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Founding Software Engineer Jobs in New York (NOW HIRING)

Clera

Founding Software Engineer

New York, NY · Remote

$150K - $200K/yr

We're looking for a Founding Software Engineer to join our small, high-velocity team and help shape the core platform. This is a forward-deployed engineering role -- you'll work directly with ...

Clera

Founding Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

We're looking for a Founding Software Engineer to join our small, high-velocity team and help shape the core platform. This is a forward-deployed engineering role - you'll work directly with ...

Ryvn

Founding Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$160K - $250K/yr

About the Role As a Founding Software Engineer at Ryvn, you'll design and build distributed systems that transform how organizations deploy and manage software at scale. You'll work across the stack ...

Leap

Founding Software Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

The Founding Software Engineer will build AI and automation systems to enhance clinical and business operations, collaborating closely with various teams to identify automation opportunities and ...

Leap Health, Inc

Founding Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site +1

$200K - $250K/yr

About the Role As a Founding Software Engineer , you willbuild the AI and automation systems that power Leap's clinical and business operations. You will own large surface areas across product, data ...

Govwell

Founding Software Engineer, Platform

New York, NY · On-site

$190K - $260K/yr

GovWell is hiring a Founding Software Engineer, Platform to build and operate the systems that make that reliability possible: deployment, observability, incident response, and security, all built ...

Lawrence Harvey

Founding Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$180K - $225K/yr

Founding Software Engineer | AI Developer Infrastructure | Rust / TypeScript | NYC Location: New York City (5 days onsite) I'm working with an exceptionally well-funded early-stage startup that ...

Hera

Founding Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

Our product challenge We believe the best software is invisible. We serve people most technology ... Join our Founding Team to impact real lives We are looking for ambitious and relentless engineers ...

Lofty

Software Engineer

New York, NY

Now is the time to join if you've ever wanted to be part of a founding team, helping to set the ... software engineering Enthusiasm and experience playing around, or building with, a wide variety of ...

Lofty

Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

Now is the time to join if you've ever wanted to be part of a founding team, helping to set the ... in software engineering * Enthusiasm and experience playing around, or building with, a wide ...

Extend

Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

As a Software Engineer at Extend, you'll be responsible for building our core platform that ... We're looking for talented engineers to join our founding team ahead of our next round and execute ...

NxT Level

Founding Full Stack Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$140K - $200K/yr

Founding Product Engineer (Client Search) | AI + B2B SaaS | NYC (In-Person) We're partnering with a seed-stage B2B SaaS startup building AI-powered sales software for the $9T chemicals industry, an ...

NxT Level

Founding Full Stack Engineer

Manhattan, NY

$140K - $200K/yr

Founding Product Engineer (Client Search) | AI + B2B SaaS | NYC (In-Person) We're partnering with a seed-stage B2B SaaS startup building AI-powered sales software for the $9T chemicals industry, an ...

NxT Level

Founding Full Stack Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$140K - $200K/yr

Founding Product Engineer (Client Search) | AI + B2B SaaS | NYC (In-Person) We're partnering with a seed-stage B2B SaaS startup building AI-powered sales software for the $9T chemicals industry, an ...

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All JobsFounding Software Engineer JobsFounding Software Engineer Jobs in New York

Founding Software Engineer information

See New York salary details

$69.5K

$161.4K

$224.8K

How much do founding software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding software engineer in New York is $161,396.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $131,300.00 and $189,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a founding software engineer?

Founding Software Engineers are among the first technical hires at a startup or newly formed company. They play a critical role in building the initial product, setting up the technical foundation, and often shaping the company's engineering culture and processes. In addition to coding, they may also be involved in architecture decisions, hiring, and even strategic business discussions. This role typically requires broad technical expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to work in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

What are some unique challenges faced by founding software engineers in an early-stage startup environment?

Founding Software Engineers in early-stage startups often navigate rapidly shifting priorities and must wear multiple hats, from architecting core systems to handling on-call troubleshooting. The role typically requires balancing the need for quick feature delivery with building scalable, maintainable code. Close collaboration with co-founders and other early team members is essential, as decisions made at this stage have a lasting impact on the product and company culture. Adaptability, strong communication, and ownership are key, as resource constraints and ambiguity are common.

What does a founding software engineer do?

A founding software engineer is a key early team member responsible for designing, developing, and implementing the core software products of a startup or new project. They often work closely with founders to establish technical architecture, write code, and set development standards, typically using programming languages like Python, Java, or JavaScript. This role requires strong problem-solving skills, adaptability, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

What is the difference between Founding Software Engineer vs Software Engineer?

AspectFounding Software EngineerSoftware Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or higher in CS or related field; startup experience often preferredBachelor's degree in CS or related field; entry to mid-level experience
Work EnvironmentEarly-stage startup, high responsibility, flexible rolesEstablished companies or startups, structured teams, defined roles
Employer & Industry UsageFounding teams of startups, tech companiesTech firms, corporations, startups
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding startup roles, early-stage responsibilitiesStandard software development roles, career progression

The main difference is that a Founding Software Engineer is an early team member in a startup, often taking on broader responsibilities and helping shape the company's technical foundation. A Software Engineer typically works within established teams on specific projects, with more defined roles and responsibilities.

How much do founding software engineers make?

Founding software engineers often receive a combination of salary, equity, and benefits, with base salaries typically ranging from $100,000 to $150,000 annually depending on the company and location. Equity stakes can significantly increase total compensation, especially in early-stage startups where founders and early employees often hold substantial ownership shares. Compensation varies based on experience, company funding stage, and technical skills such as proficiency in coding languages and development tools.

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

To thrive as a Founding Software Engineer, you need deep expertise in software architecture, full-stack development, and problem-solving, often demonstrated by a strong technical background and relevant degrees. Familiarity with cloud platforms, version control systems (like Git), and modern programming languages or frameworks is essential, along with startup exposure or experience. Initiative, adaptability, and outstanding communication are crucial soft skills for shaping the product vision and collaborating in a small, fast-moving team. These capabilities are vital for efficiently building robust products from scratch and driving early-stage company growth.
What are popular job titles related to Founding Software Engineer jobs in New York? For Founding Software Engineer jobs in New York, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Founding Software Engineer jobs in New York look for? The top searched job categories for Founding Software Engineer jobs in New York are:
Founding Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Founding Software Engineer job openings in New York as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 97% Full Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 82% In-person, 5% Hybrid, and 13% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $161,396 per year, or $77.6 per hour.

Founding Software Engineer

Clera

New York, NY • Remote

$150K - $200K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 9 hours ago

Job description

About the Role

We're a seed-stage, Y Combinator-backed insurtech AI company building agentic workflows that automate complex claims operations for insurance carriers, third-party administrators (TPAs), and their partners. Our platform handles everything from claim intake and status updates to third-party outreach and document parsing — processing millions of claims across Workers' Compensation, Property & Casualty, and Health insurance sectors.

We're looking for a Founding Software Engineer to join our small, high-velocity team and help shape the core platform. This is a forward-deployed engineering role — you'll work directly with customers, map their workflows, and ship production-grade code that solves real problems at scale.

What You'll Do

  • Build voice AI systems and document agent workflows that process millions of insurance claims.

  • Partner directly with customers to deeply understand their workflows and deliver friction-free solutions.

  • Ship production-grade TypeScript and Python code that operates on live claims data.

  • Design APIs, data models, and integrations with claims management systems and external platforms.

  • Contribute to foundational architectural decisions as an early member of the engineering team.

What We're Looking For

Required:

  • 3+ years of professional software development experience with TypeScript and Python in production environments.

  • Hands-on experience with AWS, Docker, and PostgreSQL in production.

  • Proven ability to design and implement APIs, data models, and integrations with external systems (e.g., claims management systems or similar enterprise platforms).

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable collaborating directly with customers in a forward-deployed capacity.

  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, early-stage startup environment.

  • Must be authorized to work in the United States (US citizen or valid work visa). Visa sponsorship is not available.

  • Must be able to work from within the United States.

Nice to Have:

  • Prior experience in insurtech, healthtech, or other regulated industries.

  • Familiarity with voice AI, LLM orchestration, or agentic workflow systems.

  • Experience at an early-stage startup or in a founding engineering role.

Compensation & Benefits

  • Salary: $150,000 – $200,000 per year

  • Early-stage equity as a founding team member

Location

This role is based on-site in New York, NY. Candidates must be located in or willing to relocate to New York. Remote work is not available for this position.