Narrative and Brand Lead

ABOUT THE COMPANY Valon is building the AI-native operating system for regulated finance, starting with mortgage servicing. We're a Series C company backed by a16z, transforming industries that others have written off as too complex to innovate. Rather than build on top of broken legacy systems, we took a different approach: we built and operate our own mortgage servicing business managing $110+ billion in loans. This wasn't the end goal, it was how we deeply understood the complexity needed to build software that actually works in regulated industries. The results speak for themselves. We've transformed mortgage servicing from a 0% margin business into 60%+ margins while dramatically improving customer experience. Major enterprise contracts are now deploying across the industry. ValonOS is our unified platform that makes every process structured and programmable and it is perfectly positioned for the AI era. When everything flows through one system with rich data, AI agents don't just automate tasks, they continuously improve entire operations. Mortgage servicing is just the beginning of our vision to transform regulated industries and beyond. ABOUT THE ROLE Valon is building something unusually real: durable business fundamentals, hard technical problems, and a trajectory that top talent would choose—once they can clearly see and defend the bet. Your job is to make that clarity inevitable. You’ll build and run Valon’s Narrative and External Brand Engine: a repeatable system that turns internal truth into external credibility, then distributes it through founder/company voice and trusted channels, so exceptional people across functions (engineering, product, design, recruiting, data/analytics, deployment/solutions, and more) feel confident choosing Valon. This is not “employer branding” in the traditional sense. It’s credible persuasion at scale, built for conversion, not vibes. WHAT YOU'LL DO BUILD THE REPUTATION ENGINE (SYSTEM > ONE-OFFS) - Create Valon’s messaging spine: the simplest credible story that talent repeats - Build a proof map (public vs private vs proxy proof) and a living proof bank (stories, artifacts, case studies, technical proof, “why I joined” narratives) - Turn milestones into compounding credibility (not single announcements) RUN FOUNDER + COMPANY VOICE WITH HIGH TASTE - Operate a weekly founder input loop (voice notes, meeting capture, interviews) - Draft → review → publish with minimal founder time - Ship high-signal content across: - founder POV posts - memo-style longform - talent density stories (“why I joined”) - technical/product deep dives (with internal partners) BUILD RECRUITING CONVERSION ASSETS (THE “RISK-KILL” PACK) - Create and iterate offer-stage assets used directly in closing: - “Why Valon” deck - FAQ + objection handling - proof appendix (metrics you can share, anonymized outcomes, architecture signals) - role sell-sheets / pitch talk tracks - Partner with recruiting/RecOps to instrument outcomes and iterate fast: - decline reasons - offer acceptance - candidate perception before first call DISTRIBUTION (IN SERVICE OF OUTCOMES) - Build a lightweight distribution map (who matters, where they pay attention, what earns trust) - Drive earned/partner distribution when it clearly increases credibility with the audiences we hire from - Keep focus on owned assets that move candidates already in-funnel, then amplify the best ones OVER TIME: COMPOUNDING CREDIBILITY THAT HELPS FUNDRAISING This role is hiring-first, but the output naturally creates external proof and coherence that can later support investor conviction (without becoming “investor marketing” day one). WHO YOU ARE This role rewards first-principles operators, not “brand strategists who manage agencies.” You’re likely a fit if you: - Can compress complexity into a credible narrative people repeat - Write founder voice at a high bar (specific, opinionated, true—never hypey) - Manufacture proof under constraints (can’t share everything