Chief of Staff (m/f/x)

Cortea; Berlin; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Learning budget

Team lunches

Off-sites

Flexible vacation

In-office setup in central Berlin

Job summary

Cortea, a Berlin-based AI startup, is hiring a Chief of Staff to join the leadership orbit. You will work directly with Valentin to translate high-level vision into operational reality, sitting at the intersection of Growth, Strategy, Finance, and Operations.

This role tackles complex challenges from international expansion to AI-driven unit economics and a future fundraising round. It offers a CEO-level view and a pathway to shape Cortea’s trajectory in a fast-growing market.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in high-velocity environments (Top-tier Strategy Consulting, Investment Banking, or a high-growth VC-backed startup).
• Strategic operator who can translate vision into operational plans.
• Fluency in English and German (C1+).

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic initiatives from conception to completion (e.g., pricing model, expansion into new European markets, optimize sales-to-onboarding funnel).
• Fundraising & IR: prepare narratives and data rooms for investor relations and funding rounds.
• Scale the AI-native operating system with repeatable processes and AI-enabled workflows to hit €100m+ ARR.
• Act as founder proxy to keep decisions moving and projects on track.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Fundraising

Investor relations

Financial modeling

Communication skills

High agency

Bilingual English German

Job description

About Us

We’re Cortea, a Berlin-based startup rebuilding how audits are done. Audits are still driven by spreadsheets, checklists, and manual reviews in one of the most regulated, high-stakes areas of business. We use AI to automate audits end to end, so highly educated auditors no longer spend 60+ hour weeks on manual work and can focus on judgment, trust, and choices that matter. With €15m+ in funding, a live product, and paying customers across Europe, we’re at a stage where your choices will directly shape Cortea’s future, and how audits are done.

The role

This isn't an administrative or "assistant" role. As Chief of Staff, you are a core member of the leadership orbit. You will work directly with Valentin (Co-Founder) to translate high-level vision into operational reality. You will sit at the intersection of Growth, Strategy, Finance, and Operations. Your mission is to tackle the most complex, ambiguous challenges that don’t yet have a home, whether that’s architecting our international expansion, refining our AI-driven unit economics, or managing the machinery of a Series B fundraise. This role is a springboard. You will gain a "CEO-level" view of building a category-defining AI company.

What You’ll Do

• Strategic Initiatives: Lead high-impact projects from conception to completion (e.g., designing an AI-era pricing model, spearheading entry into new European markets, or optimizing the sales-to-onboarding funnel).
• Fundraising & IR: Act as the primary engine behind investor relations and future funding rounds, preparing the narratives and data rooms that will fuel Cortea’s growth.
• Scaling the AI-Native Operating System: Build the repeatable processes, meeting cadences, and communication loops — supercharged with AI agents and automation — that allow Cortea to scale toward €100m+ ARR without losing speed. You'll treat internal workflows as products, deploying AI wherever it removes friction.
• Founder Force Multiplier: Act as a proxy for the founders in internal and external meetings, ensuring decisions are made and projects stay on track even when the founders aren't in the room.

Who you are

• 4+ years of experience in high-velocity environments (Top-tier Strategy Consulting, Investment Banking, or a high-growth VC-backed startup).
• Strategic Operator: You can think at 30,000 feet about market positioning, but you have the grit to dive into a spreadsheet or a legal contract to get a deal over the line.
• Financial Fluency: You have a deep understanding of P&L management, financial modeling, and SaaS metrics.
• Exceptional Communicator: You can distill complex AI concepts and financial data into clear, persuasive narratives for investors and the team.
• High Agency: You don’t wait for a playbook; you write it. You are comfortable with the ambiguity of a "zero-to-one" environment.
• Language: Native or professional fluency in both English and German (C1+) is essential for this Berlin-based role.

How we work

• Founder mindset: Everyone acts like a founder. You’re encouraged to take on any topic you believe is worth improving, with team and founder support.
• Thoughtful decision-making: Collaborative problem solving, concise written thinking, and deep in-person discussions to reach the best result.
• Speed over perfection: We value progress and learning, preferring strong 80/20 solutions over perfection.
• Feedback & learning: We give and ask for feedback weekly. Not monthly.

What Success Looks Like

• In 3 months: You have worked through our ops, deployed workflow automations across the company, and offloaded 20% of the founders' highest-priority tasks.
• In 6 months: You have led at least one major cross-functional launch (e.g., a new country or a major pricing pivot) and are the go-to person for our lead investors.
• In 12 months: You have helped institutionalize the "Cortea Way," creating a scalable operational foundation that supports our next major funding milestone.

What we offer

• Impact: A seat at the table during the most critical growth phase of a well-funded AI startup.
• Growth: Mentorship from experienced founders and close collaboration across the company
• Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity.
• Perks: Learning budget, team lunches, off-sites, flexible vacation, and a supportive in-office setup in central Berlin

Interview process

• Intro call with Liza (Founders Associate)
• Strategy & finance interview, real-world scenario with Valentin (Co-Founder)
• Culture interview, Values and Collaboration Fit with Philipp (Co-Founder)
• On-site day (Berlin): meet the team and work through a real, current problem

We’re an equal‑opportunity team and strongly encourage women and underrepresented candidates to apply.