Founding Design Engineer ($140k-$180k + Equity) at Nero

About the role

As Nero's first engineering hire, you will bridge the gap between high-end visual design and robust full-stack engineering. Working directly with the CTO, you’ll own the entire product lifecycle—from database architecture to real-time fan queues—creating features that help creators monetize audiences across the world’s largest livestreaming platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design and implementation of new features, ensuring the product's look and feel matches its high-stakes functional requirements.
• Architect and build full-stack systems using TypeScript, React, and Node.js, including real-time state management for high-concurrency livestreaming queues.
• Collaborate on technical and visual strategy, leveraging AI-assisted development tools to move from concept to shipped product with extreme velocity.

Requirements

• Possesses at least 1 year of professional experience with a strong portfolio showcasing high-fidelity frontend work and solid full-stack logic.
• Expert-level proficiency in TypeScript, React, and Node.js, combined with a "design-first" mindset and experience with AI tools like Cursor or Windsurf.
• Demonstrates a high-ownership mentality, a passion for the creator economy, and a willingness to work in-person in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 1 year of professional experience in software engineering.
• Experience with TypeScript, React, and Node.js.
• Strong understanding of database architecture and real-time state management.
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools such as Cursor or Windsurf.
• Passion for the creator economy and a desire to work in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Skills

• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Experience with front-end frameworks and libraries.
• Knowledge of cloud-based solutions and serverless architectures.

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $140k-$180k plus equity.
• Opportunity to work with a profitable, seed-stage company generating $500k+ in monthly GMV and supporting over 100,000 artists and fans every month.
• Collaboration with a founding team in San Francisco, with significant equity (up to 1%).
• Autonomy to shape the product's visual identity and contribute to the creator economy.

Pay

$140k-$180k + Equity

Schedule

Full-time

Company Description

Nero is a $1.5M Seed-funded startup backed by Yamaha Music Innovation Fund and Antler, building monetization infrastructure for creators on platforms like Twitch and TikTok. Already profitable with 600k monthly users and over $500k in monthly GMV, Nero is reshaping how artists earn through live, interactive engagement.

Why this role is remarkable

• Join a profitable, seed-stage company already generating $500k+ in monthly GMV and supporting over 100,000 artists and fans every month.
• Work directly with the founding team in San Francisco with significant equity (up to 1%) and the autonomy to shape the product's visual identity.
• Scale monetization rails backed by industry heavyweights like Yamaha Music Innovation Fund, impacting the creator economy across music, gaming, and sports.

How this works

• Jack is an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
• Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack's network.
• If it's a match and the company wants to meet you, they'll make the intro.
• In the meantime, if you'd like, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.
• We never post fake jobs. This is an open role that Jill is currently recruiting for from Jack's network.