Founding Software Engineer

Job Description

Founding Software Engineer

Who we are and what we’re building

DMC’s mission is to cut the cycle time from concept to a manufacturable design by 10-100x. Momentum is a software platform we are developing to achieve that goal by changing the shape of the workflow from serial to parallel. We are building this platform alongside real aerospace companies who have some of the world’s hardest problems to solve on critical timelines.

The founder brings 13 years leading hardware development at SpaceX, Relativity, and Lilium. DMC is proving this approach through a NASA SBIR Ignite Phase I program and commercial aerospace and defense work.

The role

This is a full-time founding engineer role with a trial paid working period at the start.

• One-month paid working period, followed by a full-time offer.
• Meaningful equity is part of the expected full-time package.
• Employee number one on the technical side.

You will be the founder's software counterpart who is relentless about building amazing software. The founder brings the product vision, hardware-development experience, and a tight feedback loop about what engineers need. This is a role that operates in an ambiguous chaotic environment and has significant growth potential. 

The role is initially backend-focused, but the product is the unit of work, and front-end and deployment will be required. You will also be responsible for building the AI backbone of the software development process at DMC with the founder and will have significant leeway to build out the agentic coding tools required for us to scale.

Who we're looking for

• Backend depth with whole-product judgment. You have designed and shipped production systems, and you can move from a user problem to a data model, interface, runtime, deployment, and observable result. Python is the main language today but is one of many design decisions we will make together.
• A relentless product builder. You take responsibility for understanding the “forest from the trees”, making forward progress in the presence of ambiguity, and iterating on the product to align with our customer needs.
• Strong product and architecture judgment. You ask whether we are building the right thing before optimizing how we build it. Goal, not task oriented.
• Exceptional use of agentic coding tools. You are at the leading edge of agentic software development. You are producing high-quality software that is operational, understandable, and scales. You have balance the balance of human judgment vs. agent execution. You can clearly communicate and accurately steer the impact of features, fixes, and problems identified by your agents.
• Production experience LLM and agentic systems. You have a deep understanding of how to use, develop, and deploy LLM and agentic systems in mission critical applications.
• Independent ownership and clear communication. You can work directly with a technical founder, turn an incomplete direction into a recommendation, explain tradeoffs in ordinary language, and show working behavior rather than reporting activity.

Nice to have

• Background in a regulated industry such as aerospace, defense, medical technology, or financial technology
• Prior early-stage startup experience

Location and arrangement

• United States-based and a United States citizen.
• Fully remote. Occasional Los Angeles-area meetings are a plus, not a requirement.
• Full time, with flexibility and heavier periods around SBIR and customer milestones.
• Asynchronous daily communication through Slack or a similar tool, three to five short meetings per week, and one weekly written summary.

Compensation

• Base salary: $150,000 to $190,000, depending on experience and the final scope of the role.
• Equity: expected range of 1.0% to 2.0% on a fully diluted basis, normally vesting over four years with a one-year cliff.
• The one-month paid working period will use the monthly equivalent of the agreed base salary.

Engagement terms

• The initial paid working period is a direct agreement with the individual. No staffing agencies or pass-through arrangements.
• The full-time offer will state the employment structure, any benefits, equity terms, and start date in writing.
• No recruiters or agencies. Apply directly.

How to apply

Email View email address on ziprecruiter.com with:

Your GitHub profile, resume, availability, and location.

A one-page brief on one project you personally drove. 

Delivered as: a five minute or less, unedited screen recording showing the product, the relevant code, and one decision you made. 

Covers:

• The problem, your ownership, and the hardest technical decision.
• How you used agentic coding tools, including one failure you caught and how you verified the final work.
• What shipped, who used it, and how long it took.

Use a real project. If it is confidential, sanitize the details while preserving enough technical evidence for us to evaluate your work.