Founder's Associate

Founder's Associate

Full-Time 40500 - 49500 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Support the CEO by managing details, follow-ups, and exploratory work for impactful decisions.
  • Company: Join a social impact real estate company dedicated to creating affordable housing across the UK.
  • Benefits: Enjoy 25 holiday days, wellness allowance, private healthcare, and team social events.
  • Other info: This role offers unique growth opportunities based on your impact, not just time served.
  • Why this job: Be a key player in transforming ideas into action while making a real difference in communities.
  • Qualifications: Strong analytical skills and experience in investment or consulting environments.

The predicted salary is between 40500 - 49500 £ per year.

HSPG is a social impact real estate company.

Our mission is simple

Building partnerships, creating homes, developing communities.

There is a critical shortage of affordable housing across the UK.

We partner with Local Authorities and institutional investors to acquire and manage high-quality, demand‑driven homes across multiple tenures.

Across our Living Sector platforms, we are on track to acquire 12,000 homes by 2030.

These homes are grouped into portfolios, professionally managed by our team, and funded by long‑term institutional capital.

We deliver this through two specialist operating platforms: Seahorse and PPHA.

Seahorse acquires, develops and manages homes for homeless residents across England through its Homeless Affordable Rent product, meeting urgent housing need with professionally managed, high‑quality accommodation.

North Star

creating over 5,000 homes by 2029.

PPHA, the Group’s Registered Provider, partners with local authorities, housebuilders and investors to deliver Section 106 and grant‑funded Affordable Rent and Shared Ownership homes, expanding supply and creating lasting social value.

North Star

creating homes for over 8,000 families or individuals by 2030.

Together, these platforms enable HSPG to meet housing need at scale, creating meaningful social impact for customers and residents, while delivering sustainable, long‑term returns for our partners.

  • THE ESSENTIALS
  • Platform: Group
  • Status: Full time, permanent.
  • Bonus: TBD
  • Working arrangement: We typically work 4 days in the office, 1 day from home.
  • Hours: 37.5 hours per week.
  • Start: ASAP
  • CORE MISSION

Your core mission is to protect the CEO’s time and thinking bandwidth by owning the detail, follow‑up, modelling and exploratory work beneath current and future‑facing ideas.

You turn early‑stage thinking into structured decisions, fast experiments or clear no‑go conclusions, without slowing the wider business down.

This role exists so the CEO can focus on strategy, capital and impact, while nothing slips underneath.

This is a high‑trust, high‑standards leverage role. Not a yes‑person, not a shadow executive, but a force multiplier.

Make it your mission to make it fun.

  • THE BENEFITS
  • 25 holiday days per year
  • 4 ‘Me Days’ per year (take a Me Day – focus on you)
  • Team social events and trips
  • Wellness allowance of £70 per month to be used for gym, classes, physio or other wellness costs
  • Private healthcare with Vitality
  • Mintago financial platform
  • Drive Electric salary sacrifice
  • Enhanced maternity, paternity and parental leave
  • Employee referral scheme: £2,000 towards a getaway of your choice
  • SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE
  • Strong analytical and financial modelling capability
  • Experience in investment, consulting, real estate, corporate strategy or similar high‑intensity environments
  • Proven experience working closely with senior decision‑makers
  • OBSESS
  • Clarity from ambiguity: turning half‑formed ideas into structured thinking
  • High‑leverage output: outcomes over activity
  • Relentless follow‑up: nothing dropped, nothing drifting
  • Commercial, mission‑driven judgement: balancing impact and financial reality
  • Speed from idea to action: reducing friction between thinking and execution

If you are not obsessed with these, this role is not for you.

  • EXCEL
  • End‑to‑end ownership: taking workstreams from first question to final decision
  • Exploratory financial modelling: building and adapting models to test early‑stage ideas
  • BLUF communication: bottom line up front, concise summary followed by relevant detail
  • Sharp questioning: joining dots quickly and challenging constructively
  • Operating at pace: progressing work without constant prompting or supervision
  • 90‑DAY WIN
  • CEO time materially protected from research, admin and follow‑up
  • 100 percent of relevant meetings captured with actions owned, delegated and tracked
  • 1 to 3 early‑stage ideas researched or modelled to clear progress, test or kill decisions
  • Investment team demonstrably freed from speculative or exploratory work
  • At least one initiative delivered end‑to‑end without CEO micromanagement
  • 12‑MONTH IMPACT OUTCOMES
  • CEO consistently operating at strategy, capital and impact level
  • Clear track record of disciplined experimentation, ideas launched, tested, iterated or intentionally killed
  • Time from idea to model to decision materially reduced across projects
  • SLT confidence in leverage, reliability and execution speed materially increased
  • Demonstrable business impact directly accelerated by ownership, modelling and structured follow‑through

These outcomes are bonus‑linked and reviewed monthly.

  • CORE BEHAVIOURS
  • ACCOUNTABILITY

You are accountable for

  • Early‑stage research and exploratory modelling
  • Meeting preparation, action capture and structured follow‑through
  • Delegating and tracking actions across internal and external stakeholders
  • Owning CEO‑adjacent project workstreams

You are not accountable for

  • Platform P&L ownership
  • People management
  • Culture leadership
  • Brand or marketing direction
  • Operational process design across platforms
  • PROGRESSION
  • This is a high‑leverage launchpad role.
  • There is no fixed progression path, which is deliberate.
  • If you crush this role, you will outgrow it.
  • Strong performance can lead into multiple areas of the business including investment, development, capital, operations or platform leadership.
  • Progression is not time‑based. It is impact‑based.
  • As you demonstrate sustained leverage, ownership and judgement, we will work with you to identify where your strengths and interests align across the Group.
  • #J-18808-Ljbffr

Founder's Associate employer: HSPG

HSPG is an exceptional employer, dedicated to creating meaningful social impact through affordable housing initiatives. With a strong focus on employee well-being, we offer generous benefits including wellness allowances, private healthcare, and ample holiday time, all within a collaborative and high-trust work culture. As a Founder's Associate, you will have unique opportunities for growth and progression, working closely with senior leaders to drive impactful decisions in a dynamic environment.

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Contact Details:

HSPG Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Founder's Associate

Get Involved Locally

Dive into local volunteer opportunities or social initiatives. This not only beefs up your CV but also connects you with like-minded folks in nonprofits. Plus, it shows your passion for social impact, which is key for getting noticed by HSPG.

Tap into Professional Networks

Join networks like the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) or local charities to meet professionals in the sector. Attend events and workshops to build relationships and learn about potential openings at organisations like HSPG.

Showcase Your Commitment

When prepping for interviews, be ready to speak about your personal connection to social issues. Dive into specific examples of how you’ve contributed to community projects – this will resonate with the mission-driven vibe at HSPG.

Utilise Online Platforms

We’re all about making connections, so use platforms like Idealist and CharityJob to hunt for full-time roles. And of course, you should keep an eye on our website for exciting opportunities at HSPG. Apply directly through us to stand out!

We think you need these skills to ace Founder's Associate

Analytical Skills
Financial Modelling
Investment Analysis
Consulting Experience
Real Estate Knowledge
Corporate Strategy Understanding
Communication Skills

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion for the Cause:In the nonprofit sector, it's super important to demonstrate genuine passion for the mission of HSPG. Use your cover letter to showcase any personal experiences or volunteer work that connects you to their social impact initiatives. This emotional connection can really help your application stand out.

Highlight Relevant Experience:When crafting your CV, be sure to include any relevant projects or roles that showcase your skills in social impact. Whether it's community organising, fundraising, or advocacy, highlight what you've done and the difference it's made. Don’t just list tasks; quantify your achievements and the outcomes of your efforts.

Tailor Your Documents to the Role:For a full-time role like Founder's Associate, ensure your CV and cover letter specifically address the responsibilities outlined in the job description. Use their language to describe your skills and experience, making it easy for the hiring team to see how you fit into their vision.

Emphasise Teamwork and Collaboration:Nonprofits thrive on teamwork, so make sure to emphasise your collaborative experiences. Whether you've worked in a team setting, partnered with community organisations, or facilitated group projects, highlight these experiences in your application. Show them you understand the importance of working alongside diverse individuals to achieve shared goals.

How to prepare for a job interview at HSPG

Show Your Passion for Social Change

When we’re prepping for interviews in the nonprofit space, it's vital to demonstrate our genuine passion for social impact. Be ready to discuss not just your skills and experiences but also why you care about the mission of HSPG. Sharing personal stories or insights can really make us stand out.

Highlight Project Experience

We should focus on specific projects we've worked on that align with the goals of social impact. Whether that’s a community initiative, volunteering, or a class project, having solid examples that showcase our role and the outcomes will resonate well with the interviewers.

Familiarity with Relevant Tools and Practices

Let’s brush up on tools and methodologies commonly used in the nonprofit sector, like project management software or outcome measurement frameworks. Being able to speak fluently about these will show that we’re not just passionate but also knowledgeable and ready to hit the ground running.

Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions

Expect scenario-based questions that evaluate our problem-solving skills in real-world social issues. Think about how we’d handle challenges in the nonprofit environment and prepare stories that demonstrate our critical thinking and adaptability. Role-playing with a friend could help us feel more confident!