Sign up to access all features of our service.
  • Job search
  • Favorites
  • Create a CV
    New
  • Salaries
  • Subscriptions

Founding Software Engineer

$200k - $275k

Harnham

This range is provided by Harnham. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$200,000.00/yr - $275,000.00/yr

Managing Recruitment Consultant at Harnham US — Data, AI & Tech → Mid-West & South Atlantic

Founding Software Engineer

$200,000 to $275,000 +

COMPANY

A cutting-edge AI company is transforming creative strategy with AI-driven insights, leveraging machine learning, computer vision, and NLP to optimize content performance.

ROLE

As a Founding Engineer, you'll be instrumental in designing and scaling our AI-powered platform from the ground up, driving key technical decisions, collaborating with product and data teams, and shaping our engineering culture.

  • You will work as a Software Engineer/Back Engineer
  • Design and develop AI-powered content intelligence systems.
  • Build scalable backend infrastructure and data pipelines for AI/ML models.
  • Optimize performance and infrastructure to process large-scale creative data.
  • Partner with data scientists and AI engineers to deploy ML models into production.
  • Lead product development from MVP to full-scale deployment.
  • Work closely with product, design, and business teams to deliver innovative AI features.

EXPERIENCE:

  • 5+ years of experience as a software engineer, specializing in AI/ML-powered applications.
  • Strong expertise in backend development, cloud infrastructure, and scalable system architecture.
  • Proficiency in Python and/or Java for building high-performance applications.
  • Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and container orchestration (Kubernetes).
  • Deep understanding of distributed systems, data structures, and algorithms.
  • Proven track record of deploying production-ready AI/ML models in collaboration with data scientists.
  • Ability to work autonomously and make high-impact technical decisions in a fast-paced startup environment.
  • Experience making key technical architecture decisions in an early-stage startup.
  • Strong expertise in computer vision, NLP, or deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow).
  • Background in ad tech, content intelligence, or marketing analytics.
  • Proven ability to design and implement real-time data processing and analytics pipelines.

BENEFITS:

  • Play a pivotal role in shaping core technology and product direction from the ground up.
  • Work on cutting-edge AI at the intersection of creative intelligence, marketing, and machine learning.
  • Be part of a fast-moving, founder-led team with real ownership and minimal bureaucracy.
  • Competitive salary plus equity (1%+).

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in this Founding Software Engineering role, please apply for this advert.

Seniority level
  • Mid-Senior level
Employment type
  • Full-time
Job function
  • Analyst
  • Industries
  • Software Development
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Vacancy posted 2 days ago
Similar jobs that could be interesting for youBased on the Founding Software Engineer in San Francisco, CA vacancy
  • $180k - $225k

    Join to apply for the Founding Fullstack Software Engineer role at Code Four (YC X25) This range is provided by Code Four (YC X25). Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more. Base pay range $180,000.00/yr - $22... 
    Suggested
    Full time

    Code Four (yc X25)

    San Francisco, CA
    8 hours ago
  • $130k - $170k

     ...Founding Engineer Join now to apply for the Founding Engineer role at Nowadays (YC S23) . Base pay range $130,000.00/yr - $170,000.00/yr About Nowadays Nowadays is the first AI platform for planning corporate events. Our AI can contact venues by email... 
    Suggested
    Full time
    Work at office

    Nowadays (YC S23)

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  • €80k - €160k per year

     ...About the Role A Y Combinator-backed AI creative tools startup is hiring its founding software engineer . You'll work directly with the founding team to shape the technical foundation of an AI-powered motion design platform — turning what once took hours into minutes... 
    Suggested
    Full time
    Work at office
    Worldwide
    Visa sponsorship

    Clera

    San Francisco, CA
    4 days ago
  • $150k - $200k

     ...Join to apply for the Founding Software Engineer role at Attune (YC X25) Join to apply for the Founding Software Engineer role at Attune (YC X25) Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features. This range is provided by Attune (YC X25).... 
    Suggested
    Full time

    Attune (yc X25)

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  • $150k - $300k

     ...representations so that AI agents can read and write to documents as reliably as humans. About the role We are hiring a Founding Software Engineer in San Francisco. We are building a small, talent-dense team. This role will define the engineering archetype at Unsiloed... 
    Suggested
    Remote work

    PassFort

    San Francisco, CA
    3 days ago
  • $160k - $210k

     ...Everything is handled — launch support, insurance, marketing, and software — so therapists can focus on what they do best: helping kids...  ...in the right place. Role Overview The company is hiring a Founding Engineer (Full‑Stack) to work in‑person, 5 days/week, in San... 
    Private practice
    Work at office
    Visa sponsorship
    Relocation package

    Rockstar

    San Francisco, CA
    1 day ago
  •  ...support an ever-expanding range of physical work. Founded in San Francisco, Kovari is obsessed with rapid iteration, engineering rigor, and deploying real machines into real...  ...About This Role We're looking for a founding software engineer to help build the software... 
    Remote work

    Kovari

    San Francisco, CA
    3 days ago
  •  ...the beginning. You have the opportunity to: Join Onton as a Founding Engineer and set the foundation for our Engineering Team Design, scope...  ...heart who shares our values and is passionate about making software tools accessible to all, we want to hear from you. Onton is... 
    Full time
    Work at office
    Local area
    Remote work
    Relocation
    3 days per week

    Onton

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  • $175k - $195k

     ...closed our seed round in November 2025 and our first commercial deployment launches in August. The Role We are hiring a Founding Software Engineer to own the software platform that turns our foundation model and IoT hardware into a usable product. As an early addition... 
    Permanent employment
    Full time
    Temporary work
    Work at office
    Immediate start

    The Electric Plant

    San Francisco, CA
    1 day ago
  • $150k - $300k

     ...Future Leaders Wanted About the Role: We are seeking a Founding AI Engineer to join our early-stage, high-growth AI startup. This...  ...at Goliath Partners by 2x Sign in to set job alerts for “Software Engineer” roles. Mountain View, CA $145,000.00-$170,000.0... 
    Full time
    Summer work
    Internship

    Goliath Partners LP

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  •  ...Founding Software Engineer Location: San Francisco (preferred) Type: Full-time · Founding Team About Bracket Bot Bracket Bot is building low-cost, general-purpose robots that developers can program and deploy in days. We’re transforming the world’s ~50 million software... 
    Full time

    Bracket Bot Inc.

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  •  ...simple interface to the vast array of tools being released daily. About the Role We're hiring three exceptional Founding Software Engineers to help us scale the computational biology platform that powers our drug discovery pipeline. In this role, you'll... 
    Relocation

    Tamarind Bio, Inc

    San Francisco, CA
    1 day ago
  • $130k - $200k

     ...About the Role A well-funded, seed-stage B2B SaaS startup in the supply chain integrations space is looking for a Founding Software Engineer to help shape the architecture, culture, and product direction of an agentic integrations platform. This is a high-ownership... 
    Work at office
    Visa sponsorship

    Clera

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  •  ...Founding Software Engineer As a Founding Software Engineer, you'll have end-to-end ownership over projects pushing the frontier of AI evaluation. This isn't a narrow role. One week you might prototype a new RL environment from a research paper, the next you'll deploy... 
    Work at office
    Visa sponsorship

    RainesDev

    San Francisco, CA
    1 day ago
  • $150k - $225k

     ...Founding Software Engineer (Full Stack) Our client is a high-growth technology startup backed by top-tier investors. The company is building next-generation AI solutions to transform complex hiring and operational workflows in enterprise environments. With ambitious... 
    Relocation
    Visa sponsorship

    Quix Recruitment Group Ltd

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  •  ...Navi Engineering Role Navi captures everything a pilot sees and hears and turns it into...  ...happen. About the Role This is a founding engineering role. You'll own entire systems...  ...About You ~5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a track... 
    Live in

    Navi AI

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  • $150k - $200k

     ...semiconductor leaders producing new chips and researchers pioneering the adoption of AI for chip design. About the role As a founding software engineer at Bronco AI, you will be building world-class intelligent reasoning systems for chip verification. You'll own the... 
    Night shift

    Bronco

    San Francisco, CA
    3 days ago
  • $175k - $225k

     ...Founding Full-Stack Software Engineer (React / Node.js / NestJS / PostgreSQL) Carma Technologies, Inc. Base pay range: $175,000.00/yr - $225,000.00/yr Equity: 2.00% — 3.00% Location: San Francisco (In-Person) Job Type: Full-time Department: Engineering... 
    Full time
    Work at office
    Remote work

    CARMA INC

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  •  ...Founding Senior Software Engineer (SF In-Person Preferred) About Hyperscale Hyperscale is building the AI-native intelligence layer for physical operations, starting with trucking carriers. We are a team of ex-Samsara engineers and fleet operators automating the... 

    Hyperscale Systems, Inc

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  •  ...Founding Software Engineer (Mid–Senior Level) Every enterprise spends millions of dollars on Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC). It's one of the most critical, yet universally painful, parts of running a business. For decades, this industry has been dominated by... 
    Work at office
    Relocation package
    Flexible hours

    Zania, Inc

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  •  ...pioneering aviation technology company in San Francisco seeks a founding engineer to build and scale their innovative AI platform for aviation...  ...and military operators. Applicants should have significant software engineering experience, particularly in cloud infrastructure... 

    Flynavi

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  • $175k - $250k

    Kindredventures is seeking a Founding Software Engineer in San Francisco to help build cutting-edge AI tools. You'll define core architecture and work directly with customers to deliver exceptional user experiences. The role requires proficiency in TypeScript, React, and... 

    Kindredventures

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  • A leading tech recruiting firm in San Francisco is seeking a Founding Software Engineer for an early-stage AI & LLM startup. You will contribute to innovative technology development using Python and web frameworks like Django. The ideal candidate should have over 3 years... 

    HMBL

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  • $200k

     ...Most agents today are for coding, but 99% of the world aren’t engineers. At SellScale, we’re building AI Agents for non-technical people...  ...to join a startup as one of the first N employees as a founding engineer. Benefits 1-3% equity : there are few other jobs giving... 
    Work experience placement

    PetsApp

    San Francisco, CA
    3 days ago
  • Founding Software Engineer - TruTec About TruTec TruTec is an AI-powered construction takeoff platform that is revolutionizing a $17 billion industry . We automate the tedious, manual process of site measurement and material estimation—turning hours or days of work into... 
    For contractors
    Internship

    Pear VC

    San Francisco, CA
    2 days ago
  • $160k - $300k

     ...technology, Lance agents integrate seamlessly with existing hotel software to make real-time decisions and efficiently manage complex...  .... Role Description This is a full-time on-site role for a Founding Engineer based in San Francisco, CA. The Founding Engineer will be... 
    Full time

    Lance , Inc.

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  •  ...in production. Our founder Obaid Khan co-founded Motive — scaled it to $350M+ in revenue...  ...problem. You'll work on all three. Set the engineering bar. Early team decisions compound —...  ...Looking For 5+ years shipping production software, with meaningful full-stack range (you've... 

    Runbook

    San Francisco, CA
    4 days ago
  • PassFort is seeking a Founding Software Engineer based in the Bay Area or New York City. In this role, you will help build a mobile and web app focused on improving government welfare systems. You must be skilled in React and have experience with AWS. The position offers... 

    PassFort

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  •  ...many fronts and it's time to go faster. Role Description As a founding engineer, you won’t just write code — you’ll help shape product,...  ...technical stack, direction, and vision. This is a full-time Software Engineering role. The current team is in San Francisco, and... 
    Full time

    Multiply

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago
  • $175k - $250k

    Founding Software Engineer About Scorecard Scorecard is building the leading evaluation and development platform for AI agents. Our mission is to empower cross-functional teams to ship AI products they can trust from prototype to production. We enable industry-leading... 
    Work at office
    Day shift

    Kindredventures

    San Francisco, CA
    17 hours ago

Do you want to receive more vacancies?

Subscribe and receive similar vacancies to Founding Software Engineer. Be the first to apply!