Chief of Staff Associate Intern

Power lines, gas pipelines and railways are still inspected the way they were 50 years ago: by helicopter. Expensive, noisy, and up to a tonne of CO₂ per flight hour.

We built the alternative. The HyLighter is a 12-metre autonomous airship running on hydrogen. It flies for up to 10 hours, almost silently, and spots a 1 mm defect from 25 metres up.

But the airship is only half the story. Every flight brings back massive amounts of LiDAR, imagery and methane data, and that’s where the value is. Our AI turns it into what operators act on: 50+ types of defects detected automatically, and leaks pinpointed across their network.

It’s not a prototype. HyLighters already fly missions for France’s largest energy and rail operators and have flown over the Palace of Versailles. Backed by Y Combinator, we just raised €13M to go from 4 airships to 15.

Working at HyLight

We design, build and fly every HyLighter, and turn its data into insight, all under one roof on a former airbase. Which means:

• You own it all the way. At a big aerospace company, you’d own a small piece of one subsystem. Here, you design it, test it, stand on the airfield when it flies, and see the client act on the data it brings back.

• Weeks, not years. Ideas go from whiteboard to flight test in weeks.

• Responsibility from day one. The founders’ average age is 27. Nobody here waits for permission.

We don’t care about titles or ticking every box. We care about what you build and the perspective you bring, so if your profile is different, apply anyway.

Job Summary:

This internship sits at the heart of the company.

The objective is to support the Chief of Staff in executing and structuring the company's most critical priorities as HyLight scales.

The intern will work across finance, operations, strategy and administration, helping transform ideas into concrete actions while ensuring smooth execution of day-to-day priorities.

This role is designed for highly versatile individuals who enjoy solving problems, bringing structure to ambiguity and taking ownership of a wide variety of topics.

The Mission:

Under the guidance of the Chief of Staff, you will contribute to the execution and structuring of key company initiatives.

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Support financial planning, forecasting and budgeting activities

• Maintain and improve business planning tools and dashboards

• Assist in financing, fundraising and grant-related projects

• Produce analyses to support decision-making

Structuring & Business Operations

• Improve internal processes and organizational efficiency

• Build and maintain reporting and management tools

• Support cross-functional projects involving multiple teams

• Contribute to the company's operational scaling

Executive Support & Special Projects

• Prepare presentations for investors, customers, partners and institutions

• Conduct research and analyses on strategic or operational topics

• Coordinate administrative and operational tasks supporting the leadership team

• Organize business trips, meetings and events

• Take ownership of high-priority projects assigned by the CEO or Chief of Staff

Profile Sought:

Education:

Currently enrolled in a leading Engineering School, Business School or University program.

Relevant backgrounds include:

• Engineering

• Business & Management

• Finance

• Economics

• Entrepreneurship

• Innovation Management

• Or similar disciplines

We care far more about your ability to learn quickly and execute effectively than your specific academic background.

The following list of skills is exhaustive, while you may not perfectly fit with the profile, we highly value personal growth and development. We see our interns as potential future team leads at HyLight.

Core Qualities

We are looking for a true Swiss-army knife profile.

Someone capable of rapidly understanding a topic, structuring it and moving it forward with limited supervision.

What matters most

• Strong execution mindset

• Structured thinking

• Intellectual curiosity

• High ownership

• Ability to manage multiple priorities

• Excellent communication skills

• Comfort working in ambiguous environments

• Strong attention to detail

• Languages: English & French

Technical Skills

• Excel / Google Sheets

• PowerPoint / Google Slides

• AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)

• Strong written communication

Bonus Qualities:

• Previous experience in a startup

• Experience in consulting, venture capital or finance

• Interest in deeptech, aerospace or energy

• Entrepreneurial mindset

• Ability to automate workflows and improve processes

What We Offer:

• Direct exposure to the CEO and leadership team

• Significant autonomy and responsibility and visibility across all company functions

• Opportunity to contribute to a high-growth deeptech startup

• 100% reimbursement of public transport pass (Navigo) or €800/year for sustainable commuting

• Bike provided for commuting

• Free lunch

• Bi-annual offsite trips with the whole team

• Excellent work environment: international team, team events, beautiful offices on a former airbase

Interview Process:

• Introductory phone call (20 min)

• Video interview with our CoS Erwan (40 min)

• Technical test

• On-site meeting with the team (40 min)

Location:

• Office : Base 217, Brétigny-sur-Orge, accessible via RER C.