Founding Engineer – Full Stack

About the Role

Be part of the founding engineering team at a Y Combinator–backed AI startup focused on brand intelligence. The company develops tools that leverage AI research to help brands understand and influence how large language models interpret their identity and reputation. As a Founding Engineer, you will take significant ownership and make a substantial impact by working closely with both customers and leadership to deliver comprehensive features within a dynamic, fast-paced setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Take complete ownership of problems from gathering high-level customer insights through to research and infrastructure implementation.
• Maintain ongoing communication with customers and the executive team to enable rapid, iterative shipping of product features.
• Contribute to developing the culture, methodologies, and practices within a newly formed engineering team.
• Innovate and refine engineering best practices when collaborating with AI agents integrated into the development process.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 1 year (preferably over 2 years) working on an engineering team, with at least one engagement lasting 18 months or more within a strong startup or scaling environment.
• Proficient in React, Python, Terraform, and AWS technologies.
• Comfortable operating across the full technology stack, from customer-facing user interfaces to backend infrastructure.
• Experience in building autonomous agentic systems.
• Strong product acumen and design sensibility to effectively convert user needs into delivered features.
• Prior startup experience or evidence of self-started projects showcasing initiative and high personal accountability.
• Must be a US citizen or have the eligibility to work in the US; visa sponsorship is offered if needed.

Preferred Extras

• Hands-on experience with direct customer interactions.
• Background in scientific or AI research, particularly in AI interpretability.
• Willingness to adopt new AI-driven coding tools and adapt to evolving engineering workflows.

Compensation and Benefits

• Annual salary range between 150,000 and 250,000 USD.
• Equity stakes in an early-stage company.
• Visa sponsorship provided.

Location and Work Arrangement

This is a full-time position based on-site in San Francisco, California. Remote work options are not available for this role.