Founder Associate

About the Role This is a true 0→1 operator seat working directly alongside the founding team of a pre-seed AI-powered talent marketplace. You'll move across product, growth, operations, and partnerships — owning whatever drives the company forward fastest and helping shape the foundation of a category-defining platform in the recruitment space. What You'll Do Lead founder-priority projects spanning new market initiatives, strategy, and hands-on execution. Own the candidate experience and conversion funnel, improving quality and outcomes end-to-end. Design and build scalable operational processes that keep pace with rapid growth. Support go-to-market efforts including messaging experiments and partnership development. Translate real-world candidate and company feedback into clear, actionable product priorities. Drive high-leverage, ambiguous projects from kickoff to completion with minimal oversight. What We're Looking For Approximately 1–3 years of relevant professional experience in a cross-functional or operator role; recent graduates without work experience and senior enterprise profiles are not the right fit. Prior experience as a Founder Associate, Chief of Staff, or comparable early-stage startup operator is a strong plus. Comfortable working at high speed, maintaining sharp thinking and high standards in ambiguous environments. Motivated by real ownership — driving outcomes, not just supporting others. Experience working across functions (product, growth, ops, or partnerships) in a fast-moving startup context. Background from a high-performance professional environment (e.g. top-tier consulting, operations, or early-stage startups) is a calibration signal. Aspires to a fast track toward founding, general management, or an early executive role. Compensation & Benefits Salary range: $90,000 – $120,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is available. Location On-site in San Francisco, California . This role requires living and working in-person with the founding team; it is fully non-remote.