Senior AI Engineer - LLMs & Backend Systems (San Francisco)

Overview

Job Title: Founding AI Engineer

Location: San Francisco, CA (On-site; relocation assistance available)

Compensation: $200,000–$400,000 + 0.5%–3% equity

Visa: Sponsorship available for most types

About the Role

We’re hiring a Founding AI Engineer to join our startup’s core team. We are seeking a Founding AI Engineer to help design, build, and launch a multi-agent AI system that will redefine the future of talent evaluation. You’ll join at a pivotal growth stage — our AI-powered platform already serves millions of users and generates strong recurring revenue. This is an opportunity to make a massive impact on both the product and company trajectory from day one.

We’re looking for a builder at heart who thrives in fast-moving environments, takes ownership, and can ship production-ready AI products. You should be equally skilled at architecting large-scale backend systems, fine-tuning LLM-driven workflows, and delivering features that impact millions of users.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and scale production AI agents and workflows from 0 → 1 .
• Architect large-scale backend systems using Python and TypeScript .
• Ship high-impact features quickly, with full ownership of your work.
• Leverage AI coding tools (e.g., Cursor , Cloud Code ) to accelerate delivery.
• Collaborate directly with founders to shape technical and product direction.

Requirements

• 2–8 years of software engineering experience, including shipped large-scale LLM/agent systems .
• Experience as a founder, founding engineer, or early engineer at a Seed–Series B startup.
• Some large-tech experience working on complex, scalable systems.
• Strong skills in Python, TypeScript, infrastructure , and LLM/agent system design .
• Strong communication skills to explain technical trade-offs.
• Proven builder DNA — hackathon wins, notable open-source contributions, or personal projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, AI, or a related technical field from a top-tier institution .
• Track record of successfully delivering products at scale in AI or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience using AI developer tools to enhance productivity.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary ($200k–$400k) + generous equity (0.5%–3%).
• Visa sponsorship available for most types.
• Relocation assistance to San Francisco.
• Opportunity to define technical strategy and shape a product used by millions.
• Work in a high-growth, venture-backed environment with a culture of rapid innovation.

Apply

Apply today by filling out the application. Please contact Imani Tolbér at View email address on apply.placed-app.com for immediate consideration.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $200,000.00 - $400,000.00 per year

Benefits (Additional)

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Education

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience

• software engineering: 2 years (Required)
• Python: 2 years (Required)
• TypeScript: 2 years (Required)
• System design: 2 years (Required)

Ability to Commute

• San Francisco, CA 94114 (Required)

Ability to Relocate

• San Francisco, CA 94114: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location

In person