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Founding Software Engineer Jobs in New York (NOW HIRING)

AchillesHR

Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$160K - $210K/yr

Ben (CTO) - Lead the engineering team at Traba that built it's core infrastructure. Prior to Traba ... The rest of our founding team hails from Meta, Roblox, Tesla, USC, MIT, Cornell, and Waterloo. What ...

Bonfirevc

Senior Software Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$150 - $230/hr

You'll have outsized impact and ownership You'll build something from 0 to 1. As a Founding ... Mentor and motivate other software developers * Conduct code reviews * Contribute to UI / UX ...

Stuut

Senior Software Engineer

New York, NY

$134K - $176K/yr

We are seeking exceptional engineers across the entire stack to join us as part of our founding ... A minimum of 8+ years of software engineering experience, with a proven track record leading and ...

Cognition

Software Engineer, Infrastructure

New York, NY · On-site

$260K - $300K/yr

Among our founding team, we have world-class competitive programmers, former founders, and leaders ... We are behind Devin, the first AI software engineer, and Windsurf, an AI-native IDE. Our vision is ...

New

Farsight

Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$125K - $150K/yr

... founding engineers. We focus on hiring the best so that we can become the best, so we hope you ... Desired Qualifications * 2+ years of non-internship software engineering experience * Experience ...

Clarasight

Senior Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$134K - $176K/yr

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our founding team. As one of our first engineering hires, you'll help shape both our product and our engineering culture. * This is a true full-stack ...

Haize Labs

Software Engineer Intern

New York, NY

$100K - $125K/yr

High-agency, customer-centric full-stack experience, e.g. ex-founder or ex-founding engineer. * Strong open source presence or strong track record of software engineering projects and employment.

New

Haize Labs

Software Engineer Intern

New York, NY

$100K - $125K/yr

High-agency, customer-centric full-stack experience, e.g. ex-founder or ex-founding engineer. * Strong open source presence or strong track record of software engineering projects and employment.

Haize Labs

Software Engineer Intern

New York, NY · On-site

$100K - $125K/yr

High-agency, customer-centric full-stack experience, e.g. ex-founder or ex-founding engineer. * Strong open source presence or strong track record of software engineering projects and employment.

Clipbook

Founding Full-Stack Software Engineer

New York, NY · Remote

$150K - $220K/yr

Our founding team has backgrounds at BCG, Bain, Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, the White House, and ... The Role You'd be one of the first engineers at Clipbook -- joining a small but mighty engineering ...

Standard Template Labs

Staff Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$160K - $230K/yr

About the Role: We're looking for a Staff Software Engineer who thrives at the intersection of AI ... Work from our Flatiron District, Manhattan office, where you'll be side-by-side with the founding ...

Zero21

Founding Engineer, Full Stack

New York, NY · On-site +1

Our platform consolidates fragmented software systems and streamline workflows both internally ... You'll be responsible for As a founding engineer, you will be working closely with our CTO and CEO ...

Zero21

Founding Engineer, Full Stack

New York, NY · On-site

Our platform consolidates fragmented software systems and streamline workflows both internally ... You'll be responsible for As a founding engineer, you will be working closely with our CTO and CEO ...

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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 9, 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.

Software Engineer

AchillesHR

New York, NY • On-site

$160K - $210K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement

Re-posted 21 days ago

Job description

We are an applied AI company building agents for HR teams hiring the world's deskless workforce
At Achilles, we're building AI agents to solve the biggest problem for frontline industries - hiring.
Sam is our flagship voice and text agent that owns the entire candidate hiring pipeline - from creating resumes for candidates, to conducting multi-lingual voice interviews, to scheduling in-person final interviews with clients, all without human intervention.
Our products will strengthen the workforce of American businesses by helping them find the right candidates while drastically improving the candidate experience by making sure they get a fair chance at every opportunity.
If you're excited about building entirely new kinds of products enabled by agentic workflows, and working with businesses in frontline industries, join us.
The Team
Our team has personally recruited 1,000s of hourly workers and generated millions in revenue in this space. There is no team that has more domain expertise than us.
  • Read (CEO) - Built the growth function at Traba, an industrial staffing startup, and grew revenue from $1M to $20M ARR. Prior to this, he was in private equity buying and operating industrial facilities. He uniquely understands the challenges facing industrial HR and how to disrupt the sector with AI.
  • Ben (CTO) - Lead the engineering team at Traba that built it's core infrastructure. Prior to Traba he was a senior engineer at Tesla, leading development of, and building their global in-vehicle media streaming services.
  • The rest of our founding team hails from Meta, Roblox, Tesla, USC, MIT, Cornell, and Waterloo.
What You'll Do
  • Work at the forefront of LLMs and voice technology.
  • Work directly with customers to understand their needs and build high-impact solutions.
  • Set the new standard for UX in HR software and agentic products.
What You'll Bring
  • Experience contributing to an exceptional product, interesting project, or hard technical problem.
  • Comfort with moving fast, ambiguity, and working hard.
  • High standards for code quality.
What We Offer
  • Top of market cash and equity for top of market candidates
  • In-office working in NYC and opportunities for ongoing collaboration
  • 100% subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) plan options
  • $250 Wellness subsidization

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