Founder Associate

Valon is building an AI-native operating system for regulated finance, focusing on mortgage servicing. They are seeking a Founder Associate to work closely with the executive team on high-leverage problems, managing cross-functional projects and navigating ambiguity in a fast-scaling environment.

Responsibilities

• Own critical cross-functional projects end-to-end — scoping, stakeholder alignment, execution, and delivery. These will span client deployments, internal operations, pricing, AI enablement, and whatever else matters most right now
• Be the COO's force multiplier — synthesize information across teams, prepare materials for executive and board-level decisions, and flag problems before they become crises
• Build new functions from 0 → 1 — when Valon needs something that doesn't exist yet (a process, a team, a system), you'll be the person who figures out what good looks like and stands it up
• Use AI as a default tool — you regularly use Claude Code or similar agentic coding tools to automate your own workflows, analyze data, and move at a pace that would be impossible without AI fluency
• Navigate ambiguity with confidence — you won't get detailed briefs or clear swim lanes. You'll get context, constraints, and trust

Skills

• 0–8 years of experience — you might be coming from a top consulting firm (MBB), a high-growth startup, an early-stage CoS role, or a rotational program. What matters more than pedigree is evidence of exceptional output and high agency
• Generalist by nature — you're the person who picks up new domains fast, whether it's mortgage servicing economics, AI deployment strategy, or org design
• High agency and low ego — you volunteer for the unglamorous work, you don't wait for permission, and you'd rather ship something imperfect today than perfect it next month
• Strong written communicator — you can write a crisp one-pager, a persuasive Slack message, or a detailed process doc with equal fluency
• AI-native — you already use AI tools daily to amplify your work. You think in terms of 'how do I automate this' before 'how do I do this manually.'
• Based in New York — this role is hybrid and requires in-person presence

Benefits

• Competitive salary + meaningful equity (Series C stage)
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Commuter benefits
• Flexible PTO
• 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Quarterly team events

Company Overview

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