Founder's Office Executive

Founder's Office Executive — Okulo Aerospace

Location:
Bangalore (On-site)

Type:
Full-time Reports to: Founder / CEO

Why this role is rare — and why you should apply

You'll get founder-level responsibility from day one: own company-critical initiatives end-to end, run investor conversations, structure operations for scale, and execute partnerships that create lasting impact. One year in this role = ~5 years of startup learning compressed into 12 months. If you want to fast-track into a founder/operator career, this is the place.

Who you absolutely must be (non-negotiable)

You are either an ex-founder (any outcome, any sector) OR you have ≥ 1 year of experience in a Founder's Office / Chief of Staff role. This is mandatory — we will not consider applications that lack one of these backgrounds. Pedigree (college or employer) doesn't matter; proven, hands-on startup experience does.

The big things you'll be asked to solve

1. Close the next Series A raise ($8M+): lead outreach, decks, financials, meetings and due diligence.
2. Design and implement scalable systems and protocols that ensure efficient, effective, and low-cost operations as Okulo transitions from early-revenue to growth stage — addressing the increased operational complexity across the business and enabling reliable, economical flight and customer operations at scale.
3. Deliver ≥ 4 significant non-technical partnerships in 6 months (identify → negotiate → onboard).
4. Conduct a ground-level company review: surface 5 high-value problems, design solutions, own implementation, and measure impact in 6 months.
5. Own investor relations; external representation & communications and high-impact cross-functional projects from start to finish.

What you'll actually do — high impact, end-to-end

• Steer investor & partner engagements: prepare materials, attend meetings, capture action items, run follow-ups, and own execution until the outcome is achieved.
• Design and scale systems and protocols that enable efficient, low-cost revenue / customer operations — develop SOP frameworks, staffing models, vendor coordination processes, cost-control mechanisms and KPIs.
• Run partnership end-to-end: outreach, commercial terms, onboarding and success measurement.
• Diagnose company-level problems: engage with teams, observe operations, identify high-impact initiatives, and own their execution end-to-end from design to successful implementation.
• Drive cross-department projects that create measurable impact in the short, medium, and long term — prioritise the actions with maximum leverage and ensure they are fully executed and deliver tangible outcomes.
• Represent the Founder / company externally at investor, partner and industry events when required.

A day in the life

• Morning sync with the Founder to align priorities and unblock key items.
• Talk to teams and senior leaders to surface problems and progress updates.
• Push live initiatives forward — remove blockers and ensure milestones are hit.
• Prepare for and join investor/partner meetings; convert meeting outcomes into owned action plans.
• Ad-hoc high-leverage work: choose the single action that produces the biggest short/medium/long-term impact and execute it.

What you bring to the table (mandatory + differentiators)

• Mandatory: Ex-founder OR 1+ year in a Founder's Office / Chief of Staff role. (No exceptions.)
• Proven record of owning initiatives end-to-end in early-stage startups.
• Exceptional written & verbal communication — craft investor-grade decks and crisp narratives, communicate effectively across all levels internally (from leadership to on ground teams), and represent the company confidently in external forums.
• Strong program & project management: rigor, metrics orientation, follow-through and accountability.
• Bias for action, high initiative and relentless problem-solving.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and flexible to do work outside your comfort zone.
• Aspiring entrepreneur mindset: you want to build companies and learn fast.
• AI-first operator: you can leverage AI tools to scale output, automate low-value work, reduce costs, and amplify impact — delivering work that would be otherwise infeasible at speed.
• Proficient in Google Suite / MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel).

How you'll be expected to show up (culture & soft skills)

• Open-minded generalist: you'll jump between marketing, ops, product, HR, strategy, fundraising and sales — often into unfamiliar territory — and get stuff done.
• High ownership: you take things from scoping to delivery and ensure the success criteria are met.
• Extreme learning mindset: you launch, iterate, and learn quickly — this role is a platform to accelerate your founder / operator skillset.
• Coachable and relationship-oriented — you actively seek feedback, learn quickly, and build strong, trust-based relationships across leadership, teams, and external stakeholders.
• Resilient and relentless — you take on unfamiliar or challenging work (often outside your comfort zone), iterate through setbacks, and persist until the agreed success criteria / end objectives are met.
• Trustworthy and discreet — you'll handle sensitive information with care.

Why join Okulo — what you get (candidate view)

• Fast learning & real responsibility: own high-stakes initiatives that founders normally keep. One year here accelerates your career trajectory by 5 years.
• Founder mentorship: close coaching and direct access to the CEO; visibility & participation into strategy and leadership / C Suite conversations.
• Tangible impact: your work will directly influence fundraising, partnerships, operations, and people & culture.
• Equity upside & career runway: competitive salary + meaningful ESOP; high performers can become Chief of Staff or senior strategy/ops leader within 2 years.
• Network & credibility: lead investor and partner conversations that build your professional brand & network.

Compensation & career progression

• Competitive salary + meaningful ESOP (details post interview).
• Clear promotion path to Chief of Staff, Head of Strategy/Operations or other senior leadership roles within 2 years based on impact.
• Direct exposure to fundraising, strategy, operations, people & culture and senior leadership — experience that accelerates an operator/founder career.