Founders Associate

You don't want to watch a company grow – you want to help build it? You want to work directly with the founder every day on the questions that will define our next chapter – no layers in between? And help shape a product that changes real people's careers? Then this is your role. As a Founders Associate intern, you'll work at the intersection of strategy, product, and operations.

You'll drive high-impact projects across the entire company, turn ideas into scalable systems, and see the results of your work in the product, in the numbers, and in the careers of real people.

ADAN Impact builds solutions that help organizations attract, develop, and hire overlooked talent. With ADAN Careers, we combine an AI-powered career platform, employer branding, talent matching, and Germany's #1 Career Day for Black People and People of Color in one integrated ecosystem. Building on more than ten years of community trust through ADAN e.V., we are a social business: part of our revenue flows back into initiatives that advance economic mobility and equal opportunity for Black People and People of Color.

• You own strategic projects end-to-end — from business case to execution
• You lead cross-functional projects across sales, marketing, and tech
• You create market and competitive analyses that feed directly into investor and client materials
• You work on expanding our offering to the African continent — from market analysis to execution

• You shape the ADAN Careers roadmap: you analyze usage data, understand what users and clients need, and turn it into features that go live
• You translate client requirements into concrete product improvements

• You build our internal operating system: SOPs, documented and standardized processes, KPI monitoring
• You automate recurring workflows with AI tools, CRM, Notion, Make, and Zapier

• Company building from day one:
  You experience strategy, product, operations, and fundraising from the front row.
• Business building in Africa:
  By working on the expansion of our offering, you gain first-hand insights into building a business on the African continent.
• Direct founder mentoring:
  Daily sparring and mentoring from the founder — no layers in between.
• Cross-functional exposure:
  You work across sales, marketing, tech, and product and get to know every function of a growing company.
• Investor perspective:
  Your analyses and business cases feed directly into investor and client materials.
• AI-first ways of working:
  You learn to automate processes with AI tools, Make, Zapier, and Notion — skills that will serve you anywhere.
• Network:
  You get access to the ADAN community and our network of corporate partners.

• Ongoing Bachelor's or Master's studies, e.g., in business, tech, or a related field
• First experience in a fast-paced environment — start-up, consulting, VC, or similar (internships and working student roles count)
• First exposure to project, product, or operations management
• Confident with digital tools (Notion, Excel/Sheets); experience with AI tools and automation is a strong plus
• Analytical, structured thinking and strong problem-solving skills
• A high degree of ownership and self-organization
• Curiosity about digital products, start-ups, and the African continent
• German language skills at B2 level or above (important) and very good English

Available full-time, start as soon as possible.

• You create structure out of chaos.
• You question processes—and improve them.
• You spot problems before others see them.
• You follow through, consistently.
• You take ownership instead of waiting for instructions.
• You learn fast and enjoy working with AI.

• Real responsibility and creative freedom from day one
• The chance to shape a fast-growing platform and create measurable social impact
• Short decision paths and flexible work—remote by arrangement
• Room for personal and professional growth