Founders Associate

If you have ever been frustrated because your standards are too high and your ambition exceeds your current opportunity then we should properly talk.

This role in 1 sentence.

We are looking for a relentlessly resourceful Founder’s Associate to act as the "Right Hand" to our Directors, solving complex commercial, digital, and organisational problems across our portfolio of established businesses and digital start up’s,

This role in 1-Minute

Venture is the “Challenger Private Equity firm” based in Christchurch. We buy companies, we start companies and we grow companies. In the last 12 months, we have acquired three established UK manufacturing companies and launched three high-growth digital startups.

We don't need you to operate machinery; but we do need someone relentless to help us modernise the companies that we own and drive the companies that we start. You will be based at our HQ, working within the Private Equity and Startup Incubator arm of the business.

The Role:

You will report directly to the CEO. Your "tools" aren't wrenches—they are data, no-code platforms, recruitment strategies, and commercial frameworks. You’ll be building dashboards, refining product designs, navigating legal hurdles, and fixing organisational bottlenecks.

The Reality: This is a high-pressure, 5-day-a-week, "butt-in-seat" role in Christchurch. You get the stability of an established group with the "adventure" and speed of a startup. We move faster than is comfortable. In exchange, we give you a seat at the table and a clear path to running one of these companies in future.

The Full Disclosure: Why Venture The "Industrial Hybrid" Model

We bridge the gap between "Old World" assets and "New World" speed.

• The Portfolio so far: 3 manufacturing/engineering acquisitions + 3 new startups (AI, Recruitment Tech, and Venture Labs).
• The Work: You’ll be based at HQ. While you’ll visit the factories to understand the "soul" of the businesses, your work is focused on anything and everything our Directors and leadership team might need, from marketing, Finance projects, organisation and project management to Product Design, Recruitment, and Systems. We need a versatile all rounder who gets as stuck in and stuck in can get.

The "Venture DNA" (Our Non-Negotiables)

We only hire people who resonate with these five pillars:

• Relentlessly Resourceful: You don't know how to do it? You'll figure it out by lunch.
• High Agency: You never blame the "system." You change the system.
• Product & Quality Obsessed: You hate poor execution. Details aren't "small stuff" to you; they are the only stuff.
• High Velocity: You understand that "on time" is actually late.
• Failure as Fuel: You view mistakes as the cost of tuition for your "Real World MBA."

The "Unfair" Truth (The Negatives)

We are a small team managing a rapidly expanding group. You will be asked to solve problems in finance, law, or digital marketing that you have zero experience in—often with no manual and a tight deadline. If you need a "predictable" day or a structured training program, you will find this environment high-pressure and potentially unfair. We don't have time for hand-holding; we have time for building. We are ambitious for Venture, we expect you to be ambitious for yourself. If you help us achieve our goals then we will help you achieve yours. (If you are not ambitious for yourself, then it’s unlikely we will get along)

The Payoff

• Salary: £25,000 – £35,000 (Base).
• Trajectory: Our goal is for you to be running a P&L and earning 6-figures within 3 years.
• The "Generalist" Mastery: You will learn the mechanics of M&A, the agility of startups, and the grit of manufacturing—all at once.

The Selection Process: A Two-Way Street

We respect your ambition. We want to ensure this is a 50/50 fit.

• Online Assessment: A look at your logic and problem-solving DNA.
• Video Interview: A chance to explore your "fit"
• The Director Round: Meet the whole leadership team at our Christchurch HQ.

How to Apply

• You can apply like everyone else and just send us a CV. Some people even write a nice letter or send a message to make sure we know they are “keen”. But the best people, the ones we really want - they find a way to do something memorable and different.