Founder's Associate

About Ember

We're building the future of public transport — convenient, affordable, connected and zero-emission. Our goal is to make it easier and more enjoyable to get from A to B with Ember than it is with your own car.

Ember is a tech company, not a traditional bus operator. We've built a platform that coordinates our entire operation – everything from monitoring vehicles and controlling chargers to selling tickets and calculating ETAs. This allows us to use electric buses more intensively than anyone else in the world, leading to a massive reduction in emissions. It also helps us provide a much better passenger experience, with innovative features like demand-responsive stops.

We're still tiny, with a handful of routes and 38 buses. The challenge is to scale this 100x whilst staying lean, increasing efficiency and delivering an even better product experience. Our growth is supported by our recent Series A funding from climate-focused investors including 2150, Inven Capital, AENU, Pale Blue Dot, and Contrarian Ventures. We're now looking for mission-driven individuals who want to get on board and help take us to the next level.

The role

As Founder's Associate, you'll work directly with the founding team to drive Ember's growth and strategic initiatives. This is a unique opportunity to gain broad exposure across all aspects of scaling a climate tech startup while having significant impact on the company's trajectory.

You'll be involved in a diverse range of projects and responsibilities:

Strategic Projects: You'll take ownership of critical initiatives that don't yet have a dedicated owner in the organization. This could include researching new market opportunities, developing business cases for expansion routes, coordinating cross-functional projects, or preparing materials for board meetings and investor updates.

Operational Problem-Solving: You'll help identify operational bottlenecks and implement solutions. This might involve analyzing data to optimize schedules, developing processes to improve maintenance efficiency, or investigating ways to enhance the passenger experience.

External Relationships: You'll support the founders in managing key external relationships, which could include potential partners, industry stakeholders, government contacts, or investors. You'll prepare briefing documents, conduct background research, and sometimes represent the company at events or meetings.

Internal Communication: You'll help ensure information flows effectively across the growing team, documenting key decisions, coordinating internal meetings, and helping to maintain company culture as we scale.

The role will evolve as the company grows, with the opportunity to specialize in areas where you demonstrate particular aptitude and interest. For the right candidate, this position could be a pathway to a leadership role in the company.

Diversity and equality

At Ember, we support diversity across our team and customers. We work to ensure every employee feels respected and able to give their best, whether temporary, part-time or full-time. We're happy to offer flexible working patterns where they make sense, are compassionate when it comes to time off and offer enhanced maternity and paternity leave.

Read more about our approach in our Equal Opportunities Policy.

What's on offer

As well as a salary of £45,000 - £65,000 per annum, depending on your experience and skills, you'll be eligible for share options. You'll primarily be working from our office in Edinburgh but there's flexibility around doing the odd day from home, as well as an expectation that you'll travel occasionally with the founders or to different Ember locations.

How do I apply?

Apply using the form, providing a CV and a cover letter explaining why you're the one. In your cover letter, please highlight a complex problem you've solved and how you approached it.

The ideal candidate will be a versatile, quick-learning generalist. Specific industry experience is less important than your approach and capabilities. You should think this sounds a lot like you:

Exceptional analytical skills: You can break down complex problems, gather relevant data, and derive meaningful insights. You're highly numerate and comfortable with spreadsheets, SQL, and data analysis tools. You can extract insights from our operational data and translate them into actionable recommendations.

Strong communication abilities: You can articulate ideas clearly in writing and verbally. You can adapt your communication style to different audiences, from technical teams to external stakeholders.

Proactive self-starter: You thrive in ambiguity, can work with minimal direction, and have a bias toward action. You're comfortable figuring things out as you go and don't need detailed instructions.

Highly organized and detail-oriented: You can manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, prioritize effectively, and keep track of numerous details without dropping balls. You take pride in producing error-free work and have a natural tendency to double-check your outputs. Sloppy mistakes don't make it past your quality filter.

Adaptable and resilient: You're energized by the fast pace and changing priorities of a startup environment. You're comfortable switching contexts quickly and remain positive under pressure.

Passion for the mission: You're genuinely excited about transforming public transport and making a positive environmental impact. You understand how technology can drive this transformation.

Prior experience in a startup, top-tier consulting, or other fast-paced environment is beneficial but not required. Recent graduates with exceptional capabilities from a top 20 university are welcome.