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Founding Ai Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Uplane

Founding AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About The Role We're seeking a highly skilled and proactive AI Software Engineer to join our team full-time, on-site in San Francisco. This role offers an excellent chance to take full ownership of ...

Uplane

Founding AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA

About The Role We're seeking a highly skilled and proactive AI Software Engineer to join our team full-time, on-site in San Francisco. This role offers an excellent chance to take full ownership of ...

Concourse

Founding AI & ML Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

About the Role We're hiring a Founding AI & ML Engineer to play a key role in the engineering behind our AI agents and define how finance teams interact with LLMs at scale. Your mission is to build ...

Gitwit

Founding AI Systems Engineer, Yask

Bentonville, AR · On-site

$170K - $195K/yr

Founding AI Systems Engineer, Yask Department: Gitwit Employment Type: Full Time Location: Bentonville, AR Compensation: $170,000 - $195,000 / year Description Build the Adaptive Intelligence Behind ...

Gitwit

Founding AI Systems Engineer, Yask

Bentonville, AR · On-site

$170K - $195K/yr

... engineer who turns a promising AI prototype into a production-ready, adaptive, agent-native platform. What You'll Actually Need to Do This is a founding, hands-on role. In practice, that means:

De Circle

Rengo AI - AI Engineer

New York, NY · On-site +1

$125K - $150K/yr

The Role As a Founding AI Engineer , you will build the core system that powers AI-driven portfolio monitoring for institutional investors . You will design systems that continuously: * ingest ...

Gitwit

Mechro Founding Applied AI Engineer

Tulsa, OK · On-site

$165K - $190K/yr

Mechro Founding Applied AI Engineer Department: Mechro Employment Type: Full Time Location: Tulsa, OK Compensation: $165,000 - $190,000 / year Description Build the AI Troubleshooting Engine That ...

Revic AI

Founding GTM AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

As Revic's Founding GTM AI Engineer, you will work directly with Revic's CEO, Head of Revenue, and Head of Engineering to design and build the systems that translate real customer conversations and ...

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All JobsFounding Ai Engineer Jobs

Founding Ai Engineer information

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$25

$53

$76

How much do founding ai engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 12, 2026, the average hourly pay for founding ai engineer in the United States is $53.63, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $43.27 and $62.26 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 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 are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Founding AI Engineer, and why are they important?

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 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.

More about Founding Ai Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Founding Ai Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Founding Ai Engineer job openings:
What states have the most Founding Ai Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Founding Ai Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Founding Ai Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Founding Ai Engineer jobs are:
Founding Ai Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Founding Ai Engineer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 94% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $111,552 per year, or $53.6 per hour.

Founding AI Engineer

Uplane

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted yesterday

Job description

About Uplane (YC F25)
Companies waste billions on bad ads, mismatched landing pages, and poor budget allocation. Uplane fixes this by replacing a patchwork of agencies, spreadsheets, and siloed tools with one self-improving AI system. It creates ads, builds matching landing pages, allocates budgets across different channels, and more. We are building the AI engine that will manage and spend the world's marketing budget.
About The Role
We're seeking a highly skilled and proactive AI Software Engineer to join our team full-time, on-site in San Francisco. This role offers an excellent chance to take full ownership of features from concept to deployment within an early-stage startup setting.
Why Join
  • Be one of the first employees at a well-funded startup
  • Solve a massive problem in a massive market
  • Take ownership and grow quickly
  • Culture: fast-moving, ambitious, fun, humble

Responsibilities
  • Build AI systems with LangGraph: Design, build, and maintain scalable AI systems with LangGraph and TypeScript to create automated marketing campaigns.
  • Design Data Backbone: Work on the data analytics infrastructure that will allow AI agents to get smarter over time.
  • System Architecture: Architect and manage robust database schemas with PostgreSQL and Supabase, ensuring data integrity and performance.
  • Product Ownership: Own projects across the full lifecycle, including concept development, implementation, deployment, and ongoing maintenance.
  • User-Centric Design: Apply sound product and design judgment to build user-centric software features aligned with current market and customer needs.
  • Collaboration: Collaborate closely with the operations team and customers via Slack and Notion to ensure technical solutions are aligned with user requirements.

Requirements
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related quantitative/engineering field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • Minimum of 3 years full-time experience in software engineering, data science, or applied machine learning.
  • Strong desire to work with data and numbers, and advanced understanding of machine learning, data science, and statistics.
  • Backend Expertise: Strong backend development skills and experience with PostgreSQL or relational databases.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently.
  • Based in or willing to relocate to San Francisco; on-site presence required (Visa sponsorship will be provided if needed).

Nice to Have
  • Worked in a startup or similar fast-paced environment.
  • Frontend Expertise: Proficiency in building responsive frontends using React/Next or Vue.js and the Nuxt framework.
  • Experience in working with LangGraph, LangChain and TypeScript.
  • Strong creative judgment with a sense for marketing.

Tech Stack
  • Frontend: Vue.js, Nuxt
  • Backend: Node.js, TypeScript, Inngest
  • AI Agents: LangGraph
  • Database: PostgreSQL (Supabase)
  • Infrastructure: Render, Inngest
  • Enterprise Cloud: Microsoft Azure (Dedicated Deployments)
  • Collaboration: Linear, GitHub, Slack, Notion

Apply