AI-Native Founder's Associate

ABOUT THE ROLE This is a core operator role sitting directly alongside the CEO of an AI-native consumer health and wellness company. You'll own high-impact work across operations, growth, and finance — turning ambiguous problems into structured decisions and executed solutions in a lean, no-bureaucracy environment where your contributions are felt immediately. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Partner directly with the CEO to structure and solve high-stakes, ambiguous business problems end-to-end. - Support day-to-day operations across fulfillment, customer experience, supply chain coordination, and internal workflows. - Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, then design and build AI-driven systems to eliminate them. - Use AI to scan the market for new products and ingredients, translating signals into a prioritized sourcing pipeline. - Build automated supplier discovery, qualification, and outreach workflows that operate at scale. - Design AI-assisted negotiation workflows covering pricing, MOQs, and contract terms from first contact to signature. - Support growth initiatives across marketing, experimentation, and performance tracking. - Develop financial models, dashboards, and reporting tools grounded in real unit economics. - Leverage AI, automation, and low-code platforms to replace manual effort with scalable systems across all functions. - Own ad-hoc, high-priority projects and move fluidly between strategy and hands-on execution. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - Degree from a top-tier university in engineering, science, mathematics, business, or a related field. - Hands-on experience building AI-powered systems, automation workflows, or low-code solutions with measurable outcomes (e.g., Make, Zapier, n8n, Claude API, or equivalent). - Strong technical fluency — candidates from a business background should have demonstrated self-taught coding ability; engineering or science candidates should show applied AI/automation experience. - Experience building financial models, dashboards, or BI tools for forecasting, unit economics, or performance analysis. - Background in operational analysis, process optimization, or supply chain workflows across fulfillment, sourcing, or logistics. - Experience conducting market research, supplier discovery, or vendor evaluation and negotiation. - Proven ability to own projects end-to-end — from problem definition through execution and outcome measurement. - High agency, strong work ethic, and genuine hunger for responsibility and growth in a fast-paced environment. - Nice to have: experience in e-commerce, DTC, or membership models; growth analysis or A/B testing; content creation or community engagement; familiarity with functional nutrition or consumer products. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS Salary range: $120,000 – $140,000 USD per year. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role. LOCATION On-site in San Francisco, California, five days per week. This is a high-collaboration role requiring full-time in-office presence.