Principal, Founder Partnerships - Strategic Initiatives
Full-time
London, United Kingdom • In office, Hybrid or Remote
About GoGorilla
GoGorilla is the world's first performance marketing company built on financial technology. We've engineered a platform that hardwires client objectives into every campaign, ensuring transparent, auditable results that traditional agencies can't match. When our clients win, you win. You'll join a high-performance London team where your commercial impact directly shapes your career trajectory and financial rewards.
About the role
As Principal, you will be responsible for leading our most strategic initiatives within the founder ecosystem. You will identify and execute on new opportunities to build our brand, drive new business, and create long-term value. This is a highly strategic, entrepreneurial role where you will be a key architect of our founder partnership strategy.
Day-to-day, you'll be incubating new partnership channels, launching new products and services for founders, and leading our most complex and high-value founder relationships. This role requires a blend of strategic thinking, commercial acumen, and a deep understanding of the start-up and venture capital landscape.
Working pattern and flexibility
This is a senior leadership role available in-office (London), hybrid, or fully remote. For in-office, expect to be in our central London office 3-4 days a week for strategic collaboration. A high degree of flexibility is offered for high performers who consistently deliver against strategic objectives. Time tracking is not required for this role.
Strategic ownership
You'll own the strategic development of our founder partnership ecosystem and startup engagement initiatives. Your leadership will shape how GoGorilla becomes the go-to performance marketing partner for high-growth companies, with authority to drive strategic initiatives across accelerators, incubators, and founder networks. This role offers significant equity participation and the opportunity to establish industry-leading founder engagement capabilities that drive sustainable competitive advantage. You'll drive innovation in founder partnership models while mentoring senior team members and contributing to our overall growth strategy. Clear progression opportunities exist to the Head of Founder Partnerships and senior executive roles.
What you will be doing
Identify and execute on new strategic initiatives within the founder ecosystem, such as developing innovative partnership programmes, creating new channels for founder engagement, or establishing strategic alliances with key ecosystem players.
Lead our most complex and high-value founder relationships, acting as a trusted advisor to the CEOs of our most important portfolio companies.
Incubate new partnership channels, such as building relationships with corporate venture arms, family offices, and other non-traditional sources of capital.
Work with our product and engineering teams to develop new products and services that meet the needs of high-growth founders.
Represent GoGorilla at the most senior levels at global industry events, conferences, and networking opportunities.
Act as a key spokesperson for GoGorilla on the topic of founder success and strategic partnerships.
Provide regular reporting on your strategic initiatives to the CEO and the executive team.
What you will bring
Extensive experience in venture capital, corporate development, or a senior strategic role within a high-growth technology company.
A deep understanding of the global start-up and venture capital ecosystem, with a strong network of contacts at the most senior levels.
A proven track record of identifying and executing on new strategic initiatives, with a strong bias for action and a results-driven mindset.
Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex and ambiguous situations.
Right to work in the UK. We do not offer visa sponsorship.
A visionary, entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for building new things.
You should not apply if
You prefer optimising existing programmes over building new ones from scratch.
You are not comfortable with a role that involves a high degree of ambiguity and a need to create your own roadmap.
You are not interested in a senior leadership role that involves a high degree of strategic thinking and long-term planning.
You are not a natural relationship builder who enjoys working with senior executives and entrepreneurs.
You are not comfortable with a role that has a high degree of accountability for delivering on ambitious, long-term strategic objectives.
How we work
Outcomes first – your success is measured by the long-term, strategic value you create for GoGorilla and our founder community.
Autonomy with accountability – you have the freedom to identify and execute on new strategic initiatives with full accountability for the results.
Build the playbook – you will create the frameworks and best practices that define how we build and scale new strategic initiatives.
Lead from the front – you will be a key leader in our partnership team, setting the standard for excellence in strategic thinking and execution.
Continuous improvement – market insights and data-driven analysis shape our strategy and drive continuous innovation.
Compensation and progression
Base salary: £100,000 to £130,000 (London), with adjustments for other UK locations.
On-target performance bonus: OTE of £150,000 to £220,000+, with uncapped earning potential based on performance.
Company profit-sharing: Significant participation in overall company success.
Equity: A substantial equity package reflecting the seniority and strategic importance of this role. Meaningful equity participation is a core part of our compensation philosophy for high-performing team members, offering a stake in our long-term success.
Benefits: Private healthcare for full-time UK employees after 6 months probation, 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, laptop and modern tools, learning budget and regular team events.
Progression: Direct path to VP of Partnerships and other senior executive roles.
30-60-90 day expectations
Day 30 – complete onboarding, conduct a full strategic review of our founder partnership activities, and begin developing your roadmap for new initiatives.
Day 60 – present your strategic roadmap to the CEO and the executive team, with a clear business case for your first initiative.
Day 90 – begin executing on your first strategic initiative, with clear milestones for success and a plan for scaling.
Our hiring process
We keep the steps simple so you can demonstrate how your skills drive outcomes and align with our culture. For this role, the journey usually follows our standard path – application, a short cultural profile, a light role task if applicable, interviews, offer and onboarding. See the careers page for specifics.
Typical flow for this role
Application – submit your CV and a brief note outlining your experience in building new strategic initiatives.
Cultural assessment – brief values and collaboration profile, plus short video questions.
Role task – a strategic case study on a new initiative you would launch at GoGorilla.
Interviews – meet the founder, CEO, and other senior executives.
Offer and checks – written offer with base, performance bonus, and equity structure, right-to-work and references.
Onboarding – a clear plan, team introductions and access to all company resources.
Important notes for candidates
We do not use third-party recruitment agencies. Do not send CVs through agencies.
Apply only through our official channels. We will never ask for payment or personal financial information during the hiring process.
Double-check sender domains in email communications.
By applying, you confirm that the information is accurate and understand that employment is subject to right-to-work checks and references.
We process candidate data in line with our privacy notice.
