Founder's Associate

Founder's Associate

Full-Time 34000 - 46000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
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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 a unique launchpad for career growth based on impact, not time.
  • 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 34000 - 46000 £ 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.
  • Salary: £40,000‑£50,000
  • 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.

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 such as 25 holiday days, wellness allowances, and opportunities for personal growth in a high-trust work environment. Our collaborative culture encourages innovation and allows you to make a tangible difference in communities while advancing your career in a dynamic and supportive setting.

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Contact Details:

HSPG Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

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

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.

Tip Number 2

Prepare for interviews by researching HSPG and its mission. Understand their projects and values so you can show how your skills align with their goals. Tailor your responses to highlight your passion for social impact and affordable housing.

Tip Number 3

Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain why you're the perfect fit for the Founder's Associate role. Focus on your analytical skills and ability to turn ideas into action, as these are key for supporting the CEO effectively.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of our mission to create homes and develop communities.

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
Meeting Preparation

Some tips for your application 🫡

Be Authentic:When you're writing your application, let your personality shine through! We want to see the real you, so don’t be afraid to share your passion for social impact and housing. Make it personal and relatable.

Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to reflect our mission at HSPG. Highlight your relevant experience in real estate, investment, or consulting, and show us how you can contribute to building communities and creating homes.

Showcase Your Skills:We’re looking for strong analytical and financial modelling skills, so don’t hold back! Provide examples of how you've used these skills in past roles, especially in high-intensity environments. This is your chance to impress us!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. Plus, it’s super easy!

How to prepare for a job interview at HSPG

Understand the Mission

Before your interview, dive deep into HSPG's mission of creating homes and developing communities. Familiarise yourself with their platforms like Seahorse and PPHA, and think about how your skills can contribute to their goals. This shows genuine interest and alignment with their values.

Showcase Analytical Skills

Given the role's focus on analytical and financial modelling capabilities, prepare examples from your past experiences where you've successfully turned complex data into actionable insights. Be ready to discuss how you approach problem-solving and decision-making in high-pressure environments.

Prepare for BLUF Communication

Practice the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) communication style. In your responses, start with the main point and then provide supporting details. This will demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and concisely, which is crucial for this role.

Demonstrate Accountability

Be prepared to discuss how you've taken ownership of projects in the past. Highlight instances where you've followed through on actions, delegated tasks, and ensured nothing slipped through the cracks. This aligns perfectly with the accountability expected in this position.