Operations Manager & Executive Assistant

About Apheris

At Apheris, we are building the future of how AI is applied in pharmaceutical R&D. 

We enable leading pharmaceutical teams to discover and develop drugs faster. We host the industry’s largest federated data networks for drug discovery AI, spanning co-folding, ADMET, and antibody developability. 

Across these networks, models are trained on proprietary industry datasets to achieve higher performance and broader applicability while keeping data control and IP protected. We deliver these superior models through drug discovery applications that enable teams to run them at scale, further customize them, and integrate them into existing R&D workflows.  

• AI Structural Biology (AISB) Network: Nine top-20 pharma companies collaborate in the field of co-folding, structure-based binding affinity predictions and antibody design.
• ADMET Network: Five top-50 pharma and biotechs collaborate to improve small-molecule property prediction and expand to further drug modalities (e.g., PROTACs).
• Antibody Developability Network: Pharma partners collaborate to federate historical and purpose-built antibody developability datasets for secure ML training, without data leaving each partner’s environment.

About the role

We are looking for a well-organized, reliable Executive Assistant & Operations Manager. 

You will work closely with our CEO and Leadership Team as well as our Finance & Operations team to keep day-to-day operations running smoothly and ensure the right support is in place across the company. 

A core part of the role is executive support: managing the CEO’s calendar and travel, coordinating key meetings, preparing logistics, and helping the leadership team stay organized and focused. 

Beyond that, you will play an important role in company operations. This includes coordinating team events, offsites, customer and investor meetings, vendor relationships, employee experience initiatives, and the logistics that help our remote team come together effectively during Office Days. 

This role is well suited to someone who is highly organized, proactive, reliable, and comfortable managing a broad range of topics. You will work across the company, interact with people at all levels, and become a trusted point of contact when things need to move forward.

What you will do

Operations Management (~70%)

• Support talent operations and employee experience topics, contributing to a strong employee journey from onboarding onwards, collaborating with our people lead
• Plan and execute Office Days, primarily in Berlin, as well as virtual and in-person company events, investor meetings, and customer or partner gatherings, such as meetups alongside conferences
• Own general office and admin topics, including the relationship with our co-working space, office supplies, incoming mail, supplier communication, and company merch 
• Support employees with travel bookings and relatedlogistics
• Coordinate with vendors and suppliers, manage relationships, and ensure smooth delivery of services 
• Maintain electronic and paper records, ensuring information and documents are organized, filed correctly, and easily accessible 
• Support the rollout and maintenance of company-wide operational processes and policies, and help the team follow them 
• Proactively identify and implement improvements to day-to-day operations

Executive Assistant to the CEO (~30%)

• Act as reliable point of contact and ensure that the CEO’s time is protected & used effectively, collaborating with the Chief of Staff on prioritization as needed
• Organize & coordinate appointments, meetings &business travel across time zones while ensuring seamless day-to-day support
• Support prioritization & coordination of incoming requests in alignment with internal & external stakeholders, handling correspondence where appropriate
• Support the Leadership Team with logistics when needed

What we expect from you

• Several years of experience in an Executive Assistant, office management, operations, or similar role, including experience supporting C-level executives 
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities reliably 
• Excellent communication skills and a professional, dependable working style with people at all levels 
• A high degree of discretion and sound judgment when handling sensitive or confidential information 
• Willingness and ability to be in Berlin for the full duration of our Office Days weeks, which take place three times per year for one full working week each 
• Confidence working independently in a remote-first environment 
• Flexibility and comfortoperatingwith limited guidance in a fast-moving environment 
• Proficiencyin using AI tools to improve productivity, and curiosity to keep exploring better ways of working 
•  A proactive mindset, with a habit of questioning the status quo andidentifyingpractical improvements
• Fluent English, spoken and written. German language skills are aplus, butnotrequired.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with co-working or office space management
• Experience working in a startup or scale-up environment

If you don't match 100% of the requirements but believe you're the right fit, we encourage you to apply. We hire for personality, potential, and drive. 

What we offer you

• Industry-competitive compensation, including early-stage virtual share options
• Remote-first working – work where you work best, whether from home or a co-working space near you
• Great suite of benefits, including a wellbeing budget, mental health benefits, a work-from-home budget, a co-working stipend and a learning and development budget
• Generous holiday allowance
• Office Days at our Berlin HQ or a different European location (3x a year)
• A fun, diverse team of mission-driven individuals with experience across leading organizations and a drive to see AI and ML used for good

Our mission statement

You will be joining a mission-driven company at the forefront of AI-driven drug discovery. We offer the flexibility of working from anywhere in Europe while being part of a collaborative, high-performing team. This role reports directly to the People Lead, offering you high visibility and the opportunity to significantly influence our company culture as we scale.