Founders Associate / Public Tender Research Lead

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Our client is building a SaaS platform for construction and infrastructure companies with a broader mission to democratise access to public procurement in Europe. We operate in a fragmented, hard-to-access market where public tender data is scattered, inconsistent, and difficult to navigate — and we're building the infrastructure to fix that.

We're at an early stage, working directly with founders and engineers to lay the foundations of a product and market strategy that can scale across European procurement markets.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We're looking for a Founders Associate to work directly with the founding team on one of our core challenges: understanding, sourcing, and structuring public tender data across European markets. This role combines research, strategy, and execution — and the output of your work will feed directly into product and engineering decisions.

You'll be comfortable with ambiguous, unstructured problems. There's no playbook yet — building it is part of the job. The growth path from this role is real: Chief of Staff, Head of Operations, or Product Manager as the company scales.

WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON

Market research and mapping

Research how public tenders are sourced and distributed in key markets — Poland, Germany, and the UK. Identify the main aggregators, platforms, and data sources in each market and map how companies currently access and win public tenders.

Market entry playbook

Build a structured playbook for understanding and entering new public procurement markets. Validate which markets and approaches are scalable and viable — based on data, not assumptions.

Data sourcing and acquisition strategy

Work on sourcing methods including heuristic approaches and scraping-related insights. Address legal and regulatory considerations around data collection — including the legality of scraping across different European jurisdictions.

Structured insights and recommendations

Prepare clear, structured insights and recommendations for the technical team. Translate research into product development input — bridging data, business, and product thinking.

Founder collaboration

Work closely with founders and engineers across all of the above. This is a high-bandwidth, high-trust role with direct access to company strategy and decision-making.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Clear market understanding

A well-documented picture of how public tender markets operate in key countries — who the players are, how data flows, and where the gaps and opportunities sit.

Validated data sources and strategies

Identified and validated data acquisition strategies that are legally sound, technically feasible, and commercially viable.

Market entry playbook

A reusable playbook for entering and scaling new procurement markets that the team can execute from.

Strong product foundation

Research that gives product and engineering teams a clear, confident foundation to build on.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

Public tender or procurement experience

Direct experience with public tenders or procurement — either in a consulting, advisory, or operational capacity. You understand how these markets work from the inside.

Knowledge of European procurement markets

Familiarity with how procurement markets differ across European countries — regulatory frameworks, data availability, and how companies navigate them.

Strong research and analytical skills

Able to take an ambiguous, unstructured problem and work systematically toward a clear, well-evidenced answer. You know how to find information that isn't easy to find.

Tech-savvy

Comfortable enough with technology to understand data sourcing, scraping considerations, and how your research connects to product and engineering work — even if you're not writing the code yourself.

Startup mindset

Hands-on, proactive, and ownership-driven. You don't wait for a complete brief before starting. You move, learn, and refine.

Consulting or services background

Experience in consulting or services work around public tenders is a strong advantage — you know how to structure complex problems and communicate findings clearly.

THE TEAM

A small founding team of builders working on a genuinely hard market problem. You'll have direct access to the founders and engineers on a daily basis. No layers, no hierarchy — just a tight group working toward something ambitious.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Compensation

Competitive compensation — details shared during the process.

Equity

ESOP included.

Growth path

Clear progression toward Chief of Staff, Head of Operations, or Product Manager as the company scales.