Founder Associate - Portfolio Opportunities

FoodLabs; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - GBP 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruiting platform for startups seeks a high-impact Founder Associate to work closely with founders on strategic projects. The role involves driving initiatives across operations, growth, and partnerships, with responsibilities including building financial models and acting as a trusted partner to the founding team. Candidates need a solid academic background in business or related fields, strong analytical skills, and a proactive approach. This is a unique opportunity to thrive in a fast-paced and ambiguous environment.

Qualifications

• Solid academic background in relevant fields.
• Early experience in consulting, banking, venture or high-growth tech.
• Strong quantitative skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive strategic projects across operations and partnerships.
• Own end-to-end execution on critical workstreams.
• Build financial models and dashboards.

Skills

Analytical skills

Clear communication

Strong organisation

Initiative

Execution bias

Education

Business, economics, engineering or adjacent fields

Job description

How It Works

You submit one application. Your profile gets reviewed by our team, then shared selectively with founders who are actively hiring for these roles. When there’s a strong match, they reach out directly.

This includes both publicly listed roles and stealth opportunities that haven’t been announced yet.

What You’re Signing Up For

Founder Associate roles are high-impact, high-ownership positions for people who want to operate close to the core of a business. You’ll work directly with founders on their highest-priority problems—the kind that don’t fit neatly into a function or department.

• The scope varies by company, but typically includes:
• Driving strategic projects across ops, growth, fundraising, or partnerships
• Owning end-to-end execution on critical workstreams
• Building financial models, dashboards, competitive analysis, or internal systems
• Acting as a trusted operator and thought partner to the founding team
• Moving between problems quickly—solving what matters most, not what’s clearly defined

This is for people who thrive in ambiguity, want broad exposure, and prefer building to optimising.

What Strong Candidates Bring

• A solid academic background (business, economics, engineering, or adjacent fields)
• Early experience in consulting, banking, venture, startups, or high-growth tech
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills
• High ownership, initiative, and follow-through
• Clear, concise communication
• Strong organisation and prioritisation
• Comfort with pace, ambiguity, and lightly structured environments
• A bias toward execution

Why Apply This Way

🌅 Early access to roles before they’re publicly listed

🔥 Direct founder outreach when there’s a strong fit

🎯 Tailored matching by role type, sector, and stage

The Process

1️⃣ You apply - share your background, skills, interests, and availability (internship or full-time)

3️⃣ Founders connect - your profile is shared with relevant founders who are actively hiring, and they reach out directly if interested

You can still apply independently to any open roles - this simply increases your visibility earlier in the process.