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Founding Ai Engineer Jobs in Portland, OR (NOW HIRING)

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Founding Ai Engineer information

See Portland, OR salary details

$27

$56

$81

How much do founding ai engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 28, 2026, the average hourly pay for founding ai engineer in Portland, OR is $56.88, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $45.87 and $66.01 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a founding AI engineer?

A Founding AI Engineer is an early member of a startup's technical team, responsible for designing, building, and implementing artificial intelligence systems that form the core of the company's product or service. This role often involves working closely with company founders to set technical direction, make key architectural decisions, and develop scalable machine learning solutions from the ground up. Founding AI Engineers are expected to wear multiple hats, contribute to both research and engineering efforts, and help establish best practices as the company grows. They play a crucial role in shaping the company's technology culture and long-term vision.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a founding AI engineer?

To thrive as a Founding AI Engineer, you need deep expertise in machine learning, software engineering, and algorithm development, typically supported by an advanced degree in computer science or a related field. Proficiency with frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch, cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP), and version control systems is essential, along with experience deploying AI models to production. Strong problem-solving, adaptability, and entrepreneurial mindset distinguish top performers in this role. These skills are vital for building innovative AI solutions from the ground up, shaping product direction, and driving early-stage company success.

What are some unique challenges a founding AI engineer might face in an early-stage startup environment?

As a Founding AI Engineer in a startup, you'll often be responsible for both building core AI systems and setting up foundational engineering practices. Unique challenges include balancing rapid prototyping with long-term scalability, working with limited resources, and defining the technical roadmap alongside product priorities. You'll likely collaborate closely with founders, product managers, and sometimes even customers, making adaptability and strong communication essential. This role offers significant autonomy but also requires comfort with ambiguity and frequent shifts in direction as the company grows.

What is the difference between Founding Ai Engineer vs AI Engineer?

AspectFounding Ai EngineerAI Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, AI, or related fields; experience in AI developmentBachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, AI, or related fields; experience in AI development
Work EnvironmentStartup or early-stage company, often in a founding or core team roleEstablished companies, tech firms, or startups with ongoing AI projects
Employer & Industry UsageFounding AI roles are common in startups and new venturesWidely used across industries including tech, finance, healthcare, and more

The main difference is that a Founding AI Engineer is typically an early team member in a startup, often involved in shaping the company's AI strategy from the ground up, whereas an AI Engineer generally works within established organizations on ongoing AI projects. Both roles require similar technical credentials but differ in scope, environment, and level of responsibility.

What are popular job titles related to Founding Ai Engineer jobs in Portland, OR?

For Founding Ai Engineer jobs in Portland, OR, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Founding Ai Engineer jobs in Portland, OR look for?

The top searched job categories for Founding Ai Engineer jobs in Portland, OR are:

Founding Ai Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Founding Ai Engineer job openings in Portland, OR as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 76% Full Time, 20% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 70% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 26% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $118,104 per year, or $56.8 per hour.

Founding Account Executive (AI Cloud)

Vancouver, WA • On-site, Remote

Featherless AI
See more jobs at Featherless AIexternal

Full-time

Re-posted 15 days ago

Job description

About Featherless
Featherless.ai is building the world's most reliable open-model inference platform - a serverless foundation for deploying and scaling AI without infrastructure overhead.
Backed by AMD, Airbus Ventures, 500 Global, Kickstart Ventures, HF0 Residency, Panache Ventures, and Oakseed Ventures, we're a well-funded team of researchers and engineers on a mission to democratize AI through performance and accessibility.
Our cloud provides instant access to 40,000+ open-source AI models and the research innovations powering next-generation efficiency, reliability, and model optimization.
About the Role
We're looking for an experienced Account Executive (AI Cloud) - someone who owns deals end-to-end, builds lasting relationships with technical buyers, and thrives in the early-stage chaos of a fast-moving AI company.
This is a full-cycle sales role. You'll carry quota, close enterprise and scale-up deals, and help shape the commercial motion at a company that's redefining how AI teams deploy open-source models. You'll work directly with the CRO and founders, engage deeply with developers, ML engineers, and CTOs, and play a central role in building a repeatable GTM engine.
If you're a self-starter who loves technical sales, enjoys working at the frontier of AI infrastructure, and wants outsized impact and ownership at a Series A company - this is for you.
What You'll Own Immediately
  • Build and close a pipeline of scale-up and high-growth startup accounts
  • Own deals from first contact through signed contract - discovery, demo, proposal, negotiation, close
  • Build and maintain executive-level relationships with CTOs, ML leads, and infrastructure decision-makers
  • Work with the CRO to refine acquisition and expansion playbooks
  • Partner with BDR and DevRel on pipeline generation
  • Maintain CRM rigor and deliver accurate forecasting and pipeline reporting
  • Represent Featherless at industry events and conferences to generate and advance deals
Core Responsibilities
  • Run full-cycle sales across mid-market and enterprise segments
  • Lead high-quality discovery and technical demo calls tailored to each buyer's stack and use case
  • Develop custom proposals and business cases that connect model inference needs to Featherless capabilities
  • Negotiate and close complex, multi-stakeholder deals
  • Expand revenue within existing accounts - identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities
  • Use AI tools extensively to automate research, outreach personalization, and workflow efficiency
  • Maintain clean CRM hygiene in HubSpot - all activity logged, pipeline stages accurate
  • Collaborate with product and engineering to share feedback from the field
  • Mentor BDRs and help define what great pipeline looks like
What You Bring
  • 3-6 years in a closing role in Cloud Infrastructure, MLOps, or AI/developer tooling
  • Proven track record closing deals with technical buyers (developers, ML engineers, CTOs)
  • Comfortable navigating multi-stakeholder enterprise sales cycles
  • Strong written and verbal communication - concise, credible, technically literate
  • Entrepreneurial and self-driven - you build your own process and don't wait for a playbook
  • Disciplined forecaster with clean CRM habits and a data-driven approach to pipeline management
  • Familiar with HubSpot, Clay, Claude/ChatGPT or equivalent tools
Why Featherless
  • Build out the AE function at a company growing in one of the fastest-moving spaces in AI
  • Work directly with the CRO - your wins shape the company's trajectory
  • Be part of a small, high-performing team making open weight AI accessible to everyone
  • Competitive base + commission

Apply