Founding Engineer & Head of Engineering
Clera
Job Description
Job Description
About the Role
This is a founding, executive-level engineering role at a seed-stage AI agent marketplace startup. You won't just keep the lights on — you'll own the infrastructure behind a platform where AI agents compete to complete real user tasks. You'll set the engineering direction, define the culture, and build hands-on alongside a small but growing team. Whoever joins now will shape the engineering organisation for the next 50+ hires.
This role is on-site in San Francisco . Visa sponsorship is not available .
What You'll DoOwn the agent infrastructure and full stack — front end (React/Vue), back end (Go/Node.js/Python), and data layer (MySQL, Redis).
Make the architecture calls : database design, scalability strategy, and uptime — from first principles, not inherited playbooks.
Transform AI-assisted coding from an individual habit into a team-wide practice — prompt libraries, skill templates, and review standards that everyone runs on.
Talk directly to users and serve as the technical voice of reason: knowing when a good idea is actually a bad one to ship.
Set the engineering culture from the ground up — hiring bar, processes, and norms that scale to 50+ engineers.
Required
You've built something 0→1 before — not just maintained or scaled an existing system.
Hands-on full-stack proficiency across the stack: React or Vue, Go or Node.js or Python, MySQL, Redis .
Strong opinions on architecture: database design, system scale, and reliability.
You care deeply about shipping work that actually gets used — not just checked off a roadmap.
Nice to Have
You've shipped an AI-native product before.
You contribute to open source .
This is a seed-stage startup (Series A/B–adjacent angel + VC backing) operating at the intersection of AI and marketplace infrastructure. The platform hosts tens of AI agents and serves a six-figure user base. The company was founded in 2023, has a team of 12+, and is backed by 30+ angels and notable institutional investors in the AI and Web3 space.
Location & Work ArrangementOn-site in San Francisco, CA — remote work is not available for this role.
Visa sponsorship: not available .
- ...Founding Head of Engineering, Agentic AI About the Company Reputable legal technology (LegalTech) company using AI to provide affordable legal services Industry Legal Services Type Privately Held About the Role The Company is seeking a Founding...Suggested
- ...not guesswork. Visibly is backed and supported by AI Fund. Founded by Andrew Ng, AI Fund is backed by over $370 million. As a... ...success. This is an early-stage, hands-on role. You will own engineering end-to-end and make Vidably self-serve and reliable across real...SuggestedOdd job
career
San Francisco, CAmore than 2 months ago - Truss is a regulated fintech company seeking the founding head of risk to design and lead the risk program. The role requires building production risk systems, rules engines, and decisioning platforms to catch fraud, abuse, and loss in production. You will own end-to-end...Suggested
- GAQ125R25As Head of Corporate Engineering, you will be responsible for Enterprise engineering and operations globally. You will be responsible for... ...headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark, Delta...SuggestedRemote workWorldwide
$50k
...significantly reducing costs and improving accuracy. The Role As Head of Engineering, you’ll be responsible for building and leading our... ...compensation range: $50,000-$500,000) Meaningful equity Opportunity to be a founding member of a growing company #J-18808-Ljbffr...SuggestedWork at officeDatawizz
San Francisco, CA3 days ago- ...Head of Engineering About the Company AI-native operating system for the construction materials logistics market Industry Computer Software Type Privately Held, VC-backed Founded 2024 Employees 11-50 Specialties construction software...
- Pragmatike is seeking a Principal Founding Product Engineer to lead strategic 0→1 product initiatives and shape how technical capabilities become scalable products. You will define direction, lead from concept to scale, and collaborate with customers, founders, and leadership...Remote job
$200k - $300k
...engagements to 1:many, with an in-flight multi-cloud migration and a 24/7 support commitment. Founded 2026 · 11–50 people (Seed) · Industry: AI Tools The Role The Head of Engineering runs the engineering org, leading the core platform team and the teams that deliver...Full timeImmediate startDavid Joseph & Company
San Francisco, CA27 days ago$200k - $260k
...Description Career Renew is recruiting for one of its clients a Head of Engineering - this is a hybrid position in San Francisco. Salary range:... ...industries (e.g., health tech, fintech), former founders or founding engineers, or at data-centric product companies (e.g., Hex,...Local areaImmediate startCareer Renew
San Francisco, CAmore than 2 months ago- ...and are ~12 months from $100M revenue and a $1B valuation. This is a critical inflection point—scaling beyond the founding team into a world-class engineering organization. Our team is made up of over a dozen former venture backed founders, 5 technical Y Combinator...RelocationVisa sponsorship
Superpower
San Francisco, CAmore than 2 months ago $180k - $220k
...Job Description Job Description About the Role A seed-stage neurotechnology startup in San Francisco is hiring a Head of Engineering — a founding leadership role for someone who can set technical direction and still ship code every day. You'll partner directly...Work at officeFlexible hoursClera
San Francisco, CAmore than 2 months ago- ...Founding Executive Director, Institute for the Advancement of Whole Health About the Company Evidence-based & outcomes-focused healthcare university Industry Higher Education Type Educational Institution Founded 1911 Employees 51-200 Categories...Full timePart timeRemote work
$248.4k - $347.78k
GAQ125R25 As Head of Corporate Engineering, you will be responsible for Enterprise engineering and operations globally. You will build and manage... ...in San Francisco, with offices around the globe, and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta...Remote workWorldwide- ...for an Operations Associate to join the founding team at Known and help execute the most... ...launch of 2025. You’ll work closely with our Head of Operations - driving GTM strategy,... ...enabling recruiting, and keeping our internal engine running smoothly. This is a rare...Remote jobFull time
Pear Vc
San Francisco, CA23 hours ago - Truss is building a risk leadership role to design and own the fraud and risk framework for a regulated fintech. You will lead rules engines, decisioning, and real-time monitoring to protect accounts, payments, and cards while enabling growth. You will ship production...
$500 per month
...DESCRIPTIONThis company handles millions of calls per month and needs an engineer who has worked at that scale before and knows how to build... ...sub-100 milliseconds.You will work on-site directly with the founding team, contributing across architecture, infrastructure, and...H1b$120k - $200k
...base + 5% commission on project margin (uncapped) + 0.5%–1.5% founding-tier equity About the Company Our client provides voice data... .... The team today is the two co-founders plus an active first engineering hire — this is the first operations hire. Founded 2025 · 1–...Full timeRelocation packageDavid Joseph & Company
San Francisco, CA25 days ago$150k - $200k
...with substantial equity upside and a clear path into senior leadership for someone who wants to build. The Opportunity As the founding Strategic Project Lead, you will own delivery end to end. You will source data through a global contributor network, run quality control...Remote worktalentpluto
San Francisco, CA11 days ago- A renowned venture studio is seeking a visionary entrepreneur to co-found a new B2B SaaS startup. The role requires strong leadership and domain expertise, with a commitment to building a successful venture. The ideal candidate will have previous experience in co-founding...Full time
$7.5k
...Job Description Job Description Founding Engineer - GovTech Location: San Francisco, CA (In-Office) Partnership: EQL Tech has been... ...did AI research at MILA and at Elon Musk's SpaceX school, a Head of Risk from Mercury, Stripe, and Circle, a Payments Engineer...Work at officeRelocationVisa sponsorshipRelocation packageEQL Tech
San Francisco, CA8 days ago- ...seeking a Strategic Projects Lead - Coding in San Francisco. This founding-level role blends technical execution with strategic... ...end and shipping production code when necessary. You'll mentor engineers, data scientists, and ML specialists, design data pipelines and...Contract work
- Polymath Labs is seeking a Founding Strategic Projects Lead to drive high‑leverage initiatives across partnerships, data, and market expansion. You will collaborate with the founders on strategic efforts that shape the company’s growth and success. Key projects include...
- A leading venture studio is seeking a Founding CEO to spearhead a new AI copilot for B2B WealthTech. This innovative role involves leading customer discovery, building the product, and securing funding while fostering a strong team culture. Candidates should display proven...
$2,000 per month
...backgrounds to thrive.About the Role & TeamWe’re looking for an Engineering Manager to lead the Delivery and SDK team within Statsig at... ...charitable giving grant and paid volunteer time off. We were founded in 2012, went public via a direct listing in September 2021, and...Home office$183.04k - $320.32k
...we use AI in our recruiting process here.We’re looking for an Engineering Manager I to lead a high-impact team building and supporting Pinterest... ...at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.US based applicants only$183,040—$320,320 USDOur...Work at officeLocal areaRelocationRelocation package$208.45k - $364.8k
...and how we use AI in our recruiting process here.Intro: As an Engineering Manager on the Connections team, you will lead engineers working... ...culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.US based applicants only$208,454—$364,795 USDOur...Work at officeLocal areaRemote workRelocationRelocation package- ...assistant that understands context and delivers help automatically. Founded in 2009, Superhuman empowers over 40 million people, 50,000... ...and about our values here.The OpportunityWe're looking for an Engineering Manager to lead the Formula Engine team within Superhuman Docs...WorldwideHome officeFlexible hours
$300k - $330k
...management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest... ...you, let’s build what’s next.We're hiring a Director of GTM Engineering leader to own and transform the technology backbone of our go-...Temporary workLocal areaWorldwideEarly shift$190k - $253.75k
...the world's best data and AI infrastructure platform so our customers can use deep data insights to improve their business. Founded by engineers — and customer obsessed — we leap at every opportunity to solve technical challenges, from designing next-gen UI/UX for interfacing...Local areaImmediate startWorldwide$177.19k - $364.8k
...AI in our recruiting process here.Intro: The Trends & Insights Engineering team builds the products that turn Pinterest's unique signal what... ...at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.US based applicants only$177,185—$364,795 USDOur Commitment...Work at officeLocal areaRemote workRelocationRelocation packageDay shift
Do you want to receive more vacancies?
Subscribe and receive similar vacancies to Founding Engineer & Head of Engineering. Be the first to apply!
- senior principal engineer San Francisco, CA
- director data engineering San Francisco, CA
- data center chief engineer San Francisco, CA
- director of product engineering San Francisco, CA
- chief design engineer San Francisco, CA
- chief engineer San Francisco, CA
- senior chief engineer San Francisco, CA
- principal engineer San Francisco, CA
- principal battery engineer San Francisco, CA
- senior director engineering San Francisco, CA