About Planet Smart
Planet Smart is a materials science startup building bio based, biodegradable superabsorbent polymers to replace today’s fossil based SAPs used in diapers, menstrual pads, incontinence products, and in agriculture applications. Our goal is to deliver a biodegradable SAP that matches incumbent performance, is cost competitive, and can be manufactured at scale, without creating persistent microplastics.
The role
We are hiring a part time Founder Associate who wants real ownership and direct exposure to founder level decision making. MBA fresh grad/ student preferred, with good level of understanding in basic Chemistry. You will work side by side with the CEO across commercial strategy, partnerships, COO level operations, and financial planning. This is a high trust, high autonomy role. You will be expected to take workstreams end to end and keep momentum across partners, experiments, trials, and internal execution.
Expected time commitment: 2 to 3 days per week, flexible scheduling, with the option to scale to more days as the company grows.
What you will do:
1. Deep research and insight generation
* Run structured deep dives on the business activities (sourcing partners, equipment, talent candidates, etc)
* Turn findings into crisp briefs, decision memos, and clear recommendations for the leadership team
2. Sales outreach pipeline, built and maintained
* Build a targeted outreach list by segment and priority accounts
* Create and maintain a live pipeline tracker with stages, next actions, owners, and timelines
* Draft outreach sequences, follow ups, and meeting agendas
* Book meetings and keep momentum through the full cycle from first contact to trial and commercial discussions
3. Pitch decks and stakeholder materials (expert level)
* Own the creation and iteration of pitch decks for partners, investors, and grant stakeholders
* Produce sharp one pagers, partnership packs, and trial update decks
* Confident presenting materials and supporting senior stakeholder conversations
4. Project management and execution cadence
* Run weekly operating rhythm: priorities, milestones, risks, and action tracking
* Coordinate across CEO, lab, advisors, and external partners
* Keep workstreams on time, documented, and moving, no dropped balls
5. Support lab function and operational continuity
* Track consumables, basic procurement, scheduling, and maintenance needs
* You are not expected to be a lab scientist, but you must be comfortable in a lab environment and able to support operational flow
6. Sales, marketing, and communications support
* Contribute to positioning, messaging, and partner facing narratives
* Draft partner emails, updates, and short form content for credibility and momentum
* Bring creative, business minded thinking to how we package the story and value proposition
Qualifications
* Chemistry understanding required, but a chemistry degree is not mandatory; strong preference for MBA student/ fresh grad, with a strong work ethic and a proven project management track record
* Strong analytical and research skills
* Experience in pipeline management, and preparing presentations / decks
* Creative and business minded, with real flair for sales, marketing, and communications
* High ownership, reliable follow through, and comfort with ambiguity
* Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with attention to detail
* Entrepreneurial mindset, proactive, and capable of working in a fast-paced start-up environment.
What You will Get
* £1,500-2k based on experience & availability
* Hybrid working, UK based, with regular in person time as needed
* High autonomy, founder track exposure, and rapid skill growth across commercial & operations
How to Apply
Email your CV plus a brief note to hello@planetsmart.co that answers three things:
* Why this role, why Planet Smart in two or three sentences
* Logistics
* your availability in days per week
* your location and ability to spend time in Scale Space White City as needed
* your level of chemistry comfort
3. Optional: Evidence you can do the core work (remove confidential details) some examples below:
* one example of a deck you built for senior stakeholders
* one example of a pipeline or project you ran end to end