Community Builder and Product Engineer

Community Building & Events

• Own and run YC’s talent-facing programs: meetups, tech talks, career expos, and more
• Design high-quality in-person and online experiences that connect founders and candidates
• Build relationships across universities, developer communities, and emerging talent networks
• Grow and nurture communities around YC — both online and offline
• Act as a strong external representative of YC

Events Engineering & Internal Tools

• Build tools and systems to manage, scale, and improve events and community engagement
• Contribute code to YC’s internal codebase (including Work at a Startup)
• Automate workflows around candidate discovery, event ops, and follow-ups
• Use AI to improve matching, personalization, and engagement across the ecosystem
• Prototype quickly — from scrappy scripts to production features

Ecosystem & Platform Strategy

• Identify bottlenecks in how talent flows into YC startups and build solutions
• Combine programs + software to create scalable, repeatable systems
• Use data to measure what works and continuously improve outcomes
• Expand YC’s reach into new talent pools and communities

About the Team & Product

This role sits at the intersection of both:

• Community → bringing the right people together
• Software → building systems that scale that connection

What You’ll Do

Community Building & Events

• Own and run YC’s talent-facing programs: meetups, tech talks, career expos, and more
• Design high-quality in-person and online experiences that connect founders and candidates
• Build relationships across universities, developer communities, and emerging talent networks
• Grow and nurture communities around YC — both online and offline
• Act as a strong external representative of YC

Events Engineering & Internal Tools

• Build tools and systems to manage, scale, and improve events and community engagement
• Contribute code to YC’s internal codebase (including Work at a Startup)
• Automate workflows around candidate discovery, event ops, and follow-ups
• Use AI to improve matching, personalization, and engagement across the ecosystem
• Prototype quickly — from scrappy scripts to production features

Ecosystem & Platform Strategy

• Identify bottlenecks in how talent flows into YC startups and build solutions
• Combine programs + software to create scalable, repeatable systems
• Use data to measure what works and continuously improve outcomes
• Expand YC’s reach into new talent pools and communities

What We’re Looking For

• Strong coding ability — you’re comfortable building real tools and shipping code
• Evidence of building projects, products, or meaningful side projects
• Ability to operate as both a builder and community leader
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• High agency — you take ownership without waiting for direction
• Comfort working in ambiguity and moving quickly

Must-Haves

• Strong coding ability — you’re comfortable building real tools and shipping code
• Evidence of building projects, products, or meaningful side projects
• Ability to operate as both a builder and community leader
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• High agency — you take ownership without waiting for direction
• Comfort working in ambiguity and moving quickly

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience running events, communities, or programs
• Experience with developer communities or university ecosystems
• Familiarity with AI tools and interest in applying them to real-world workflows
• Experience in or strong interest in startups

Who Thrives Here

• Builders who want to have impact beyond a single product
• People who enjoy both people and systems
• Individuals who combine technical ability with strong taste and judgment
• Those excited about shaping how communities and talent networks scale

Why This Role Is Unique

• You’ll build software and run programs — not just one or the other
• You’ll have access to YC’s internal tools and can directly improve them
• You’ll help define how AI transforms community building and hiring
• Your work will impact thousands of founders and candidates

Location & Benefits

• Location: This is an in-person role at YC's campus in Dogpatch, San Francisco. This is where our users (founders, partners, and employees) are five days a week, so it’s optimal for you to be here with them. You must live in the SF Bay Area or be willing to relocate.
• Compensation: $160K to $250K base salary, depending on experience.
• Benefits: Our full benefits package includes medical, vision, and dental plans, infertility benefit, STD/LTD, life insurance, commuter benefits, flexible spending account, health savings account, 401(k) + 4% matching, generous parental leave, paid holidays, and flexible paid time off policy.