Founders Operations Manager

Antler runs on operations. Our model only works when the underlying machine is fast, precise, and invisible. This role owns that machine. It's one of the highest-leverage positions in the entire organisation, because almost everything that matters runs through it.

As Founder Operations Manager, you will run the internal and founder-facing operations of Antler in Berlin end-to-end. You are both the person who makes things happen day to day and the one who continuously improves how things work. You bring a strong instinct for stability, automation, and repeatability — and you take genuine pride in building something that hums.

This is a high-ownership execution role at the heart of how Antler operates. It's not a strategy-only role, and it's not a path into investing — it's something rarer and arguably more valuable: the person who makes everything work. You will report to one of the partners and have their full support in doing so.

What You'll Do

Founder Scouting & Selection Operations

You own the founder funnel end-to-end — from first application click to day one in the office. That means designing who screens whom, when, and with what information. It means knowing the system (HubSpot) well enough to run it and change it. It means handling the edge cases — co-founder changes mid-funnel, bespoke agreements, calibration calls — without escalating for every exception.

Founder-facing communication is yours: fast, zero-defect, and calibrated to convert. You monitor the full funnel in real time, catch anomalies before they become crises, and push the investment team when scorecards are late or interviewers are unavailable. You build automations — not just request them — and improve them every cycle. You understand the conversion data well enough to have an opinion on what's working and why.

An intern will support the repetitive end of this. Your job is to design their work, supervise closely, and make sure nothing slips.

Residency Execution

From the moment a founder signs, you own their experience. That means the right information at the right time before they arrive, a first day that feels smooth and intentional, and a residency calendar across weeks that the whole team can trust.

You manage content sequencing — not writing economics decks from scratch, but knowing what founders need to hear when and making sure every session that gets run is polished and production-ready. You coordinate external speakers professionally, including with senior and high-profile people. You hold the runsheet, anticipate what will go wrong, and fix it when it does — speaker drops out an hour before, tech fails on stage, catering doesn't arrive. None of this rattles you.

You are also the first point of contact for every founder question and issue, from the practical to the interpersonal. High volume, often not intellectually stimulating, always important. You handle it with speed and without complaint.

Community & Events

You organise portfolio summits — two-day offsite events for recent investments — and design community formats aimed at bringing in new founder talent (dinners, builders nights, peer communities). These aren't glamorous to run. They require meticulous logistics, good judgment on format, and the ability to manage many moving parts across a multi-week horizon. You'll grow into this responsibility, not inherit it fully from day one.

People & Office

You hire, manage, and develop interns day-to-day — and you take this seriously, not as an afterthought. You keep the Berlin office stocked, organised, and worthy of the people who use it. That includes liaising with the landlord, making sensible spending calls independently, and being the kind of person who just handles what needs handling — including the dishwasher.

What Success Looks Like (12–18 Months)

• Founders say Antler is fast, organised, and feels like it's on their side
• The scouting funnel runs faster with fewer manual interventions each cycle
• Processes are documented, repeatable, and owned — not reinvented each cohort
• More automation, less firefighting. Partners rarely in the day-to-day

What This Role Is Not

This is not an investing role and is not a path into one — that's by design, not limitation. You won't be evaluating founders, doing deals, or advising on strategy. Finance and marketing sit outside the scope. If you're looking for a platform to pivot into VC, this is the wrong seat.

Who Will Thrive Here

This role is a great fit if you love seeing complex systems run smoothly and take ownership of making that happen. If you're energised by variety, autonomy, and the satisfaction of building something reliable from the ground up — this is your kind of role. You'll do your best work here if you:

• Bring a strong work ethic and take pride in doing what needs doing
• Are high agency and low ego — you own outcomes without needing the spotlight
• Are hands-on, pragmatic, and unfazed by the unglamorous parts of the job
• Have exceptional attention to detail
• Can design and run complex processes end-to-end
• Are comfortable hiring and developing interns while staying close to execution yourself
• Are process-driven, highly organised, and technologically fluent
• Thrive on autonomy and trust your own judgment
• Communicate clearly and confidently, in writing and in person
• Love being in the office and want to be part of a tight-knit, in-person team

About Antler

Antler is a global early-stage venture capital firm that enables and invests in the world's most exceptional founders. With 30+ offices across six continents, we back founders from the very beginning — helping them go further, faster throughout the lifecycle of their companies.

In Continental Europe, Antler invests in founders building from Berlin, Amsterdam, Munich, and beyond. Our model is deeply operational: we work hands-on with founders from day one, combining capital, execution support, and a global founder community.

This role sits at the heart of that model. As Founder Operations Manager in Berlin, you will ensure that Antler's residency and founder-facing operations run seamlessly — creating the conditions for ambitious people to do the best work of their lives. If that sounds like something worth building, we'd love to hear from you.

Location: Berlin | Working model: Fully in-office | Start date: Immediately