Chief of Staff / Founder Associate

The demand for AI is rapidly outgrowing the electronic hardware it runs on. At LIGHT Q , we’re building next-generation computing to unlock sustainable AI: based on light, not electrons, and grounded in ultrafast laser technology, our platform is orders of magnitude faster and far more energy-efficient.We are a team of internationally recognised scientists, proficient engineers and seasoned operators. We build in Hamburg, one of the global epicentres of ultrafast photonics.

THE ROLE

At LIGHT Q , cutting-edge technologies converge: ultrafast lasers, photonics, and electronics, creating next generation computing solutions. You are the founders force multiplier. You operate wherever the highest leverage is — strategy, operations, execution. No fixed lane. No fixed play book. You think from first principles, move fast, and own outcomes end-to-end. You work directly with a world-class founding team of physicists, engineers, and operators building the next computing paradigm.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic Operations & Founder Leverage - Second in command. Own the information architecture, execution cadence, operating rhythm, and continuous improvement engine that keeps the entire company moving at maximum velocity
• Finance, Fundraising & Funding — End-to-end ownership of financial operations, runway management, investor relations, and public funding — ensuring the company is always capitalised, always certain on runway, and always attracting the right partners
• Talent Acquisition — Full-funnel support in hiring — from identifying exceptional people to closing and onboarding them. Help building the team that builds the company
• Infrastructure, Lab & Systems — Help stand up and run the physical and digital backbone of the company with the tech team — office, lab, tools, processes, documentation
• Brand & PR — Protect and position the company externally — from public narrative and brand building to contracts, corporate housekeeping, and regulatory compliance

SKILLS

• Operational rigour — You build systems out of chaos. You structure, prioritize, and execute across parallel work streams without dropping a single thread
• Relentless execution — You push through walls, not around them. You don’t take no for an answer, you don’t wait for permission, and you don’t stop until the job is done
• Financial literacy — You speak the language of runway, burn rate, cap tables, and public funding. You don’t need a CFO to tell you where the money is
• Analytical firepower — You think from first principles, synthesise fast, and turn ambiguity into actionable plans
• Negotiation & creative resourcefulness — You get the best deal on everything. When the budget says no, you find a way. You stretch every euro further than anyone thought possible — without cutting corners on what matters

EXPERIENCE

• 2–5 years of professional experience in a deep tech, tech startup, or scale-up environment
• Proven ability to operate under urgency, ambiguity, and resource constraints
• Track record of owning and delivering cross-functional projects end-to-end
• Degree in engineering, physics, business, or comparable. What you’ve built matters more than what you’ve studied

If you are passionate about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in photonics, working on something that genuinely matters and thrive in a high-energy, fast-paced environment, we want to hear from you.