Founders Associate

About the Role

This is a core operator role working directly with the founders of a small, fast-moving AI startup building purpose-built agents for the sea and air freight industry. You will own high-leverage workstreams end-to-end, from internal operations to go-to-market, and grow into senior operating or founding responsibility over time.

What You'll Do

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• Own and run cross-functional projects spanning finance, operations, compliance, and people.
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• Build and manage internal systems, tooling, and automations that enable the company to scale.
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• Lead recruiting efforts end-to-end, including sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding new team members.
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• Support go-to-market initiatives and help bring AI agent products to enterprise customers.
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• Step into whatever challenge moves the company forward, from board preparation to vendor management.
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• Work shoulder-to-shoulder with the founders on the highest-priority problems each week.

What We're Looking For

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• 2+ years of experience in generalist, operating, consulting, or founding roles, ideally in early-stage or high-agency environments.
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• Proven ability to build internal systems, tooling, and automations hands-on, not just direct others.
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• Technical background or strong working knowledge of AI, software architecture, and automation principles, with the ability to evaluate technical feasibility.
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• Experience running cross-functional projects end-to-end and owning outcomes with minimal supervision.
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• Experience supporting B2B go-to-market initiatives and enterprise customer engagement.
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• Full fluency in both German and English, with clear communication across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
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• High integrity, strong work ethic, and a bias toward urgency and action.
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• Familiarity with logistics, supply chain, or enterprise operations is a plus.
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• Experience with board preparation, financial reporting, or investor relations in early-stage companies is a plus.
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• Background in consulting, strategy, or process optimization is a plus.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive salary plus meaningful equity participation. Visa sponsorship is not available; local work authorization is required.

Location

On-site in Berlin, Germany. In-person presence is strongly preferred.