Software Engineer

About the job Software Engineer


At 1872 AI, we are transforming industrial manufacturing in the United States by building AI-native factories capable of lights-out production-from CAD to finished part with minimal human input. Our initial focus targets the energy and infrastructure sectors-power generation, grid infrastructure, and compute facilities-where critical supply chain bottlenecks in steel fabrication are limiting growth.

About the Role

You will build the core software platform that powers our factories-the execution systems that coordinate automation, the interfaces operators use on the shop floor, and the portals customers use to place and track orders. You'll work full-stack, from backend services and workflow orchestration to frontend UIs and hardware integrations. You operate with extreme ownership-writing the code, deploying the infrastructure, and debugging the result on the factory floor. You will lean heavily on AI-assisted development to ship full-stack features faster than traditional teams.

Base Qualifications

• Proficiency in multiple programming languages with a proven track record of building and maintaining distributed systems. You know how to build scalable backends (Go or Python) and intuitive frontends (TypeScript or JavaScript).
• Deeply curious about AI-assisted development. You're actively exploring how tools like agentic coding assistants, automated review, and orchestration platforms can help you ship more, faster-without sacrificing quality.
• Solid grasp of SQL and data modeling, plus experience with modern storage mechanisms like object stores (S3, GCS) and durable event queues (Kafka).
• Familiarity with workflow orchestration engines (e.g., Temporal, Airflow) and modeling complex processes as state machines.
• Ability to self-direct and thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience writing software that talks to embedded systems, sensors, or industrial equipment. You are comfortable crossing the boundary between a cloud API and a physical machine.
• Experience maintaining and scaling high-performance CI/CD pipelines in a monorepo environment with Bazel or Buck2.
• Background in building software that supports physical production, logistics, or 3D geometry processing.

Why Join

• You are one of the first employees in the software org. You define the tech stack and the culture.
• The role evolves as we do. Lots of room to grow into leadership, go deep technically, or help spin up new teams as we scale.
• You'll use the latest tools and work with a team that wants to continuously improve.
• We take risks and spend where it counts. The best idea wins.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary + significant early-stage equity.
• Unlimited PTO: We trust you to manage your time and take the breaks you need to stay productive and healthy.
• Paid parental leave: Support for new parents during this important life transition.
• We cover 100% of employees premiums and 80% of your family's premiums through industry-leading medical, dental, and vision coverage to keep you and your family healthy.

This role is based on-site in Cincinnati, OH and is not open to remote work.

1872 AI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to building a diverse team and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. To request a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io.

This position may be subject to a background check in accordance with applicable law. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration.