Founders Associate (Intern / Working Student)

About Hades

Hades is a modern mining company on a mission to transform how the world accesses critical resources and energy. Founded in 2025, we’re developing ultra-deep drilling technologies that push the limits of what’s possible underground. Based in Munich, we’ve raised €20M in pre-seed and seed funding from leading European resilience investors. We’re now building a world-class team to bring this vision to life.

Why Join Hades?

At Hades, you'll be part of a high-growth, high-impact deep-tech startup making a tangible difference. Our mission is critical: to secure sovereignty for Europe through the responsible and efficient extraction of vital materials and energy. We offer:

• Impactful Work: Contribute directly to solving global challenges related to resource scarcity and energy independence.
• Cutting-Edge Technology: Work at the forefront of ultra-deep drilling, leveraging advanced engineering and innovative approaches.
• Growth Potential: Join a rapidly expanding company with significant opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Dynamic Environment: Thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and entrepreneurial setting in the heart of Munich.
• Purpose-Driven Mission: Be part of a team dedicated to a sustainable and secure future for Europe.

The Position: Founders’ Associate (Intern / Working Student)

As a Founders’ Associate (Intern / Working Student) at Hades, your single most important job is to help the founders find the very best engineers in Europe - the kind of people who can build technology that has never existed before. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with the founding team and drive our search for exceptional talent: defining talent criteria, hunting down brilliant engineers wherever they hide, getting them excited about Hades, and moving them through our hiring process. It's part detective work, part sales, part relationship-building - and it gives you a front-row seat to how a deep-tech company is built from the ground up. If you're the kind of person who won't stop until you've found the right answer, you'll thrive here.

Responsibilities

• Work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Hades founding team on everyday tasks the founding team needs to deal with, however with a focus on:
• Source and identify outstanding engineering talent across optics, mechanics, electronics, sensors, and software — through LinkedIn, universities, competitions, communities, and networks most people never think to look in.
• Build and manage talent pipelines, keeping track of the best people and staying in touch with them over time.
• Craft and send compelling outreach that makes top engineers want to reply.
• Support the founders throughout the hiring process — coordinating interviews, keeping candidates warm, and making sure no great person ever slips through the cracks.
• Research where the best engineers come from and develop creative new channels to reach them.
• Help shape how candidates experience Hades, from first message to signed offer.

Qualifications

We're looking for a specific kind of person. You might be studying psychology, business, engineering, communications, or something else entirely. What matters is that you have:

• The grind: You're relentless and resourceful, and you get genuine satisfaction from tracking down the best person for the job.
• Strong communication skills: You're comfortable reaching out to strangers and can make people excited about an idea.
• Curiosity: You want to understand what makes a great engineer great, even if you're not one yourself.
• Organization: You keep a lot of moving pieces in order without dropping any.
• Fluent English (German is a plus, but not required)

What we offer

• An opportunity to make a huge impact on the future of Europe by increasing resilience and providing a path to resource and energy sovereignty
• A human-centered company culture with super nice and supportive colleagues
• A great sense of community through team events and fun in and outside the office
• Competitive compensation

If you are passionate about pushing the boundaries of technology and contributing to a more sustainable future, we encourage you to apply by sending your CV and any other documents you deem useful.