hard Requirements
- 5–6+ years working directly with early-stage ventures — accelerator, incubator, venture studio, or program management
- Strong understanding of what makes validation evidence credible — sample sizes, methodology, financial model assumptions
- Experience reviewing venture submissions and identifying weak evidence dressed as strong data
- Ability to hold a position under Machine Owner pressure and escalate clearly
Strong Signals
- Background in quality assurance, compliance, or structured evidence review
- Experience with stage-gate frameworks, scoring rubrics, and portfolio integrity processes
- Financial modeling literacy — able to identify unsupported assumptions in a financial model
- Written communication that is precise, structured, and defensible — your assessments are read by decision-makers
DISPOSITION
Thrives Here
- Comfortable blocking a gate review when the evidence doesn't meet the standard
- Reads Proof Packs with productive skepticism — looking for what's dressed up, not just what's wrong
- Maintains independence without being adversarial — flags and explains, doesn't interrogate
- Finds the patterns across submissions, not just the individual failures
Struggles Here
- Yields to Machine Owner confidence rather than the evidence
- Takes submissions at face value; doesn't probe behind the summary
- Becomes the enemy of the machine rather than the guardian of the standard
- Reviews each submission in isolation without seeing the portfolio-level signal
WHAT DOES NOT BELONG HERE
- Gate decisions — GO/KILL authority belongs to Machine Owners; you validate the evidence, not the decision
- SOP authorship — owned by the Systems Architect
- Venture strategy or product direction — you assess evidence quality, not venture quality
- Budget approval — VP of Operations and CEO authority
WORK ARRANGEMENT
Full-Time · Remote · rthmc core team. Synchronous availability across ET and PT business hours is required. Gate reviews are time-sensitive — QA decisions cannot run on an async-only schedule.
Synchronous overlap with Eastern Time (ET) and Pacific Time (PT) business hours is required — not a preference.
HOW TO APPLY
Submit the following as part of your application. Incomplete submissions will not be progressed.
- Resume — current, clearly structured, with measurable outcomes where possible.
- Personality assessment — complete the 16Personalities test at 16personalities.com and include your result type and a brief reflection (3–5 sentences) on how it shows up in how you work.
- Work samples or references — examples of structured documentation, reports, or decision outputs you have produced.
- Screening responses — answer all screening questions below in the application. Responses submitted without screening answers will not be reviewed.
INTERVIEW PROCESS
Our process is structured and moves quickly. We aim to complete the full sequence within 3 weeks of application close.
- Application review — we review all complete submissions. Screening responses are read before anything else.
- Screening call (20–30 min) — a brief video call to confirm fit, answer your questions, and assess communication clarity.
- Skills assessment or case — a short practical task or scenario review. We respect your time — this will not exceed 90 minutes.
- Leadership interviews — a structured conversation with the relevant hiring manager and a member of the leadership team.
- Offer and onboarding — successful candidates receive a written offer and a structured onboarding plan before Day 1.
We don't do ghosting. Every applicant receives a response at the application review stage.
