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Chief of Staff (all genders)  

 

The Hasso Plattner Foundation 

 

Established by SAP co-founder Hasso Plattner, the Hasso Plattner Foundation builds and runs its own long-term philanthropic initiatives. It founds and funds institutions, shaping them over decades, such as the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering, Museum Barberini, and Sabine Plattner African Charities. An in-house Investment Office manages the endowment that makes it all possible. 

The Chief of Staff mandates let you touch strategy, execution, and stakeholder relationships in the same week — this one does, inside an organization that moves fast and holds every layer to the same high bar. If you want to build range across the full spectrum of leadership work rather than one slice of it, start here. 

 

This role is based in Potsdam, Germany. We work predominantly in-office, by design. It's how we keep decisions fast and collaboration real. 

 

The Role 

We are seeking a highly capable and strategic Chief of Staff to join our leadership office. Working directly with the Managing Director and senior leadership, you will drive strategic initiatives, enable sound and timely decision-making, and ensure effective coordination across the organization and its network of partners, institutions, and stakeholders.  

This is a pivotal, high-trust role at the center of a unique philanthropic and family office environment. It calls for exceptional judgment, strong operational drive, business acumen, and the ability to operate with discretion in a fast-paced setting with evolving priorities.  

 

Your Responsibilities 

  • Act as a trusted advisor and sparring partner to the Managing Director, providing strategic guidance, analysis, and recommendations  

  • Partner with the leadership team to shape and implement organizational strategies and priorities across the Foundation and Family Office  

  • Own the execution of high-priority projects end to end, ensuring outcomes are delivered on time, scope, and budget  

  • Prepare and steer executive meetings, including agenda setting, decision materials, and follow-up on agreed actions  

  • Support internal and external stakeholder management, including high-quality presentations, briefings, and communications  

  • Identify opportunities to improve how the leadership office operates and translate them into concrete improvements  

 

What You Bring 

  • Outstanding academic track record from a leading university  

  • Degree in business administration, management, economics, or a comparable field  

  • 4 to 6 years of experience leading complex projects, ideally at a top-tier management consultancy and/or a venture-backed growth company  

  • Excellent analytical and communication skills, with full command of PowerPoint and Excel  

  • Knowledge and experience working with LLM and agentic processes 

  • Highly structured way of working and strong organizational skills  

  • Sound judgment and absolute discretion in handling confidential matters  

  • Fluent in English, written and spoken  

  • Previous exposure to finance, investment management, philanthropy and or family office environments is a plus  

 

You Are... 

  • Driven and committed to excellence in everything you do  

  • Self-directed, well-structured, and flexible, with the ability to think strategically and act hands-on  

  • Up to date with AI advancements and curious to learn more 

  • Eager to keep learning and expanding your expertise, with a high level of agility and ownership  

  • Comfortable operating in ambiguity and shifting priorities without needing a fixed playbook  

  • Trusted with discretion by instinct, not just policy 

  • Comfortable being influential without needing visible credit 

 

What We Offer 

  • Direct, daily proximity to the Managing Director and leadership office 

  • Real end-to-end ownership of strategic initiatives, not just prep-and-support work 

  • Rare dual exposure: philanthropic mission work and family office rigor in one seat 

  • A lean team with short reporting lines and fast decisions: your work is visible to leadership from day one  

  • The entrepreneurial pace and ownership of a high-ambition organization, backed by the stability of a well-funded endowment  

  • AI tools in active use (n8n, Asana AI Studio); we’re early in the journey, building seriously; we see AI as a means to an end, not a headline 

  • Competitive compensation, state-of-the-art IT, public transport ticket, free lunch, excellent coffee, outdoor sports, and a beautiful lakeside office in Potsdam 

 

To Apply

Send your CV, diplomas, references, salary expectations, and earliest start date as one PDF. 

Apply now »