Founding Engineer ($150k-$250k + Equity) at VC-backed AI automation startup

About the role

VC-backed AI automation startup based in San Francisco, USA. This role is for a high-intensity builder who thrives in fast-paced, in-person environments. Join as the first engineering hire building infrastructure for the next generation of AI-driven businesses.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical foundation, design complex agentic systems, and ship production code from day one.
• Architect and deploy production-grade agent systems featuring complex orchestration, tool calling, and long-running autonomous tasks.
• Own the full product lifecycle from initial user research and specification to deployment and iterative refinement.
• Set the engineering standards and culture while helping to recruit and interview the subsequent technical team members.

Requirements

• Extensive experience shipping production LLM applications with deep knowledge of orchestration, evaluation frameworks, and tool integration.
• Proven track record as a full-stack product engineer capable of building rapidly across TypeScript, Python, and modern cloud infrastructure.
• Highly autonomous builder who leverages AI tools to code at an elite pace and thrives in a high-ownership startup environment.

Benefits

• Unlimited model budget
• Elite hardware
• High-trust, zero-friction environment
• Focused in-person culture

Pay

Salary $150k-$250k + Equity