Founder's Associate

Full-time, on-site – London £45,000–£55,000

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. I’m not looking for the polished CV or the perfect background. I’m looking for the person who reads this and quietly thinks: finally. If the attitude is right, the rest follows.

You’ll run my day, protect my time and attention from noise, and catch the things nobody else has noticed yet. You’ll do the spreadsheet model, the market briefing, the meeting notes, the supplier chase, the awkward email, the last-minute gift, and sometimes the coffee run. 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.

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 heavily across the business and you’ll be expected to use it 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 and priorities
• Protect the perimeter: filter noise, say no on my behalf, and hold the line with judgement
• Catch dropped balls before they become problems
• Jump on fires with a read of the situation and a recommendation
• Be the loyal opposition when I’m about to make a bad call
• Research markets, partners, prospects and problems quickly and well
• Build clean spreadsheets, models, decks, docs and emails
• Handle personal coordination where needed: logistics, gifts, household admin and curveballs
• Help me take care of people: birthdays, notes, the thoughtful details
• Learn the business fast and earn more responsibility as you do

What I’m looking for:

• Attitude first. Skills second. I mean it.
• You’ve been tested in a demanding environment and came out sharper
• You don’t crack under pressure
• You push back intelligently
• You’re not a walkover
• You’re discreet to the core
• You’re warm, thoughtful and good with people
• You’ve got no ego about the work
• You’re exceptional with detail
• You’re strong with Google Workspace, especially Sheets
• You write extremely well
• You’re genuinely AI-native and tech-curious
• Full UK driving licence is a plus

Practicalities:

• 3+ years in a role that demanded range and judgement
• Flexible hours when needed
• 100% in-office in London

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 this and felt energised, not exhausted
• Back yourself without needing to perform it
• Get a kick from being indispensable
• See curveballs as a chance to show what you can do
• Think “not my job” is a failure of imagination
• Believe the right answer to “did you remember…?” is “already done”
• Want a front-row seat to how a startup actually gets built

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 the ceiling is real for the right person.

What you’ll get:

• £45,000–£55,000 salary
• Life and health insurance
• AI subscriptions and whatever tools you need
• Professional development budget
• Direct, daily access to me and full visibility across the business
• 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.

Hiring process:

• 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 and quietly thought “finally”, I want to hear from you. Tell me why this role fits you, and why you fit it.