Current opening
Founders Associate
Help shape the operational backbone that lets a growing engineering consultancy do its best work.
Location / working pattern
Hybrid, Guildford
2 days in office, remainder remote
Contract type
Full-time, Permanent
Reporting to
CEO / Co-Founder
Experience required
Business, operations or general management experience useful
About the role
We are looking for a Founders Associate to join Formulate and take ownership of the operational backbone that lets us run and scale a growing engineering consultancy. This is a broad, generalist role: you will work across finance, HR, client proposals, legal and new product development, acting as the connective tissue between our commercial ambitions and the day-to-day running of the business.
This role suits someone who thinks in systems, is comfortable moving between spreadsheets, contracts and people conversations in the same afternoon, and sees AI tools as a core part of how modern businesses operate. You will be expected to use AI tools daily to do more with a lean team, and to help the wider business do the same.
Key responsibilities
- Own day-to-day business operations, working closely with the CEO and COO to keep finance, HR and commercial processes running smoothly as the company scales.
- Support financial operations including invoicing, aged receivables, budgeting and reporting, working with Xero-based finance data across multiple connected entities.
- Manage core HR functions: recruitment coordination, onboarding, contracts, policies and day-to-day people queries for a team of around 15 and growing.
- Draft, coordinate and quality-check client proposals and statements of work, working with technical leads to translate scope into clear commercial documents.
- Coordinate legal matters including NDAs, supplier and client contracts and general commercial agreements, liaising with external solicitors where needed.
- Contribute to new product development, helping shape internal tools, service offerings and go-to-market plans alongside the founders.
- Identify and implement operational improvements as the business scales, including through the consolidation of multiple trading entities.
- Use AI tools and workflows, including Claude, Xero integrations and CRM automation, to streamline finance, HR and proposal processes.
- Act as a trusted right hand to the founders, exercising sound judgement and discretion across sensitive commercial and people matters.
Essential skills and experience
- A business degree or equivalent professional experience in a business management, operations or general management role.
- A strong, hands-on interest in AI tools and how they can be applied to everyday business operations.
- Excellent written communication, comfortable producing polished proposals, policies and correspondence.
- A pragmatic, organised approach with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and shifting priorities.
- Sound commercial judgement and the discretion to handle confidential financial, legal and people matters.
Desirable skills
- Experience working in or with a technology consultancy or professional services business.
- Familiarity with Xero, Pipedrive, Apollo.io or similar finance and CRM platforms.
- Exposure to regulated industries such as FinTech, InsurTech or financial services.
- Experience supporting mergers, entity consolidation or company restructuring.
- Practical experience using AI coding or productivity assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot as part of daily work.
Our values
At Formulate, we live by a Can Do attitude. We are looking for someone who brings energy, positivity and resourcefulness to their work, someone who sees a challenge and looks for a way through it. You will fit right in if you are proactive, adaptable and enjoy figuring things out, especially with the help of modern AI and automation tools.
What we offer
- A hybrid working pattern, with two days per week in our Guildford office and the rest remote.
- Genuine breadth and ownership, shaping how a scaling technology consultancy runs across finance, people, legal and product.
- Direct exposure to the founders and senior leadership, with real influence over how the business grows.
- A supportive, collaborative team culture built around a Can Do mindset.
- Ongoing learning and development, including exposure to the latest AI and automation tools and techniques.
- Clear opportunities to grow into a senior operations, Chief of Staff or COO-track role as the company scales.