New Delhi: In a unique twist to hiring, Zomato’s CEO Deepinder Goyal has opened applications for the role of Chief of Staff with an unusual condition—candidates must contribute Rs 20 lakh for the first year, a sum that will be donated to the non-profit Feeding India. In return, Zomato will match this with a Rs 50 lakh contribution to a charity of the selected candidate’s choice.

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal took to social media platform X to announce a vacancy for a “Chief of Staff” to work closely with him. The job description highlights responsibilities spanning “anything and everything to build the future of Zomato,” including its ventures like Blinkit, District, Hyperpure, and Feeding India.

Update: I am looking for a chief of staff for myself. pic.twitter.com/R4XPp3CefJ
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) November 20, 2024

Goyal described the role as offering “10x more learnings than a 2-year degree from a top management school, working with me and some of the smartest folks in consumer tech.” However, he clarified, “This role is not a conventional role with the usual perks that such jobs come with.”

Deepinder Goyal shared unique salary details for the “Chief of Staff” role on social media platform X. He explained, “There is no salary for this role for the first year. You will have to, in fact, pay Rs 20 lakh for this opportunity. 100 per cent of this ‘fee’ will be paid in the form of donation directly to Feeding India (if you are offered the role, and you accept it).”

To ensure transparency, he added, “At our end, we want to demonstrate that we are not trying to save money here — we will contribute Rs 50 lakh (equivalent to a Chief of Staff salary) to a charity of your choice.” From the second year onwards, Goyal said, “We will start paying you the usual salary (definitely more than Rs 50 lakh) but something we will only talk about at the start of Year 2).”

He emphasised that applicants should pursue the role for the “learning opportunity it presents, rather than for a fancy well-paying job which will make you look cool in front of yourself or the people you want to impress.”

Goyal elaborated on the role, saying, “Think of this as a learning programme, for you both personally and professionally — whether or not you succeed at this role. And we want learners for this role, not resume builders.”

Sharing what he seeks in a candidate, he explained that the ideal person should be “hungry, has a lot of common sense, empathy, and not a lot of experience (and therefore no conditioning/baggage).” He added that the candidate should be “down to earth and has zero entitlement; wants to do the right thing even if it comes at the cost of displeasing others; has Grade A communication skills; and most importantly, has a learning mindset.”