San Francisco, CA · On-site
$140K - $180K/yr
About the Role Join a small, high-velocity founding team as engineer #4, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers at an AI-powered talent acquisition startup in San Francisco. This ...
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San Francisco, CA · On-site
$140K - $180K/yr
About the Role Join a small, high-velocity founding team as engineer #4, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers at an AI-powered talent acquisition startup in San Francisco. This ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site +1
Founding Engineer Job title: Founding Engineer Location: San Francisco, CA (in-person only, relocation available) About the Company They help speech, occupational, and physical therapists build their ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site +1
Founding Engineer Job title: Founding Engineer Location: San Francisco, CA (in-person only, relocation available) About the Company They help speech, occupational, and physical therapists build their ...
Founding Engineer - FrontEnd We're looking for frontend engineers. We prioritize learning over all. You must show a clear trajectory of growth. You will be more than a founding engineer; you'll be ...
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Founding Engineer - FrontEnd We're looking for frontend engineers. We prioritize learning over all. You must show a clear trajectory of growth. You will be more than a founding engineer; you'll be ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
About the Role We are looking for a Founding Engineer to join our early-stage team. This is a ground-floor opportunity to help shape the technical foundation of a growing company, working closely ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
About the Role We are looking for a Founding Engineer to join our early-stage team. This is a ground-floor opportunity to help shape the technical foundation of a growing company, working closely ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$180K - $220K/yr
Founding Engineer (Frontend) We're looking for frontend engineers. We prioritize learning over all. You must show a clear trajectory of growth. You will be more than a founding engineer; you'll be ...
Quick apply
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$180K - $220K/yr
Founding Engineer (Frontend) We're looking for frontend engineers. We prioritize learning over all. You must show a clear trajectory of growth. You will be more than a founding engineer; you'll be ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$160K - $270K/yr
About the Role A seed-stage AI infrastructure company is hiring 2-3 Founding Engineers to work on the core of a graph-native context and memory platform purpose-built for AI agents. This is not a ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$160K - $270K/yr
About the Role A seed-stage AI infrastructure company is hiring 2-3 Founding Engineers to work on the core of a graph-native context and memory platform purpose-built for AI agents. This is not a ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
About the Role We are looking for a Founding Engineer to join our early-stage team. This is a ground-floor opportunity to help shape the technical foundation of a growing company, working closely ...
Quick apply
San Francisco, CA · On-site
About the Role We are looking for a Founding Engineer to join our early-stage team. This is a ground-floor opportunity to help shape the technical foundation of a growing company, working closely ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$160K - $270K/yr
About the Role A seed-stage AI infrastructure company is hiring 2-3 Founding Engineers to work on the core of a graph-native context and memory platform purpose-built for AI agents. This is not a ...
Quick apply
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$160K - $270K/yr
About the Role A seed-stage AI infrastructure company is hiring 2-3 Founding Engineers to work on the core of a graph-native context and memory platform purpose-built for AI agents. This is not a ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
The Opportunity EQL Tech is partnering with PhormAI to hire an exceptional Founding Engineer to join its team as the company builds Darwin, its Physical AI platform for Health & Wellness, into the ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
The Opportunity EQL Tech is partnering with PhormAI to hire an exceptional Founding Engineer to join its team as the company builds Darwin, its Physical AI platform for Health & Wellness, into the ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$180K - $220K/yr
You will be more than a founding engineer; you'll be deeply integrated into the founding team, and help make strategic decisions that will shape the company. This is a unique opportunity to join 0-1 ...
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San Francisco, CA · On-site
$180K - $220K/yr
You will be more than a founding engineer; you'll be deeply integrated into the founding team, and help make strategic decisions that will shape the company. This is a unique opportunity to join 0-1 ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$175K - $225K/yr
About the Role This is a rare, high-impact founding engineer position at an early-stage consumer AI startup building a real-time, AI-enabled platform to digitize human connection. You'll work ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$175K - $225K/yr
About the Role This is a rare, high-impact founding engineer position at an early-stage consumer AI startup building a real-time, AI-enabled platform to digitize human connection. You'll work ...
$180K - $220K/yr
You will be more than a founding engineer; you'll be deeply integrated into the founding team, and help make strategic decisions that will shape the company. This is a unique opportunity to join 0-1 ...
Quick apply
$180K - $220K/yr
You will be more than a founding engineer; you'll be deeply integrated into the founding team, and help make strategic decisions that will shape the company. This is a unique opportunity to join 0-1 ...
Bodega Bay, CA · On-site
Founding Engineer (Full Stack) Location: San Francisco Bay Area Type: Full-Time Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity (founding tier) Backed by 8VC, we're building a world-class team ...
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Bodega Bay, CA · On-site
Founding Engineer (Full Stack) Location: San Francisco Bay Area Type: Full-Time Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity (founding tier) Backed by 8VC, we're building a world-class team ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$200K - $300K/yr
About the Role A fast-moving, early-stage startup in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer to join as one of the first technical hires. This is a rare opportunity to work directly with the ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$200K - $300K/yr
About the Role A fast-moving, early-stage startup in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer to join as one of the first technical hires. This is a rare opportunity to work directly with the ...
$160K - $220K/yr
AI advertising / consumer AI The Role A Founding Engineer who can blend backend, ML, and traditional system design / infrastructure -- a high-agency, high-slope builder, not a candidate filtered ...
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$160K - $220K/yr
AI advertising / consumer AI The Role A Founding Engineer who can blend backend, ML, and traditional system design / infrastructure -- a high-agency, high-slope builder, not a candidate filtered ...
$125K - $175K/yr
Founding Engineer - GovTech Location: San Francisco, CA (In-Office) Partnership: EQL Tech has been exclusively retained by a high-growth technology startup to appoint a Founding Engineer to build ...
$125K - $175K/yr
Founding Engineer - GovTech Location: San Francisco, CA (In-Office) Partnership: EQL Tech has been exclusively retained by a high-growth technology startup to appoint a Founding Engineer to build ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
The Opportunity EQL Tech is partnering with PhormAI to hire an exceptional Founding Engineer to join its team as the company builds Darwin, its Physical AI platform for Health & Wellness, into the ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
The Opportunity EQL Tech is partnering with PhormAI to hire an exceptional Founding Engineer to join its team as the company builds Darwin, its Physical AI platform for Health & Wellness, into the ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$175K - $225K/yr
About the Role This is a rare, high-impact founding engineer position at an early-stage consumer AI startup building a real-time, AI-enabled platform to digitize human connection. You'll work ...
Quick apply
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$175K - $225K/yr
About the Role This is a rare, high-impact founding engineer position at an early-stage consumer AI startup building a real-time, AI-enabled platform to digitize human connection. You'll work ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$125K - $175K/yr
Founding Engineer - GovTech Location: San Francisco, CA (In-Office) Partnership: EQL Tech has been exclusively retained by a high-growth technology startup to appoint a Founding Engineer to build ...
Quick apply
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$125K - $175K/yr
Founding Engineer - GovTech Location: San Francisco, CA (In-Office) Partnership: EQL Tech has been exclusively retained by a high-growth technology startup to appoint a Founding Engineer to build ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$97K - $129K/yr
About the Role Join a pre-seed AI startup as Engineer #4 on the founding team, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers. This is a high-ownership, fast-paced role where you'll ship ...
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San Francisco, CA · On-site
$97K - $129K/yr
About the Role Join a pre-seed AI startup as Engineer #4 on the founding team, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers. This is a high-ownership, fast-paced role where you'll ship ...
$29.6K - $37.5K
2% of jobs
$37.5K - $45.4K
10% of jobs
$50.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$45.4K - $53.3K
20% of jobs
$53.3K - $61.2K
13% of jobs
The median wage is $63.2K / yr.
$61.2K - $69.1K
21% of jobs
$74.2K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$69.1K - $77K
14% of jobs
$77K - $84.9K
7% of jobs
$84.9K - $92.8K
5% of jobs
$92.8K - $100.7K
3% of jobs
$100.7K - $108.6K
2% of jobs
$108.6K - $116.5K
2% of jobs
$29.6K
$68.5K
$116.5K
As a Founding Engineer, you’ll often be tasked with building a product from the ground up while balancing rapid development with long-term technical vision. Resource constraints and evolving product requirements can require creative problem-solving and the ability to prioritize effectively. You’ll work closely with the founding team, making pivotal decisions that shape both technology and culture, so adaptability and a hands-on approach are important. While the environment can be demanding and ambiguous, it also offers unique opportunities to learn, take ownership, and have a major impact on the success of the company.
A Founding Engineer is one of the first technical hires at a startup, responsible for building the company's core products and setting the foundation for its technology stack. They work closely with the founders, making key architectural decisions, writing production-ready code, and often wearing multiple hats across engineering, product, and strategy. This role requires a mix of deep technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and adaptability to thrive in a fast-paced, early-stage environment.
To thrive as a Founding Engineer, you need deep expertise in software development, system architecture, and product design, typically backed by experience with startups or building products from scratch. Familiarity with modern programming languages, cloud platforms, and agile tools such as Git, AWS, and Jira is often essential. Exceptional problem-solving, strong ownership mentality, and the ability to communicate clearly in fast-paced, unstructured environments set standout candidates apart. These skills are crucial because Founding Engineers must quickly turn vision into reality, adapt to changing needs, and help establish the technical foundation of a new company.
$140K - $180K/yr
Other
Posted 4 days ago
Join a small, high-velocity founding team as engineer #4, working directly with the CTO and fellow founding engineers at an AI-powered talent acquisition startup in San Francisco. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role where you'll ship features to production daily and drive entire product areas from concept to deployment.
The company is building fully agentic systems that automate complex recruiting and talent-matching workflows — technically ambitious, fast-paced, and high-impact work at the intersection of AI and HR tech.
What You'll DoRequired:
Nice to Have:
This is a fully on-site role based in San Francisco, CA. The team works out of a shared hackerhouse setup — ideal for candidates who thrive in a close-knit, in-person founding environment.