ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Founding Engineer Jobs in Texas (NOW HIRING)

a16z speedrun

Founding Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

We are hiring a Founding Engineer to build and scale the systems that power Maestro - in person, in Austin. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, product, and operations. You will work ...

New

AI Talent Now

Full Stack Engineer

Fort Worth, TX · On-site

$120 - $160/hr

Early‑stage or founding engineer at a startup that scaled (employee #5-20 range) * Production experience with JS/TS and Python -- core stack, non‑negotiable * Built agentic systems with ...

Datalinx AI

Senior Full-Stack Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

As a founding engineer, you will design, develop, and implement end-to-end data and AI solutions that integrate robust data connectors with intelligent systems to support client business outcomes.

NxT Level

Full-Stack Engineer

Austin, TX

Partner closely with the founding team to move quickly from idea to shipped product * Help define the engineering culture, AI-native development standards, and platform architecture What We're ...

Clera

Founding Forward Deployed Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$110 - $135/hr

With strong month‑over‑month revenue growth and a rapidly expanding US customer base, the team is hiring its first technical hire on the ground in the US : a Founding Forward Deployed Engineer ...

NxT Level

Full-Stack Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

Partner closely with the founding team to move quickly from idea to shipped product * Help define the engineering culture, AI-native development standards, and platform architecture What We're ...

NxT Level

Full-Stack Engineer

Austin, TX

Partner closely with the founding team to move quickly from idea to shipped product * Help define the engineering culture, AI-native development standards, and platform architecture What We're ...

Career Launch

Founding Backend Engineer

Dallas, TX · On-site

$120 - $170/hr

THE ROLE As a Founding Backend Engineer, you may work on projects that require strong execution, communication, analytical judgment, and the ability to move quickly in ambiguous environments. This ...

Career Launch

Founding Backend Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$120 - $180/hr

THE ROLE As a Founding Backend Engineer, you may work on projects that require strong execution, communication, analytical judgment, and the ability to move quickly in ambiguous environments. This ...

Career Launch

Founding Product Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$90 - $130/hr

THE ROLE As a Founding Product Engineer, you may work on projects that require strong execution, communication, analytical judgment, and the ability to move quickly in ambiguous environments. This ...

Career Launch

Founding Backend Engineer

Houston, TX · On-site

$110 - $165/hr

THE ROLE As a Founding Backend Engineer, you may work on projects that require strong execution, communication, analytical judgment, and the ability to move quickly in ambiguous environments. This ...

Boom

Founding Security Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

They are seeking a Founding Security Engineer to enhance their security posture, manage compliance efforts, and collaborate with engineering teams to integrate security into their product development ...

Withacclaim

Founding Software Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$140 - $210/hr

About the role We're looking for a Founding Software Engineer to help build the core platform powering global insurance payments. You'll own features from concept through production, influence ...

Career Launch

Founding AI & Cloud Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$120 - $180/hr

THE ROLE As a Founding AI & Cloud Engineer, you may work on projects that require strong execution, communication, analytical judgment, and the ability to move quickly in ambiguous environments. This ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsFounding Engineer JobsFounding Engineer Jobs in Texas

Founding Engineer information

See Texas salary details

$27.9K

$64.6K

$109.9K

How much do founding engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding engineer in Texas is $64,621.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $48,000.00 and $73,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a founding engineer?

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.

What are the biggest challenges a founding engineer typically faces at an early-stage startup?

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.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the founding engineer position, and why are they important?

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.

What are the most commonly searched types of Founding Engineer jobs in Texas?

The most popular types of Founding Engineer jobs in Texas are:

What are popular job titles related to Founding Engineer jobs in Texas?

For Founding Engineer jobs in Texas, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Founding Engineer jobs in Texas look for?

The top searched job categories for Founding Engineer jobs in Texas are:

What cities in Texas are hiring for Founding Engineer jobs?

Cities in Texas with the most Founding Engineer job openings:

Founding Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Founding Engineer job openings in Texas as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, 4% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 88% In-person, 2% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $64,621 per year, or $31.1 per hour.

Founding Engineer

a16z speedrun

Austin, TX • On-site

Full-time

Posted 3 days ago

New

Job description

We are hiring a Founding Engineer to build and scale the systems that power Maestro - in person, in Austin.
This role sits at the intersection of engineering, product, and operations. You will work directly with the Founder and partner closely with Product and Ops to translate real-world operational friction into reliable, AI-enabled software.
This is not a ticket-taking role. This is a builder role.
You will be responsible for shipping the automation, tooling, and AI systems that increase team capacity and improve member experience - and driving them to launch and adoption.
Mission
Maestro is building a high-touch, AI-enabled travel platform for high-net-worth members. We combine human expertise with automation and intelligent systems to deliver exceptional travel experiences - while building operational leverage that allows us to scale sustainably.
As a Founding Engineer, your mission is to turn AI and engineering effort into reliable, scalable systems that actually get used and reduce human work.
We are early, fast-moving, and intentional about who we hire. Every person we bring in meaningfully shapes the company.
The Multiplier Effect
At Maestro, we don't hire to redistribute work; we hire to create exponential leverage. Every hire must bring a unique superpower - whether that's technical judgment, systems thinking, or the ability to solve ambiguous problems under pressure. As a founding engineer, your code is the leverage: the systems you build should let the team do dramatically more without growing headcount linearly.
What You'll Do
  • Ship, debug, and improve production code across the stack - backend, APIs, and AI systems
  • Integrate and operationalize AI workflows (LLMs, orchestration, APIs, automation) that are stable, understandable, and trusted internally
  • Translate ambiguous product and ops needs into working software
  • Prioritize based on measurable business impact, in partnership with product
  • Make pragmatic tradeoffs between speed, quality, and scalability
  • Instrument what you build and track performance in real usage
  • Reduce manual, human-heavy workflows through thoughtful automation
  • Collaborate closely with our offshore engineering team - sharing context, reviewing work, and unblocking one another to keep delivery moving across time zones

You will help us move from "high-touch but manual" to "high-touch and scalable."
We hire for outcomes, not activities. In your first 3-6 months, you will:
  • Ship core AI workflows and integrations that are stable and adopted internally
  • Measurably reduce manual, repetitive operational work through automation
  • Establish reliability in the systems the team depends on daily
  • Ship consistently, with fewer blockers and surprises
  • Create systems that scale as membership grows
The Maestro Core (Universal Competencies)
Regardless of the role, every Maestro team member must embody:
  • High Agency: You find a way over, under, or through obstacles without waiting for permission.
  • Execution Velocity: You move work forward with momentum and intentionality.
  • Judgment: You make smart tradeoffs under uncertainty.
  • Human-Centered Conduct: You treat people like people, even under high pressure.
  • Ownership: You act like it's yours-without being told.
Are You a Stage Fit?
We are an early-stage, high-growth company. This means we value slope over pedigree.
We need productive challengers who:
  • Have thrived in ambiguity and incomplete inputs before - not just tolerated it.
  • Start by doing, not delegating - there are no "pure managers" here.
  • Optimize for leverage before elegance, and ship "good enough" systems that are reliable and adopted.
  • Admit uncertainty and ask for help early to protect team velocity.
  • Take initiative without waiting for perfect clarity.
  • Care about building durable systems, not just shipping features.
Qualifications
Required Experience
  • 4+ years building and shipping production software (full-stack or backend-leaning)
  • Strong technical judgment across backend, APIs, and modern web
  • Hands-on ability to ship, debug, and improve code independently
  • Comfort making speed / quality / scalability tradeoffs at an early stage
  • Demonstrated ownership of outcomes (not just shipping features)
Strongly Preferred
  • Experience building or integrating AI-enabled products (LLMs, orchestration, AI agents, automation, ML systems)
  • Experience increasing operational leverage (reducing manual work, improving capacity)
  • Experience building internal tools, operational systems, or workflow automation
  • Experience working collaboratively with distributed or offshore engineering teams
  • Experience in high-touch service environments (marketplaces, travel, fintech, concierge, logistics, etc.)
  • Comfort with metrics, instrumentation, and reliability practices
  • AI-first workflow - you actively use AI to increase your own and the team's efficiency
Work Model
  • In-person / hybrid role, based in Austin, TX (minimum 3 days/week in-office).
  • In-person collaboration is core to how we work and learn as a team.
Compensation & Growth
  • Competitive salary based on experience, plus meaningful founding-level equity.
  • Equity is structured to align long-term ownership with company growth.
  • Significant room to grow scope and technical leadership as the company scales.
  • Significant opportunity for impact and cross-functional exposure as the company grows.
Why Join Maestro?
  • Founding-Level Ownership from Day One - This is not a feature-factory role. You'll own core systems and technical decisions from the start, and directly influence company direction as one of our earliest engineers.
  • Build at the Inflection Point - We have paying members, real revenue streams, and strong early signal - but we're still small enough for your work to materially shape the company.
  • AI Applied to Real Problems - We use AI as infrastructure - embedded into workflows that increase advisor capacity and improve high-stakes decision-making. This isn't demo AI. It's AI that moves metrics.
  • High-Agency, High-Talent Team - We hire for superpowers. We move fast. We disagree without being disagreeable. You'll work alongside people who take ownership and expect the same.
  • Path to Senior Leadership - This role has meaningful scope and the opportunity to grow into broader technical or engineering leadership as the company scales.
  • Human-Centered Product - We're not building abstract SaaS. We're helping real people plan meaningful travel experiences - where trust, judgment, and service matter.
  • Early-Stage Upside - Competitive compensation with meaningful equity. If we execute well, you share in the value created.
  • In-Person Builder Energy (Austin-Based) - We believe early-stage velocity benefits from being in the room. Tight feedback loops. Fast iteration. Real collaboration.

Apply