Founder Associate at Valon in New York, NY

Summary: Valon is a Series C company focused on transforming regulated finance through innovative software solutions. They are seeking a Founder Associate to work closely with the COO and executive team on critical cross-functional projects, navigating ambiguity and leveraging AI tools to drive operational excellence. 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 Required Qualifications: - 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 - 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 Required Skills: AI tool usage, Process design, Stakeholder alignment, Data analysis, Client deployment modeling, High agency, Generalist mindset, navigate ambiguity 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