Founding Software Engineer

About the company

Our client is an early-stage software company.

The role

Raydar is recruiting for this role on behalf of our client. Act as the first engineering hire, responsible for the technical direction and for owning the full stack from architecture through production operations. Take an existing pre-release product to a publicly scalable launch while collaborating closely with company leadership and early users. Lay the groundwork for the wider engineering organization.

What you'll do

- Own the full technical stack end to end, including architecture, infrastructure choices, deployment and reliability.

- Move an existing beta product to a production-ready, publicly scalable release, rebuilding or extending components as needed.

- Design and ship production-grade AI agent systems, including orchestration and coordination across multiple tools.

- Speak directly with early users and customers to decide what to build next, then ship it independently.

- Define how the team writes, reviews and ships code, and what good looks like when recruiting future engineers.

- Work across frontend, backend and infrastructure as the product requires.

Requirements

What we're looking for

- 3 to 10 years of experience with deep expertise in at least one area: full-stack engineering with infrastructure scaling, production AI and LLM agent development, or product design and UI/UX.

- Proven record of designing and shipping production systems used by real users.

- High agency: able to set direction, make decisions and deliver without a manager or detailed brief.

- At least one clear marker of strength, such as a notable early engineering role, leadership of a technical venture, or a track record of delivering demanding production systems.

- Hands-on, technically deep and excited about building products from zero to one.

- Willingness to work on-site in San Francisco at startup intensity.

Bonus points

- Experience leading technology at an early-stage venture or joining one as a founding engineer.

- Time spent at a rapidly scaling AI company with selective hiring practices.

- Experience building products for business operators or founders.

- Familiarity with European technical ecosystems.

Benefits

Compensation and benefits

- Base salary: USD 150,000 to 250,000 per year

- Equity

- Relocation support

Location and work model

- San Francisco, CA, United States

- On-site

- Full-time