Internship Business Operations

About the role

Fiducial is a young but fast-growing deep-tech start-up with big ambitions at the frontier of autonomy, perception, and defence. Currently, we are developing software for advanced on-board UAV situational awareness in military applications. Using low-cost and widely available sensors and compute, our solutions are built for scalability. From there, we plan to develop a line-up of interconnected solutions to safeguard European safety. Our team consists of engineers that are passionate about the technology and solutions they develop. The only time most of us are not thinking about the technology is when we are asleep, and sometimes even then. Our team members have a background in different fields such as Aerospace Engineering, Computational Science and Engineering, Robotics and Computer Graphics. Our office is located in the Aerospace Innovation Hub, a start-up hub located on the TU Delft campus in the faculty of Aerospace Engineering. We work closely with top-tier partners, ranging from government agencies and prime contractors to academic research institutes and other start-ups. Our projects span from large tender orders in collaboration with partners to low TRL research with government agencies. Whether through formal R&D programs or rapid prototyping tracks, we operate at the intersection of innovation and deployment. Your role As our Business Operations Intern , you'll play a key role in keeping our growing organization structured and running smoothly. You'll work closely with the Chief Operating Officer, Business Operations Coordinator, Project Managers and the wider team, helping with the day-to-day operations that keep our company moving and contributing to the systems that will help us scale. This role has a strong project-operations focus: you will act as a central point of coordination, ensuring tasks, timelines, and dependencies are clearly tracked and executed. This internship is ideal for a student who enjoys taking initiative, bringing structure to chaos, and driving execution through clear tracking and follow-ups, and learning how a fast-paced deep-tech startup operates behind the scenes. A big part of this role is ensuring we procure and receive hardware on time for pilot projects and customer commitments. Your responsibilities include: Become our "deal hunter" for critical hardware: You'll scout suppliers/marketplaces (incl. Alibaba), request quotes, sanity-check specs/MOQs, and compare vendors on price, lead time, and reliability, then help us land great deals (within guidelines). Make sure the right parts arrive on time: You'll help run orders end-to-end (placing orders, tracking shipments, updating ETAs) and keep a simple procurement tracker so the team always knows what's coming, when, and what's at risk. Connect procurement to real project timelines: You'll work with the team to prioritize purchases based on the production plan and pilot/customer commitments, and you'll proactively flag bottlenecks early. Keep hiring moving (fast): You'll coordinate profile reviews, keep our hiring tool/database clean and up to date, chase feedback, and help interview panels run smoothly (agendas, reminders, follow-ups). Build small systems that scale: You'll document what you learn, improve workflows, and turn chaos into clarity with lightweight process improvements. You bring structure by defining clear owners, timelines, and next actions across workflows. Act as a lightweight project manager across operations: track progress, follow up with stakeholders, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. What success looks like (first 6-8 weeks) The existing procurement tracker is optimized, and used by the team (status, owners, lead times, ETAs, next actions). Orders for pilot/customer hardware are placed on time with clear ETA tracking and proactive escalations when risks arise. The hiring pipeline is up to date and feedback turnaround times improve (fewer stalled candidates). Key operational workflows have clear ownership, timelines, and visibility (no ambiguity on "who does what by when"). You are proactively following up with stakeholders instead of waiting for updates. What we expect from you Currently studying Business Administration, Operations, Finance, Innovation Management, or a related field. Strong organizational and communication skills, you like things structured and clear. Proactive, hands-on attitude, you take initiative and get things done. Comfortable working with spreadsheets, reports, and documents. Fluent in English (Dutch is a plus). Excited to learn how a deep-tech startup runs from the inside. You don't need to have prior startup experience: Curiosity, motivation, and ownership matter most. Strong sense of ownership over timelines and deliverables;

Additional Information

Opening WE CANNOT PROVIDE VISA SPONSORSHIP Details Preferred starting date: ASAP Weekly availability: full-time (5 days/week) Period: 6 months Location: Aerospace Innovation Hub, Delft, the Netherlands

Your Match

How well this role fits your profile.

Company Intel

What employees say

Worked at fiducial? Share your experience