Founder’s Associate in London

Full-time, on-site – London £45,000–£55,000 + meaningful equity. Watergate helps buildings detect leaks, cut water waste, and reduce the carbon footprint of every litre, proving the impact with data. We’re building the missing circuit breaker for water. Every building has fire protection. Every building has security. Almost none have proper water protection, despite leaks causing huge financial and operational damage. We’re here to fix that.

We’re growing fast, I’m at full stretch, and I need someone genuinely formidable to run alongside me. This is an attitude hire. Skills I can teach, attitude I can’t. That doesn’t mean I’m winging it – it means I’ve learned the hard way that the smartest CV in the room is worth nothing without the temperament to back it up. I’m looking for the person who reads this ad and quietly thinks finally, this is the role I’ve been waiting for. If the attitude is right, the rest follows.

You’ll run my day, protect my time and attention from the noise, and quietly catch the things nobody else has noticed yet. You’ll do the spreadsheet model, the market briefing, the last-minute gift, the meeting notes, the supplier chase, and the awkward email. You’ll sit in on calls and you’ll sometimes pick up coffee. You’ll know what’s going on in the business and who’s about to drop the ball. You’ll learn the company from the inside, faster than anyone else in it.

And – most importantly – you’ll push back when I’m wrong. Calmly, intelligently, with full awareness of context, mood and timing, but without flinching. If we agree on everything, one of us is redundant. The role isn’t to nod and execute. It’s to think, judge, argue when needed, and then execute brilliantly once the call is made.

We’re deliberately lean. That’s not code for chaotic. It means small team, high trust, high ownership and high output. We use AI tools heavily across the business and you’ll be expected to use them too – drafting, summarising, researching, building briefings, organising information, automating the boring stuff. If you’re not already using tools like Claude or ChatGPT regularly, and getting genuinely excited about new ones, this isn’t the right fit. This is a place for people who work hard, think clearly and use tools intelligently. Two out of three won’t cut it.

What you’ll do

• Run my day – Calendar, inbox, meetings, prep, follow-ups, prioritisation. You decide what’s worth my time and what isn’t.
• Protect the perimeter – You’ll be the filter between me and the noise. Politely but firmly. You’ll say no on my behalf to people who outrank you, and you won’t blink. You’ll hold the line with the kind of judgement that doesn’t make enemies.
• Catch dropped balls – The things nobody else has noticed yet, quietly sorted before they become problems. This is the hardest part of the job to write down and the most important one to do well.
• Jump on fires – When something’s going sideways, you don’t bring me options. You bring a read of the situation and a recommendation. You may be wrong sometimes – that’s fine, push back is part of the job – but you turn up with a view.
• Be the loyal opposition – When I’m about to make a bad call, you say so. Intelligently, in the right tone, at the right moment. You’re not scared of me. You’re not a walkover. I don’t want one. The job is to make me better, not to make me comfortable.
• Research, briefings and analysis – Pulling together what I need to know about a market, a competitor, a partner, a prospect, a problem. Sharp, structured, on time.
• Spreadsheets and models – You live in Google Sheets. You build them properly. You don’t break things. I should never have to fix your work.
• Drafting – Emails, documents, decks, briefings, meeting notes. In my voice when needed, in your own when it’s better.
• Personal coordination where needed – Family logistics, last-minute gifts, household admin, and the occasional curveball. The line between work and personal will sometimes blur, and discretion is non-negotiable.
• Care about people – Remembering birthdays. Sending the right note at the right time. Making sure people around me feel seen, even in the middle of chaos. The warmth is part of the job, not a personality bonus.
• Learning the business – You’ll absorb how Watergate works from the inside, faster than anyone else, and earn more responsibility as you do.

What I’m looking for

Attitude first. Skills second. I mean it.

The attitude (non-negotiable):

• You’ve been tested – You’ve worked for a demanding principal, run a project that was on fire, or operated somewhere the wrong call had real consequences – and you came out of it sharper, not bruised. Maybe that’s military, hospitality at a serious level, an EA or Founder’s Associate role, consulting, event production, running your own thing, or something else entirely. I care about the temperament, not the title.
• You don’t crack under pressure – The bigger the fire, the steadier you get.
• You push back – You can disagree with me, intelligently and at the right moment, without losing your composure or your nerve.
• You’re not a walkover – for me, or for anyone else who tries to get past you. You can hold people to account without making enemies. That’s a rare skill and I know it.
• You’re hungry for knowledge – You’re reading, listening, learning constantly. Ask you what you’ve read this week and you’ll have an answer that isn’t nonsense.
• Discreet to the core – My family, personal matters and confidential business will be in your orbit. Nothing leaves the room. Ever.
• Warmth as a strength – You care about the people around you. You remember the birthdays. You send the thoughtful note. You’re not a cold operator.
• No ego about the work – You’ll do the spreadsheet model and the coffee run with the same energy.

The skills (I expect these from day one):

• Exceptional attention to detail – sloppy work doesn’t happen. Spreadsheets are clean, emails are right the first time, nothing slips.
• Strong with Google Workspace, especially spreadsheets – you build them properly, you spot errors, you actually enjoy them.
• Excellent written communicator – you can draft an email in someone else’s voice and have it sound like them.
• Genuinely AI-native – you already use Claude, ChatGPT or similar regularly, and you read about new tools because you want to.
• Tech-curious – you have opinions on tools, you try new things, you keep up.
• You drive – full UK licence, comfortable behind the wheel. We may or may not need it, but it tells me something about you.

The practicalities:

• 3+ years in a role that demanded extreme range and real judgement. Temperament matters more than the years.
• Flexible hours when projects need it – this isn’t a strict 9-to-5. My projects don’t always wait until morning. In return, I won’t grind you for the sake of it.
• 100% in-office in London – proximity is part of the value.

This probably isn’t for you if you want a tightly defined support role, predictable hours, clear edges around the work, or a job that fits neatly inside one box.

You’ll probably do well here if you…

• Read the list above and felt energised, not exhausted.
• Are quietly proud of being the most capable person in the room.
• Get a kick from being indispensable.
• See a curveball as a chance to show what you can do.
• Treat “not my job” as a fireable offence.
• Believe the right answer to “did you remember…?” is “already done.”
• Want a front-row seat to how a startup actually gets built – and are willing to do whatever it takes to earn it.

What’s possible here

I’ve hired this kind of role before. The last person who held something like it joined as an EA and left as COO – earning every step through grit, judgement and impact. I’m not promising titles or timelines. I’m telling you what the ceiling looks like for the right person, on the right trajectory, doing the right work. If that’s the shape of opportunity you’re looking for, this is the role.

What you’ll get

• £45,000 – £55,000 base salary, depending on experience.
• Life and health insurance.
• Whatever tools you need to do the job properly, including AI subscriptions.
• Professional development budget.
• Direct, daily access to me and full visibility across the business.
• The kind of learning experience you can’t get any other way.
• Real progression as you earn it.
• A smart, ambitious team building something that matters.

Location

Full-time and based in our London office. We’re currently in NW2 and moving to Waterloo in summer 2026. This role can’t be done remotely – proximity is part of the value.

Hiring process

I move fast and I won’t waste your time.

• Apply – with your CV and a short cover note. Tell me why this role, not just why you’re looking.
• Initial screening call – fit, motivation and practicalities.
• In-person session with me – a realistic scenario you’d actually face here, then a proper conversation about how you think and operate. No internet, no AI for the task – just you, the brief, and your judgement. We’ll debrief together. Expect to be with me for a few hours.
• Informal final stage with me and a senior team member – relaxed setting, outside the office. The work questions are mostly answered by this point. This one is about whether we’d actually want to spend our days working together.
• References – I’ll speak to people who’ve worked closely with you. They matter especially in this role.

Offer

If you read this ad and quietly thought “finally, this is what I’ve been waiting for” – I want to hear from you. Send your CV to careers@watergate.ai and tell us why you fit. Tell me why this role fits you, and why you fit it.