aedifion

Founders Associate

aedifion

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: Köln • Germany

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About the role

  • CEO enablement & operational excellence: You take on task, network and calendar management with a genuine strategic perspective — not just maintaining a calendar, but driving priorities.
  • You produce presentations for the board, investors and leadership that the CEO can use unchanged.
  • You know how to prepare and follow up meetings so that decisions don’t get lost in the minutes but are implemented.
  • You excel at follow-up management, consistently keeping track of all the CEO’s to‑dos as well as delegated tasks.
  • Strategic sparring: You bring your own perspective — well-founded, proactive and without waiting to be asked.
  • You identify process gaps before they become problems and come with considered solutions instead of open questions.
  • Board & investor relations: You understand the dynamics of board and shareholder communication and know how to manage them professionally.
  • You prepare advisory board and annual shareholder meetings end-to-end — content-wise, logistically and with the necessary tact for the stakeholders involved.
  • You systematically track investors’ value‑add and actively leverage the network for aedifion.
  • Fundraising & M&A: You have been close to fundraising processes and know what matters in pitch decks, cohort analyses and investor narratives.
  • You actively apply this experience in preparing future financing rounds and in the strategic assessment of potential acquisition targets.
  • Cross-functional projects: You drive strategic initiatives across team boundaries — with the oversight, the necessary assertiveness and the sense of when to escalate and when not to.

Requirements

  • Experience: You have worked closely with C-level executives or founders, in a startup, scale-up, consulting firm or VC environment, and can point to demonstrable successes.
  • Output quality: You turn minimal input into compelling outputs — presentations, decision papers, analyses — with a minimal feedback loop.
  • Stakeholder management: You have not only supported but actively shaped board and investor communication and know how to communicate at that level.
  • Project leadership: You have successfully led cross-functional projects independently, not necessarily with formal authority, but with real influence.
  • Analytical skills: You can read and interpret data and build a convincing narrative that holds up at investor level.
  • Strategic judgement: You evaluate strategic issues independently and with sound judgement — whether market assessment, prioritization decisions or evaluating a potential acquisition candidate.
  • Confidentiality: Absolute discretion is a given for you — not something that needs to be discussed.
  • Languages: You communicate fluently in German (C1) and English (C2) — written and spoken at the level required by international board members, investors and all company functions.
Benefits
  • Make a difference: Your work helps reduce CO₂ emissions and makes buildings more sustainable and energy-efficient.
  • Mobile work: Shape your workday to your needs — with flexible working hours, a short core hours window and the freedom to work from our modern office in Cologne, remotely from anywhere in Germany or up to 10 days per year from other European countries.
  • Feel-good package: With 20 days of annual leave you can recharge, while fresh organic fruit, regional coffee, free drinks and our monthly team breakfast provide your daily energy boost.
  • Training & development: We support you with tailored development opportunities to advance your career.
  • Benefits & pension: Subsidies for capital-forming payments (VWL) or a company pension scheme (bAV).
  • #teamaedifion: Regular team events, working on equal terms, active knowledge sharing and flat hierarchies foster strong collaboration and open communication in our team.
  • Dog-friendly office: Bring your dog — we welcome furry support.
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
presentation preparationdata interpretationanalytical skillsproject leadershipfundraising processesM&A assessmentstakeholder communicationstrategic assessmentcross-functional project managementdecision paper creation
Soft Skills
strategic perspectivefollow-up managementproactive problem-solvingassertivenessconfidentialitycommunication skillsinfluence without authoritytactnetworkingoutput quality