Senior Strategy & Operations Manager

OUR PURPOSE AT PLANCRAFT

Building the backbone of European trades together – with AI-first software. We’re not just building software – we’re on a mission to create space for contractors & tradespeople by equipping them with AI solutions that work the way they do: fast, practical, and AI-first. With Tier 1 Investors from Europe and the US, like Headline and Creandum as well as 30,000+ tradespeople as customer base, we’re scaling across Europe to turn scattered tradespeople into thriving communities. We believe in zero admin, not zero personality – and we build every feature with the people in mind who wear the boots, not the suits. We’re #stoked to shape the future, #together as a team, and #humble in our mission to support the builders of tomorrow.

YOUR MISSION AT PLANCRAFT

As a Senior Strategy & Operations Manager (f/m/d), you are a strategic operator, sparring partner, system builder, and connector helping plancraft make better decisions, align around priorities, and turn strategy into coordinated execution.

Working closely with our Strategy & Operations team, Management, and functional leaders, you operate across three core areas: insights & decision groundwork, strategy translation & integrated planning, and execution enablement & company operating systems. You bring structure to complex company-wide topics, connect the right stakeholders and information, and turn ambiguity into pragmatic systems that work in practice.

As plancraft enters its next growth phase on the path to Series C, this role is central to strengthening how we steer and scale the organization. You take end-to-end ownership of critical company systems and selected high-impact, cross-functional initiatives — from diagnosing a problem and designing the target setup to stakeholder alignment, implementation, tooling, communication, and continuous improvement.

The role combines two operating modes: running the engine by operating and improving recurring company systems, and upgrading the engine by building the next capabilities and operating models plancraft needs. Your work creates the backbone for greater clarity, alignment, speed, and follow-through across the organization.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as a trusted strategic partner and connector: Build strong relationships across Management and Leadership, connect perspectives across the organization, and help bring the right people, information, and decisions together at the right time.
• Strengthen company decision-making: Connect relevant internal and external inputs, create transparency, and turn complexity into clear insights and decision groundwork for Management and key stakeholders.
• Translate strategy into coordinated execution: Design and facilitate the systems that connect company direction with priorities, plans, goals, ownership, dependencies, and follow-through.
• Evolve planning, steering & Management systems: Help shape annual planning, goal-setting, company steering, Management rhythms, decision forums, information flows, and follow-up to enable better focus and faster, well-informed decisions.
• Build scalable company operating systems: Improve shared processes, communication formats, tooling, automation, AI-enabled workflows, and ways of working that reduce coordination overhead and increase organizational effectiveness.
• Lead high-impact cross-functional initiatives: Structure ambiguous company-critical problems, orchestrate stakeholders and workstreams, and drive initiatives from diagnosis and design through implementation and adoption.
• Create clarity and durable impact: Improve visibility into priorities, progress, risks, dependencies, and decision needs, while building pragmatic systems that are adopted by their users and continue to work beyond individual projects.

YOUR PROFILE

Must-Have Skills

• 5+ years of experience as a strong generalist in strategy, business operations or transformation environments, e.g. as Chief of Staff, Strategy & Operations Manager, in PMO or in a Founders office.
• Proven ability to structure complex, ambiguous problems and turn them into clear, actionable solutions.
• Experience designing or improving systems, processes, or operating models in fast-scaling organizations.
• Track record of leading cross-functional initiatives or programs end-to-end (incl. PMO discipline).
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills, translating complexity into clear insights and recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills (written & verbal) with experience creating executive-ready materials.
• Confident stakeholder management skills, especially with senior leadership
• High ownership, autonomy, and execution strength: you create momentum without needing detailed instructions.
• Strong judgment to balance strategic ambition and output quality with pragmatic, scalable solutions.
• Experience working closely with founders or senior leadership in fast-paced environments.
• Hands-on exposure to areas like planning systems, company operating models and change initiatives.
• Comfortable using AI tools and building basic workflows and agents.
• Ability to structure documentation and knowledge environments using tools such as Notion.
• Excellent communication skills in English.
• Willingness to regularly join the team and key stakeholders in Hamburg for selected workshops and working sessions. For remote setups within Germany, regular Hamburg presence approximately every 4–8 weeks is expected.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience across multiple startup or scale-up stages and different leadership setups.
• Experience designing and facilitating high-stakes workshops and Management sessions.
• Admin level experience in Notion and Slack.
• Fluent German skills.

WHO THIS ROLE IS FOR

This role is for a strategic operator, systems thinker, builder, and connector who can zoom out to understand the bigger picture and get hands-on to move things forward.

You are someone who:

• naturally connects the dots across data, business context, and organizational dynamics;
• turns ambiguity into clear, scalable systems that create meaningful company-wide impact;
• combines strategic thinking with a high-agency, get-things-done mindset;
• builds pragmatic solutions that work in practice and can scale beyond the initial problem;
• is comfortable with high leadership exposure while also doing much of the important work behind the scenes;
• builds trust quickly, communicates clearly, and challenges constructively when needed;
• takes ownership of open threads and knows when to align, decide, or escalate.

You are energized by turning complexity into clarity, scalable systems, and forward motion.

WHY PLANCRAFT?

• Team Spirit: We’re driven by passion, commitment, and a shared mission. Team spirit matters to us — and we make it visible: with four major team event weeks per year, casual monthly on-site and remote formats, and a strong recognition culture where we regularly celebrate both the big and small wins together.
• Ownership: You’re encouraged to take ownership from day one. In a flat hierarchy and high-trust environment, you’re empowered to make meaningful decisions and drive real impact.
• Learning & Growth: We invest in your personal and professional development through a strong feedback culture with 6-monthly 360° growth reviews, a personal learning budget (1.500€/year), 2 paid days of educational leave, and targeted enablement formats. Our goal is to help you unlock your full potential.
• AI Enablement: Our internal tools and workflows are AI-enabled by design. We support every team and individual in applying AI at the next level in their daily work.
• Tech & Tooling: You’ll receive a MacBook, premium headphones, and everything else you need — from hardware to tools — to be effective in your daily doing.
• Flexibility: Whether remote, hybrid, abroad or on-site — you work where you’re at your best. Our Hamburg office (with a rooftop terrace) is always open, and you decide each week how often you come in. And if you need a change of scenery, working abroad worldwide up to 2 months is always an option.
• Recharge: To ensure the needed rest, we offer 30 vacation days per year (based on a 5-day week) plus Dec 24th off. We also subsidize your Urban Sports Club membership and organize internal sport meetups.
• Mobility: You can lease a "JobRad" (Bike) and get a subsidized "Deutschlandticket" or "BahnCard" for public transport to be supported in your commute.
• International Environment: We’re becoming more international every month, with team members already in Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Austria — which is why English is our internal company language.

We’re #stoked to shape the future, #together as a team, and #humble in our mission to support the builders of tomorrow.linkedin.com/company/plancraft-gmbh/?viewAsMember=true.

Diversity makes us better. We welcome people of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, and experiences, and we believe that different perspectives lead to better ideas, stronger products, and a healthier workplace. If you’re excited about our mission but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be exactly who we’re looking for.

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On the application process We want your candidate experience with us to be smooth, transparent, and enjoyable. We aim to get back to you regarding your application within 5 business days. Our interview process typically takes about 4 weeks from start to finish, though this may vary by role.

Note on creating a test account: If you would like to create a test account as part of the challenge, please enter "Applicant" in the relevant field during registration and select "Other" under Trade. This ensures that our sales team does not mistakenly register you as a craft business and reach out to you unnecessarily.