Founder's Associate - Tokyo, JP
Tokyo, JP Hybrid
Salary not listedJobFig found this opening at its original source and checks that it remains available.
About the role
As a Founder's Associate you will be responsible for protecting Tim's time, preserving context, closing loops, and helping turn a remarkable range of relationships, ideas, and commitments into action, while working closely with our Founder and Executive Chair. This is, at its core, an executive-assistance role - but one with unusually broad strategic and creative reach. Tim spends roughly 60% of his time in Boston, 25% in Tokyo, and the remainder mainly in Europe and the Middle East. Roughly three to four months of the year are travel-focused and coordination-intensive. During these stretches, logistics and inbox coverage come first; during quieter periods, there is room for deep projects, systems-building, and creative work. This is a high-trust role that requires unusual responsiveness and independence—not constant intensity. Genuine emergencies are rare, but plans can change quickly.
What you'll bring
- We care more about how you think and operate than about a particular prior title.
- A strong executive-support professional, a very bright early-career generalist, an outstanding recent graduate, or someone returning after a career gap could all be compelling.
- Exceptional, instinctive attention to detail—especially dates, time zones, addresses, documents, reservations, and follow-ups.
- Verifying these things should feel like second nature, not a chore.
- Outstanding intelligence, learning speed, judgment, and common sense.
- An anticipatory mindset: you notice problems before they become problems and opportunities before they disappear.
- Ownership, integrity, discretion, and calm resourcefulness.
- You do what you said you would do, protect sensitive information, flag risks early, and find a practical way forward when plans change or information is incomplete.
- Comfort with direct feedback, high autonomy, and respectful, evidence-based pushback.
- Helpful, not required: experience with international travel, executive support, cross-cultural work, podcast or digital media, another widely spoken language, or strong visual/editorial taste.