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Founding Software Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Gitwit

Yask Founding Software Engineer

Bentonville, AR · On-site

$170K - $195K/yr

Yask Founding Software Engineer Department: Yask Employment Type: Full Time Location: Bentonville, AR Compensation: $170,000 - $195,000 / year Description Build the Adaptive Intelligence Behind ...

Solderable, Inc.

$125 - $150/hr

You'll own the software behind that system and work beside the electrical engineers who use it every day. This is an in-person role in San Francisco. You must live here or relocate before starting.

New

Gitwit Creative

$150 - $200/hr

Yask Founding Software Engineer Department: Yask Employment Type: Full Time Location: Bentonville, AR Compensation: $170,000 - $195,000 / year Description Build the Adaptive Intelligence Behind ...

Trymeridian

Founding Software Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$100 - $125/hr

Engineers own product decisions and make them with customers directly. What we're looking for You've put real software in front of real users and watched it break. We care that you've shipped ...

EAGL

WI · On-site

$100 - $125/hr

About The Role We're looking for a Software Engineer excited to build the infrastructure and product experience behind the next generation of financial intelligence. This is a true 0 to 1 systems ...

Guppy Labs

Founding Software Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$150 - $200/hr

Full-time New York, NY $120k - $180k 0.25% - 2.0% equity You'll be the first engineer after the founder - owning the agent that monitors retailer drops, executes checkout on scarce inventory, and ...

Helicon

Founding Software Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

We combine AI software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing to reinvent how the West maintains a ... Building alongside world-class hardware engineers with full autonomy Who We're Looking For Need ...

Helicon

Founding Software Engineer

Torrance, CA · On-site

$100 - $125/hr

We combine AI software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing to reinvent how the West maintains a ... Building alongside world-class hardware engineers with full autonomy Who We're Looking For Need ...

Gitwit

Yask Founding Software Engineer

Bentonville, AR · On-site

What You'll Actually Need to Do This is a founding, hands-on software engineering role. In practice, that means you'll: * Build and enhance our existing React web application and React Native mobile ...

Sbhonline

Software Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$100 - $125/hr

Based on Experience Description A fast-growing operations and logistics company is seeking a Founding Software Engineer to build its internal platform from the ground up. This is a high-impact, high ...

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Founding Software Engineer information

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$63.5K

$147.5K

$205.5K

How much do founding software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 8, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding software engineer in the United States is $147,524.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $120,000.00 and $173,000.00 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 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 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 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 higher compensation than standard engineers, including equity or stock options, as they help establish the company's technology. Salaries typically range from $100,000 to $200,000 or more, depending on the company's size, funding stage, and location, with early-stage startups sometimes offering lower salaries but greater equity potential.

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.
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Cities with the most Founding Software Engineer job openings:

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Founding Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Founding Software Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,524 per year, or $70.9 per hour.

Founding Software Engineer - Vimes

Pear

San Francisco, CA • On-site, Remote

Full-time

Medical, Retirement

Re-posted 19 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Build and develop the mobile and web application, laying the foundations for large-scale government and social impact products.

  • Rapidly build and test new features such as communication methods and integrated database access, and develop new systems like domestic violence and gun violence frameworks.

  • Help scale the system towards compliance with security standards such as stateRAMP and fedRAMP, and generate data-driven insights for stakeholders.

Job description

Founding Software Engineer - Vimes
ABOUT US
Vimes is building the universal operating system for government welfare, starting with child protection: our cross‑platform crisis‑intervention software replaces the paper trails and traditional email threads that slow schools, hospitals, police, and social‑services agencies.
At it's core, we build software to save kids' lives and In 12 months we launched a nationally adopted child‑risk metric, published an academically validated white paper, and cut average response times from 40 days to 12 hours for 18 police departments covering 320K citizens. Having recently closed a $2.2M pre-seed, we envision becoming the universal system of record for all of public safety, becoming a central hub for data and communications for all vulnerable populations.
We have a pipeline of 30+ cities, 15 states, and may cross $10M revenue barrier in the next 12 months. As we scale 10x and we're looking for talented technical engineers to join us.
THE ROLE
We're looking to bring on founding engineers, for an in-person position in New York City or Bay Area (open to hybrid or remote but MUST LIVE IN U.S.).
As a small team, we work in a highly collaborative environment and you'll have the opportunity to participate in varying stages of the technical process, reporting to the CTO/CEO.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR (non-exhaustive list)
  • Highly skilled in React/React Native, iOS/Android app development
  • Experience working with AWS-related services
  • Have a startup-y background or love bringing products from concept to reality: the 0 → 1 phase.
  • Plus for extensive experience in security engineering + compliance (SOC2, HIPAA, CJIS, StateRamp etc.)
  • Plus for experience at govtech startup
  • Plus for design experience!
  • Experience writing production code on shipped full-stack apps
  • Experience working with communication platforms
  • Experience with building no-SQL and SQL database schemas
  • Be able to learn new tech / anything relevant quickly

WHAT THINGS YOU (MIGHT) DO
  • App. You'll be working with the team to build out our mobile and web app, laying the foundations for a large-scale government and social impact product and influencing direction of our stack.
  • Features. We've mastered our first product and system: child abuse data communication. As we expand, you will be rapidly building and testing new features like new communication methods, integrated database access, etc.; as well as new systems like domestic violence and gun violence frameworks.
  • Security. We have spent a lot of time building a secure system. You'll be helping us scale towards stateRAMP and fedRAMP compliance.
  • Data. You'll help in generating data-driven insights (ie. 50-pg reports to police chiefs) AND working on integrating with current gov. databases to securely integrate our product
  • Managing. You will be placed in a unique position to have capable Stanford SWE interns at your disposal to streamline your efficiency and productivity. Working with the CTO, you will have the ability to build leadership and managerial skills working with our interns.
  • Building UI components. You will work closely with our designers to think deeply about optimizing user experience and streamlining how our users will interact with the tech.
  • Solving interesting technical problems. Bring your full creativity to solve any technical challenges along the way.

COMPENSATION
You will be joining a small-team, high-velocity startup and thus will be compensated competitively. Some terms:
  • Competitive salary + offers equity
  • Performance bonus
  • Relocation compensation (if moving to the Bay Area / New York)
  • Monthly stipend for meals
  • Health insurance + 401K match

In any case, we hope you'll join us because you find a fast-paced production velocity exciting and fulfilling, and you want to help us prove what's possible.

Apply