Strategic Finance and Ops Associate: part-time (m/f/d)

At Mastodon gGmbH, we develop free and open-source software that powers the Mastodon platform. Mastodon is the leading decentralised social media platform on the web with 1 million monthly active users and nearly a billion posts per month. It is part of the “fediverse”, a network of interoperable, protocol-based social media services. As of April 2024, Mastodon also established a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity in the United States, enabling to grow our operational capacity.

We believe that the “public square” of the internet cannot belong to a single corporation. Our mission is to build open-source, decentralised social media that gives people back control over their data and their reach.

We're looking for a part-time English- and German-speaking Strategic Finance and Operations Associate (m/f/d) to maintain our team’s financial management and operational efficiency. In this dynamic role, you'll support both the strategic vision of our CEO - Eugen, and the practical operations of our CFO - Felix, playing a crucial part in shaping our organisation's future.

We’re looking for someone who is a quick learner, likes to problem solve, and is excited about the future of fediverse and decentralised social media.

Why should you apply?

1. You get to work directly with our CEO, Eugen on strategic initiatives, becoming a crucial link between visionary ideas and practical execution

2. You get to diversify your skills between strategy, financial management, operational efficiency, accounting, legal and business development

3. Have a significant impact on Mastodon’s progress by helping maintain its financial health and ensuring we use our resources beneficially to grow our free and open-source software

What you'll be doing:

• Supporting our CEO Eugen with any administrative tasks and projects within strategic direction, business development, donor and partnership building

• Supporting our CFO Felix with various legal and finance projects, e.g. cost analyses, budget planning, employee documentation, grant applications etc.

• Maintaining monthly accounting tasks: process payments, payroll, reconcile bank statements

• Cultivating strong relationships with accountants* and ensuring timely payment processing

• Creating guidelines to streamline recurring operational and finance-related tasks

• Generating weekly and annual finance and non-finance reports

*Please note that even though this role is remote-first, it may require an occasional in-person meeting in Berlin

To succeed in this role, we think you should have/be:

• Working proficiency in English (C1 or higher) and German (B1 or higher)

• Solid understanding of accounting and bookkeeping fundamentals

• Some knowledge of German legal frameworks and systems

• Advanced MS Excel skills

• Detail-oriented with an analytical mindset

• Strong organisational, time-management, and problem-solving skills

• Calm under pressure, can handle changing priorities and is a clear communicator

• Resourceful, can make decisions and act with minimal guidance

• Familiarity with accounting software (e.g. DATEV)

• At least a 4-hour overlap with our team (8:00-16:00 CET).

We would also love to see:

• Degree education or equivalent

• Interest in open-source or fediverse projects

• Prior experience in a financial or operational role is a plus!

Budget:

• The compensation for a part-time role (20 hours per week) is between €800 and €2,000 gross, and will depend on the candidate's experience and expertise.

• This role could also work well as a part-time or year-long (2 semesters or longer) internship.

What we offer in return:

• Working with the leading open-source, decentralised social media platform, with a strong mission of giving people back control over their data and reach

• Opportunity to have a huge impact, with almost 1 million monthly active users

• Interesting, diverse and challenging work - with plenty of moving parts and an opportunity to constantly learn, evolve and creatively problem-solve

• Potential for growth and progression - taking the initiative, being involved in the early decision-making process and the future of Mastodon

• Close collaboration with a small, extremely competent and passionate team

• Remote-first - an opportunity to work remotely, with no office to commute to

• Open, inclusive and international work environment - with an opportunity to connect with the team face-to-face in Europe

• Our culture – we encourage integrity, learning, growth, creativity and autonomy, and we work with people we truly like!

About Mastodon

Founded in 2016 and incorporated as a non-profit in Germany in 2021, Mastodon gGmbH is a remote-only, primarily English-speaking team distributed across the world. Our funding comes from crowdfunding platforms like Patreon and public grants. Our product line so far includes the Mastodon software that people can install on their own infrastructure and official iOS and Android apps.

*Mastodon is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We understand some people might not feel they meet all the criteria but if you're excited about the prospect of joining Mastodon and believe you can add value, we'd still love to hear from you.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability or age.*