Founder Associate

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 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 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 Valon: the AI-native operating system for mortgage servicing. Building a better foundation for the American Dream. It was founded in 2019, and is headquartered in New York, New York, USA, with a workforce of 201-500 employees. Its website is Company H1B Sponsorship Valon has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 2 in 2026, 10 in 2025, 8 in 2024, 1 in 2023, 1 in 2022. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.