Strategy & Operations Associate

About the role

Valence has built the only AI native coaching platform for enterprise, offering personalized, expert, and human-like guidance and support to any leader or employee. We’re not just talking about the future of work - we’re building it now, with the most innovative Fortune 500 companies across healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and technology.

Learn more about our work with Microsoft: Valence Brings AI Coaching More Deeply Into the Flow of Work with Microsoft 365

Our focus is on the problems that actually decide whether AI changes how organizations operate - the ones with no playbook, no obvious answers, and no guarantee of success. If you want to be part of the small group that defines how AI transforms the future at a global scale, this is your chance.

And this isn’t for everyone. We’re not looking for people who want predictability or incremental progress. We only want those who are restless at the edge of what’s possible, who get bored when things feel “done,” and who are driven to redefine what AI can mean for leaders, companies, and the world. Because at Valence, the work worth doing is the kind that redefines work itself.

The Role

In this role you'll be at the forefront of driving high-priority initiatives for our leaders. Structured as a mission-based role, you'll be housed with one team and one leader at a time, giving you the depth to learn how the business runs while you identify new opportunities, diagnose problems, and unblock key objectives to help the company scale.

This is not an entry-level role, it's built for experienced professionals, ex-consultants and startup operators alike, who want to accelerate their careers by embedding across a fast-moving, AI-first company rather than staying in one lane. You'll sit somewhere across our commercial spectrum, from pre-sales to post-sales, depending on where the business needs you most and where your career experience lies.

Responsibilities span client-facing work like strategic storytelling and direct customer support, internal process design, client execution work like standing up pilot programs and managing early deployments, work at the frontier of applied AI to diagnose problems and surface new opportunities, and company-building initiatives tied to board activities, metrics, and quarterly planning.

Each tour builds toward the next, giving you a rotating, high-leverage view of the business few roles at this stage can offer.

What You'll Do

• Operational rigour and excellence: Contribute to challenges of strategic importance across the organization, including Sales, Marketing, CS, Eng/Prompting, Operations and Product.
• High velocity execution: Bring clarity to evolving environments by creating and implementing project plans that identify gaps and solutions, aiding cross-functional coordination and communication.
• Decision making tools: Develop models and plans to identify key inputs and drive cross functional decision-making alongside the team.
• Growth initiatives: Quickly establish a foot hold, create playbooks, and find strategies to ensure we can rapidly scale the team.
• Product and feature improvements: Collaborate with various teams, including Operations, Product, Design, and Engineering, to identify and remove blockers, ensuring timely product improvements.

What We’re Looking For

• 3+ years of professional experience in consulting and/or fast-paced B2B startup.
• Ability to diagnose a variety of problems, break them down, and solution in an impactful way.
• High velocity execution skills to keep many work streams on track; natural attention to the small detail.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to adjust styles to the internal and external audiences.
• Comfort with data manipulation and visualization to communication key insights in a value-added way.
• Self-motivated, adaptable, and resilient. Highly motivated and self-driven, with a strong desire to exceed expectations.
• Willingness to embrace challenges, experiment and continuously learn through high-quality feedback and new workstreams.
• Clear motivations for wanting to join an early-stage team.

What you'll get

Ownership & Rapid Growth

• Outsized missions from day one, with direct responsibility for company-defining projects
• Work alongside the executive team with transparency into strategy and decision-making
• Influence on direction through real-time customer feedback and market insights

AI-First Operator

• Work directly with cutting-edge AI models and next-generation platforms
• Build expertise in enterprise AI implementation across Fortune 500 companies and multiple industries
• Establish yourself as a recognized leader among peers in shaping how AI transforms work at a global scale

Compensation

• Competitive salary including base + bonuses
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision) from day one
• Generous PTO, company-wide R&R shutdowns, and paid parental leave
• Retirement plan support for US and global employees

Equity

• Meaningful ownership in a venture-backed company at a growth inflection point
• Financial upside that comes from scaling fast
• Top-up grants as we scale and you deliver exceptional performance - your compensation grows alongside your impact

Top-Performing Culture

• A culture built for top talent: intensity to win, growth without limits, and a team that solves hard problems and celebrates big wins together

Location and Work Environment

This role is 3 days a week (Tues - Thurs) minimum in office. Candidates must be comfortable working with colleagues in different time zones (UK), and have valid travel documents without work authorization restrictions in the US.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and supported. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and offer accommodations upon request throughout the hiring process. If you have any questions, please reach out to Allison Langille, Head of People, at.

Valence takes candidate fraud seriously. We verify identity, LinkedIn profiles, employment history, and references; any misrepresentation during the hiring process is grounds for withdrawing an offer or ending employment. All offers are contingent on successful completion of these checks.

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