Chief of Staff / Founders Associate
- Onsite
- All operations jobs
- FullTime
- Engineering
About the role
About the Role
This is a high-leverage operator role sitting directly alongside the CEO of a fast-growing AI startup, turning vision into execution across growth, hiring, finance, and expansion. You will own the most ambiguous, highest-stakes problems in the company before they have a dedicated owner. Think of it as a founder residency from the inside of a category-defining AI company.
What You'll Do
Partner with the CEO to translate high-level strategy into concrete execution across all business functions.
Own the end-to-end hiring engine for the next wave of critical hires, from planning through closing.
Build and maintain financial reporting, budgeting, and KPI dashboards that give founders and the board full clarity.
Design operating systems including cadences, processes, and communication loops that let the company scale at speed, with AI automation built in by default.
Lead strategic projects from zero to done: market entry, pricing architecture, partnership structures, and other high-stakes initiatives without clear owners.
Manage the fundraising process end-to-end, including data rooms, investor narratives, updates, and board relations.
Identify and solve problems that nobody else can own yet, moving fast in ambiguous, high-pressure situations.
What We're Looking For
2+ years in a high-intensity environment such as top-tier strategy consulting, investment banking, a fast-moving venture-backed startup, or founding a company.
Deep fluency in business fundamentals: P&L, SaaS metrics, unit economics, and financial modeling.
Experience designing and implementing operational processes, communication cadences, and scaling systems at growing companies.
Proven ability to own end-to-end hiring processes, including sourcing, evaluation, and closing candidates.
Experience managing fundraising workflows: data room preparation, investor communications, and board reporting.
Strong written communicator who turns complex technical or financial concepts into clear narratives for boards and investors.
AI-native mindset: you use AI tools daily and have a clear point of view on how an AI-first company should operate internally.
High agency and comfort with ambiguity; you write the playbooks rather than waiting for them.
Fluent in both English and German (C1+ level) is required.
Background in industrial operations, supply chain, enterprise B2B sales, or prior experience advising AI/ML companies is a plus.
Location
On-site five days per week in Berlin, Germany (Berlin-Mitte). No visa sponsorship is available for this role.
Description as published by Clera.
