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Founding Full Stack Engineer Jobs in Whitehall, MI

Mechanical Design Engineer

Norton Shores, MI · On-site

$68K - $93K/yr

... stack up analysis, material selection, and design validation. The ideal candidate applies rigorous ... Teams take full ownership of their work from concept through production release, collaborating ...

Mechanical Design Engineer

Norton Shores, MI · On-site

$68K - $93K/yr

... stack up analysis, material selection, and design validation. The ideal candidate applies rigorous ... Teams take full ownership of their work from concept through production release, collaborating ...

Mechanical Design Engineer

Norton Shores, MI · On-site

$68K - $93K/yr

... stack up analysis, material selection, and design validation. The ideal candidate applies rigorous ... Teams take full ownership of their work from concept through production release, collaborating ...

Founding Full Stack Engineer information

See Whitehall, MI salary details

$42.3K

$128.2K

$181.2K

How much do founding full stack engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding full stack engineer in Whitehall, MI is $128,158.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $105,600.00 and $150,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a founding full stack engineer?

A Founding Full Stack Engineer is an early, core technical team member at a startup who is responsible for building both the front-end and back-end of the company's product. This role goes beyond typical engineering, often involving product decisions, architecture design, and collaborating directly with the founders. Founding Full Stack Engineers help shape the company's culture, technical direction, and can have significant equity stake. Their work is crucial in taking the business from idea to launch, often in a fast-paced, resource-limited environment.

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

To thrive as a Founding Full Stack Engineer, you need expertise in both front-end and back-end development, deep knowledge of programming languages like JavaScript, Python, or Ruby, and experience with scalable architectures, often backed by a degree in computer science or equivalent experience. Familiarity with frameworks (React, Node.js, Django), version control systems (Git), cloud platforms (AWS, GCP), and DevOps practices is typically required. Strong problem-solving, initiative, adaptability, and excellent communication distinguish successful candidates, enabling effective collaboration in a startup environment. These skills and qualities are crucial for building robust products rapidly and influencing the company's technical direction from its early stages.

What is the difference between Founding Full Stack Engineer vs Full Stack Engineer?

AspectFounding Full Stack EngineerFull Stack Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires proven full stack development experience, sometimes with startup or early-stage company involvementRequires relevant full stack development skills, often with formal education or certifications
Work EnvironmentEarly-stage startups or founding teams, often wearing multiple hatsEstablished companies or startups, focused on project delivery
Employer & Industry UsageFounding teams, startups, tech entrepreneursTech companies, agencies, startups, corporate IT teams

Founding Full Stack Engineers are key players in early-stage startups, often involved in building core products from scratch and shaping company technology. Full Stack Engineers work across various company sizes, focusing on developing and maintaining applications. The main difference lies in the startup environment and level of involvement in founding the company.

What unique challenges might a founding full stack engineer face when joining an early-stage startup?

As a Founding Full Stack Engineer at an early-stage startup, you'll often balance building core product features with setting up foundational technical infrastructure. This role typically requires wearing multiple hats, from architecting systems and writing code to making critical technology decisions and collaborating closely with non-technical founders. You may encounter challenges such as ambiguous requirements, shifting priorities, and limited resources, but you'll also have significant influence over the company's technical direction. The dynamic environment encourages rapid learning and offers accelerated career growth, particularly for those who thrive in fast-paced, collaborative settings.
What cities near Whitehall, MI are hiring for Founding Full Stack Engineer jobs? Cities near Whitehall, MI with the most Founding Full Stack Engineer job openings:

Mechanical Design Engineer

DISHER

Norton Shores, MI • On-site

$68K - $93K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 4 days ago


Job description

Mechanical Design Engineer – Norton Shores, MIDISHER is partnering with a leading U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of LED lighting solutions to add a Mechanical Design Engineer to their growing team. The Mechanical Design Engineer will contribute to the design and development of high-performance enclosures and housings for machine vision lighting solutions. This role requires a strong command 
of mechanical engineering fundamentals, including design for manufacturing, design of assembly, sealing methodologies, thermal dissipation, tolerance stack up analysis, material selection, and design validation. The ideal candidate applies rigorous critical thinking to every stage of the product 
design process, collaborating with internal engineering teams, manufacturing teams, and external suppliers to deliver reliable, production-ready designs. 
What it’s like to work here

The culture is built on five core values: Own It, Lift Others, Build Together, Do the Right Thing, and Raise the Bar. Teams take full ownership of their work from concept through production release, collaborating closely across mechanical, electrical, optical, firmware, test, manufacturing, and quality disciplines to deliver integrated, manufacturable products. Work is hands-on and practical and engineers build, test, and refine real products side by side, supporting one another and raising the standard on every build.

What you will get to do:
  • Lead design and development of mechanical enclosures, housings, and bracketry for LED-based machine vision lighting products using SolidWorks and 3DExperience
  • Apply mechanical engineering fundamentals in thermal dissipation, tolerance stack-up, sealing methodologies, and material selection to produce robust, manufacturable designs
  • Apply Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles to reduce complexity and cost
  • Build and evaluate physical prototypes; conduct performance testing for thermal, structural, and dimensional requirements
  • Create 2D dimensioned drawings to communicate design intent and work effectively with machine shops and suppliers
  • Engage with external suppliers and machine shops to support fabrication; manage quoting, lead time tracking, and first article inspection (FAI)
  • Partner with mechanical, electrical, and optical engineers plus manufacturing and quality teams to ensure integrated product assembly
  • Represent mechanical engineering in project and customer meetings
  • Support compliance submission and certification processes (CE, UL, RoHS)
  • Generate and maintain complete engineering documentation: CAD models, 2D drawings, BOMs, specifications, and test reports
What will make you successful:
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, or related field highly preferred
  • 4+ years of mechanical product design experience
  • Deep proficiency in SolidWorks for 3D modeling, assemblies, and drawing creation; working knowledge of 3DExperience platform preferred
  • Background in electronics packaging or similarly precision-driven enclosure design preferred
  • Hands-on experience with prototyping, testing, and validation of mechanical assemblies
  • Proficiency in tolerance stack-up analysis and material tradeoff communication
  • Knowledge of sheet metal and die cast design principles (bend reliefs, draft angles, parting lines)
  • Design experience with injection molded plastic components (wall thickness, draft, gate placement, tooling)
  • Familiarity with aluminum extrusion design and DFA/DFM principles in a production environment
  • Knowledge of IP rating standards and environmental sealing design (IP65/IP67); familiarity with CE, UL, RoHS a plus

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.