San Francisco, CA · On-site
$150K - $220K/yr
About the Role A seed-funded B2B SaaS startup in the people-data and AI agents space is looking for a high-agency Founding Engineer to build core agent infrastructure and help scale the platform ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$150K - $220K/yr
About the Role A seed-funded B2B SaaS startup in the people-data and AI agents space is looking for a high-agency Founding Engineer to build core agent infrastructure and help scale the platform ...
New York, NY · On-site
$125K - $175K/yr
This is a founding engineering role focused on backend and infrastructure, and it carries three of the company's hardest deliverables. * Stand up the production systems. Build the scalable systems ...
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New York, NY · On-site
$125K - $175K/yr
This is a founding engineering role focused on backend and infrastructure, and it carries three of the company's hardest deliverables. * Stand up the production systems. Build the scalable systems ...
New York, NY · Hybrid
$120K - $180K/yr
Founding Engineer Package: $120k - $180k + equity Location: New York City (3 days per week in office) Launchpad Recruitment are partnering with a high-growth, VC-backed (GV & YC) AI-native investment ...
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New York, NY · Hybrid
$120K - $180K/yr
Founding Engineer Package: $120k - $180k + equity Location: New York City (3 days per week in office) Launchpad Recruitment are partnering with a high-growth, VC-backed (GV & YC) AI-native investment ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
As a Founding Engineer, you will play a crucial role in developing new features, gathering user feedback, and enhancing the company's AI infrastructure while collaborating closely with the CEO and ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
As a Founding Engineer, you will play a crucial role in developing new features, gathering user feedback, and enhancing the company's AI infrastructure while collaborating closely with the CEO and ...
They are seeking a Founding Engineer with backend and infrastructure focus to architect systems for agents as the end users. Responsibilities : • Design APIs that are intuitive for both humans and ...
They are seeking a Founding Engineer with backend and infrastructure focus to architect systems for agents as the end users. Responsibilities : • Design APIs that are intuitive for both humans and ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$140K - $200K/yr
You'll be our founding engineer, with an outsized role in how the product, company, and engineering culture evolve. You'll write code, but you'll also: * Talk to customers and join pilot calls * Turn ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$140K - $200K/yr
You'll be our founding engineer, with an outsized role in how the product, company, and engineering culture evolve. You'll write code, but you'll also: * Talk to customers and join pilot calls * Turn ...
New York, NY · Remote
$137K - $190K/yr
About the Role This is a founding engineering role at an a16z-backed AI startup building go-to-market automation tools for sales and marketing teams. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with the ...
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New York, NY · Remote
$137K - $190K/yr
About the Role This is a founding engineering role at an a16z-backed AI startup building go-to-market automation tools for sales and marketing teams. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with the ...
$132K/yr
They are seeking a Founding Engineer to own and ship new features, integrate with partners, and help shape the engineering culture as they expand their team to meet growing demand. Responsibilities ...
$132K/yr
They are seeking a Founding Engineer to own and ship new features, integrate with partners, and help shape the engineering culture as they expand their team to meet growing demand. Responsibilities ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$150 - $250/hr
THE OPPORTUNITY Hedge is hiring a founding engineer to turn complex commercial insurance workflows into software that feels simple, fast, and trustworthy. You will work across product, data ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$150 - $250/hr
THE OPPORTUNITY Hedge is hiring a founding engineer to turn complex commercial insurance workflows into software that feels simple, fast, and trustworthy. You will work across product, data ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$165K - $190K/yr
True founding-engineer ownership: own your product streams and customer relationships from week one, with a clear path to leading your own engineering team as the company grows. The Role Join as one ...
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San Francisco, CA · On-site
$165K - $190K/yr
True founding-engineer ownership: own your product streams and customer relationships from week one, with a clear path to leading your own engineering team as the company grows. The Role Join as one ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
The Founding Engineer will design and implement scalable backend systems, develop REST APIs, and collaborate with teams to integrate machine learning models into production. Responsibilities : • ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
The Founding Engineer will design and implement scalable backend systems, develop REST APIs, and collaborate with teams to integrate machine learning models into production. Responsibilities : • ...
New York, NY · On-site
The Role We're looking for a founding engineer who can move fast across the stack and go deep when the problem demands it. Early on, the work will be varied: one week you might ship a scrappy 0-to-1 ...
New York, NY · On-site
The Role We're looking for a founding engineer who can move fast across the stack and go deep when the problem demands it. Early on, the work will be varied: one week you might ship a scrappy 0-to-1 ...
San Francisco, CA · Hybrid
$160K - $200K/yr
Founded 2024 · ~12 people · Industry: B2B SaaS, AI, Fintech The Role As a Founding Engineer, you would join a small, product-minded engineering team and own core features end-to-end for a fast ...
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San Francisco, CA · Hybrid
$160K - $200K/yr
Founded 2024 · ~12 people · Industry: B2B SaaS, AI, Fintech The Role As a Founding Engineer, you would join a small, product-minded engineering team and own core features end-to-end for a fast ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$150K - $200K/yr
About the Role We're looking for a founding engineer to own the software at the center of Taya: the app people open every day to capture, search, and relive their memories. We have a working iOS app ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$150K - $200K/yr
About the Role We're looking for a founding engineer to own the software at the center of Taya: the app people open every day to capture, search, and relive their memories. We have a working iOS app ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
As a Founding Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and deploying scalable backend systems and microservices that form the backbone of our AI solutions. Responsibilities : • ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
As a Founding Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and deploying scalable backend systems and microservices that form the backbone of our AI solutions. Responsibilities : • ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$150K - $300K/yr
We are hiring a Founding Engineer to become the company's first technical hire and build the product from prototype through MVP launch. You will own the architecture, stack, and technical standards ...
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San Francisco, CA · On-site
$150K - $300K/yr
We are hiring a Founding Engineer to become the company's first technical hire and build the product from prototype through MVP launch. You will own the architecture, stack, and technical standards ...
New York, NY · On-site
$150K - $300K/yr
We are hiring a Founding Engineer to become the company's first technical hire and build the product from prototype through MVP launch. You will own the architecture, stack, and technical standards ...
New York, NY · On-site
$150K - $300K/yr
We are hiring a Founding Engineer to become the company's first technical hire and build the product from prototype through MVP launch. You will own the architecture, stack, and technical standards ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$120 - $180/hr
The role We are hiring a Founding Engineer to be the tip of the spear for turning Worktrace AI's ambitious product vision into reality. In this role, you will be a key part of the founding team ...
San Francisco, CA · On-site
$120 - $180/hr
The role We are hiring a Founding Engineer to be the tip of the spear for turning Worktrace AI's ambitious product vision into reality. In this role, you will be a key part of the founding team ...
New York, NY · On-site
$150K - $300K/yr
We are hiring a Founding Engineer to become the company's first technical hire and build the product from prototype through MVP launch. You will own the architecture, stack, and technical standards ...
Quick apply
New York, NY · On-site
$150K - $300K/yr
We are hiring a Founding Engineer to become the company's first technical hire and build the product from prototype through MVP launch. You will own the architecture, stack, and technical standards ...
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
$94K - $127K/yr
Role Description As a Founding Engineer, you'll help shape both our product and our company. You'll work closely with the founders to design architecture, ship features, and define the product vision.
Palo Alto, CA · On-site
$94K - $127K/yr
Role Description As a Founding Engineer, you'll help shape both our product and our company. You'll work closely with the founders to design architecture, ship features, and define the product vision.
$30K - $38K
2% of jobs
$38K - $46K
10% of jobs
$51.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$46K - $54K
20% of jobs
$54K - $62K
13% of jobs
The median wage is $64K / yr.
$62K - $70K
21% of jobs
$75.2K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$70K - $78K
14% of jobs
$78K - $86K
7% of jobs
$86K - $94K
5% of jobs
$94K - $102K
3% of jobs
$102K - $110K
2% of jobs
$110K - $118K
2% of jobs
$30K
$69.4K
$118K
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.
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.
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.
Cities with the most Founding Engineer job openings:
The most popular types of Founding Engineer jobs are:
States with the most job openings for Founding Engineer jobs include:
The top searched job categories for Founding Engineer jobs are:
Sourced by ZipRecruiter
