Founders Associate (m/w/d)

We are Smart Host! 🚀

We aren’t just another B2B SaaS company - we are the engine behind the next era of hospitality.

At Smart Host, we’re on a mission to bridge the gap between hotels and their guests. How? By building a cutting-edge platform that turns fragmented data into deep, actionable insights. For 2026, we’re taking it to the next level as we are building an hospitality ecosystem where industry-leading tech partners unite to redefine the guest experience of tomorrow.

We are the market leader in DACH, profitable, and scaling fast!

Our goal is clear:

•  Double our business in the next two years through focused execution and expansion across Europe
•  Become the leading Guest Profile Platform in Europe

The next phase is about execution at scale: expanding into new markets, increasing product velocity, and building a high-performance organization!

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About the Role

This is one of the highest-impact roles at Smart Host.

As Founders Associate you work directly with the Founder and leadership team to turn priorities into outcomes. You operate at the intersection of strategy and execution  and step in wherever the company needs leverage most. A successful performance within this role shall be developed into becoming the Chief of Staff at Smart Host.

This is not a support role. It is an execution role with company-wide responsibility.

You will:

• drive critical initiatives
• fix broken processes
• increase leadership effectiveness
• and ensure that what matters actually gets done

We are entering a phase where execution speed and learning velocity will define success.
A central part of your mission will be to radically accelerate AI adoption across the company.
We want to become the fastest learning and most AI-savvy company in our category — and you will be a key driver of that.

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What You’ll Own

1. CEO Leverage & Company Priorities

• Act as a true sparring partner to the Founder
• Translate strategic priorities into clear execution plans
• Ensure focus on what actually moves the company forward

2. Execution & Accountability

• Ensure that company priorities translate into measurable outcomes
• Track progress, enforce accountability, and remove blockers
• Step in when execution stalls — and push things over the line

3. Cross-Functional Initiatives

• Lead high-impact projects across product, go-to-market, and operations
• Define ownership, timelines, and success metrics
• Drive structured follow-ups until results are achieved

4. AI Adoption & “Fastest Learner” Culture

• Drive company-wide AI adoption — tools, workflows, mindset
• Identify high-leverage AI use cases across all functions
• Push teams to rethink how they work using AI
• Establish Smart Host as the fastest learning company in our space
• Be a true believer in AI, not a passive observer

5. Interim Leadership & Problem Solving

• Step into teams or functions when needed
• Bring structure in situations with ambiguity or lack of ownership
• Solve problems that don’t clearly belong to anyone — yet

6. Leadership Effectiveness

• Improve how the leadership team operates (clarity, speed, alignment)
• Run planning processes (OKRs, priorities) with a strong execution focus
• Increase overall decision quality and speed

7. Investor & Board Support

• Prepare high-quality materials for investor updates and board meetings
• Turn data into clear narratives
• Ensure consistency between strategy, metrics, and communication

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About You

• 2-3 years in top-tier consulting (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) or a high-growth startup/scaleup
• Strong analytical and structured thinking — you break down complexity fast
• Proven ability to drive execution across multiple stakeholders
• You are highly reliable — when you own something, it gets done
• German & English fluency

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But more importantly:

• You are not a coordinator — you are a driver
• You are comfortable operating in ambiguity and imperfect structures
• You push for outcomes, not discussions
• You have a strong sense of ownership and urgency

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AI Mindset (critical)

• You actively use AI tools in your daily work
• You are excited about applying AI across functions
• You challenge existing ways of working
• You think in terms of leverage, not effort

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Why Smart Host

A role with an impact:

• Work directly with the Founder on the most critical topics and Take ownership of company-wide initiatives with real impact
• Be part of building a category-defining European SaaS company
• Play a key role in doubling the company within the next two years

Development:

• Clear path into senior leadership with aim to develop into the Chief of Staff
• Inhouse Coaching & Trainings

Culture:

• Team Culture: We are super proud of our diverse and multi-cultural team, that includes also our hairy pet colleagues in the office.
• Smart Host Days - Team Travel: Yep. Correct, we take the entire team to a yearly team trip abroad. Despite high impactful trainings, we want our team to live our mission - make vacation smart!

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This is a high-stakes, execution-heavy leadership role centered on autonomous ownership and tangible impact, moving beyond pure strategic planning or administrative coordination.This role comes with high expectations - you will be measured by outcomes, not effort.

Ready to level up your career? Join the Smart Host journey and help us build the ecosystem of the future. The revolution in hospitality is happening right here - don't miss out this opportunity and reach out to us!

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