Founder's Associate

Role overview

CEF.AI is hiring a highly self-driven Founder’s Associate to work directly with the founder on operations, execution, hiring, AI workflows, growth systems, and strategic projects. This is a fast-moving role inside an AI startup, where priorities can change quickly and the pace of work is high.

The position is intended for people who enjoy building and operating systems, taking full ownership, and learning how an AI company is created and scaled from the inside. It is not a conventional assistant role.

What you will do

You will act as a direct extension of the founder, helping drive important work across the business in a setting where speed, adaptability, and independent execution matter every day.

What this role suits

This opportunity is a strong fit for operators and builders who want a steep learning curve, broad exposure, and the chance to shape how an early-stage AI business runs.

Must-have requirements

• A strong builder-operator mindset
• Clear ownership and a strong tendency to execute
• Comfort working in an environment of frequent change and rapid experimentation
• Experience creating systems, workflows, automations, or operational processes
• Solid problem-solving skills
• Ability to act quickly without needing constant direction
• Good communication and organizational ability
• Authentic interest in AI, automation, and startups

Additional strengths

• Hands-on experience launching AI-powered workflows or automations
• Side projects or experiments involving AI systems
• Practical experience using AI tools in operations
• Experience applying AI to real business processes
• Background as a startup operator or founder associate
• Familiarity with Notion, Airtable, Make, Zapier, or similar tools

Who should not apply

• People looking for a structured corporate setting
• People who require narrowly defined responsibilities
• Candidates who only want a purely administrative role
• Applicants without hands-on execution experience
• People interested in AI only at a theoretical level
• Applicants who are not in Berlin or are unwilling to relocate

Benefits and work style

• Meaningful equity is offered so early team members can share in the value they help create
• Direct exposure to leadership, including day-to-day collaboration with the CEO and founders
• Opportunity to work on difficult, emerging infrastructure problems in the AI agent space
• A small, high-output team with a strong emphasis on leverage, ownership, and impact
• High autonomy paired with accountability for shipping real solutions
• Hybrid collaboration, with time spent together in person in Berlin and San Francisco for focused working sessions and hackathons

Hiring process

The recruitment process is designed to be quick and transparent, with an emphasis on real collaboration.

• Introductory call to align on expectations, interests, and fit with COS
• Interview with the CEO focused on vision, mindset, and long-term alignment
• Reference checks with a few people you have worked closely with
• A paid trial of about 5 days, run alongside offer and terms discussion, to assess how both sides work together

Location

This role is based in Berlin, Germany. Candidates must be in Berlin or willing to relocate. The team also spends time together in San Francisco for collaboration sessions and hackathons.