Founder's Associate

Founder's Associate (Operations)

London | Hybrid, around 3 days a week in office | Early career
Retained search run by VYZN on behalf of our client.

The Client

A fast-growing AI company building an agentic product for commercial teams. Venture backed, small team, moving quickly. We are running this search confidentially, so the name is shared with candidates at first-call stage.

The Role

Our client is looking for a sharp, early-career Founder's Associate to sit at the operational core of the business. You will own the systems, processes and relationships that keep the company running, from people ops and onboarding through to investor relations, equity schemes and everyday firefighting. You will be the person people come to when they do not know who else to ask, and you will be expected to find the answer rather than point elsewhere.

The role sits within Operations, reporting to the General Manager / Chief of Staff, with regular direct exposure to the founder and CEO. You will be handed real ownership from day one across HR, finance-adjacent admin, legal coordination and investor relations. This is a role for someone who wants breadth, responsibility and a front-row seat to how a startup is actually built.

Key Responsibilities

- Own People Ops and HR end to end: onboarding and offboarding, contracts, payroll coordination with finance, systems access, equipment and the HRIS
- Administer core company workspaces and platforms, including Google Workspace and Slack
- Support investor relations and cap table management alongside the Finance team, investors and HMRC
- Manage UK EMI and US ISO equity schemes, including issuance and ongoing cap table administration
- Work with Finance on expense control and spend management, including SaaS spend and vendor admin
- Own e-signature workflow for all official documents: routing, chasing signatures and handling sensitive information securely
- Partner with the company's infosec advisor on platform security, access management and GDPR compliance
- Liaise with the fractional General Counsel on legal matters as they arise
- Be first responder when things break, whether that is systems access, a platform outage or an urgent people matter, staying calm and solving under pressure
- Act as the go-to person for managers and staff navigating people, process or systems questions
- Help plan company events and logistics: all-hands, team dinners, office bookings and department visits

What We Are Looking For

Someone early in their career who is highly organised, discreet, endlessly resourceful and genuinely enjoys being the person who gets things sorted. A strong work ethic, and willing to jump in when something urgent comes up, including outside standard hours.

Essential

- 1 to 2 years in operations, people ops, HR or a related generalist function (internships count)
- Strong working knowledge of Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs, Drive, Forms)
- Excellent written communication and close attention to detail
- Highly self-managing, with a genuine self-starter mentality
- Comfortable handling sensitive, confidential information with discretion
- A calm, positive problem-solver who thrives when putting out fires
- Strong people skills, able to navigate sensitive conversations (compensation, access, performance) with tact

Nice to have

- Experience with HR, ops or fintech platforms such as Rippling, Carta, SeedLegals, Brex, DocuSign or 1Password
- Familiarity with UK employment and equity concepts (EMI) or US equity structures (ISOs)
- Experience in a fast-growing startup or AI company
- Exposure to investor relations, cap table management, or working alongside legal and finance

What Is On Offer

- A pivotal role in a fast-growing AI startup with a differentiated product
- Competitive compensation
- Direct mentorship and exposure to founders and senior leadership
- A collaborative, innovative and supportive culture
- Genuine professional growth in an emerging field
- Freedom and autonomy as principal operating values

Process

Applications are reviewed by VYZN. Shortlisted candidates speak with us first, then meet the client directly. We come back to everyone who applies.