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Senior Founding Engineer Jobs in Arizona (NOW HIRING)

EQL Tech

Founding GTM Engineer

Phoenix, AZ

$120K - $170K/yr

Founding / Senior IC | Equity: Meaningful Founding Stake The Mission: Architecting the Financial ... Engineering & Risk: Former leads and AI researchers from Stripe, Mercury, SpaceX (Ad Astra ...

EQL Tech

Founding GTM Engineer

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$120K - $170K/yr

Founding / Senior IC | Equity: Meaningful Founding Stake The Mission: Architecting the Financial ... Engineering & Risk: Former leads and AI researchers from Stripe, Mercury, SpaceX (Ad Astra ...

American Express

Sr AI Engineer I

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$103K - $142K/yr

As a Senior AI Engineer - Agentic AI, you will be a core builder responsible for turning complex ... Experience as a founding engineer or early technical contributor in high-growth environments.

Inficare Technologies

Lead AI Engineer

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$99K - $131K/yr

Mentor senior engineers and raise the technical bar for agentic AI development through example and ... Experience as a founding engineer or early technical leader in AI-driven products. * Demonstrated ...

APS

Engineer Senior

Tonopah, AZ · On-site

$100K - $138K/yr

Since our founding in 1886, APS has demonstrated a strong commitment to our customers in one of the ... Summary The Sr Engineer applies in-depth technical knowledge and expertise to complex engineering ...

APS

Fire Mitigation Engineer III/Senior

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$103K - $142K/yr

Since our founding in 1886, APS has demonstrated a strong commitment to our customers in one of the ... Summary The Fire Mitigation Engineer III/Senior Engineer provides advanced engineering expertise to ...

APS

Substation Electrical Engineer III/Senior

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$106K - $139K/yr

Since our founding in 1886, APS has demonstrated a strong commitment to our customers in one of the ... Summary The Substation Engineering III/Senior - provides technical engineering, design, economic ...

TenEx

Senior Security Researcher

Scottsdale, AZ · On-site

Work with Detection Engineering, Forward Deployment, and Software Engineering to ship research ... a founding technical voice. * Collaborate with a talented and innovative team focused on ...

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Admiral Instruments

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Senior Electrical Engineer

Tempe, AZ · On-site

$100K - $140K/yr

Admiral Instruments is searching for a full-time Senior Electrical Engineer experienced in analog ... Since our founding in February 2017, we have supplied thousands of electrochemistry instruments ...

Admiral Instruments

Be Seen First

Senior Electrical Engineer

Tempe, AZ · On-site

$100K - $140K/yr

Admiral Instruments is searching for a full-time Senior Electrical Engineer experienced in analog ... Since our founding in February 2017, we have supplied thousands of electrochemistry instruments ...

APS

System Protection Engineer III/Senior

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$103K - $142K/yr

Since our founding in 1886, APS has demonstrated a strong commitment to our customers in one of the ... Summary The System Protection Engineer III/Senior is responsible for specifying, designing, and ...

Haley & Aldrich

Senior Environmental Engineer 3

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$103K - $142K/yr

We are currently seeking a Senior Environmental Engineer 3 to work in a technical support role with ... Since our founding in 1957, organizations across the public and private sectors have relied on us ...

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Senior Founding Engineer information

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

AspectSenior Founding EngineerLead Software Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires a bachelor's or master's in computer science or related field, with extensive experienceSimilar educational background, often with several years of software development experience
Work EnvironmentEarly-stage startups or new company divisions, often wearing multiple hatsEstablished teams within companies, focusing on project leadership and technical guidance
Industry UsageCommon in startups, tech companies, and entrepreneurial venturesWidely used across tech firms, especially in mid to large-sized organizations
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding roles in startup environments, founding responsibilitiesClarifying leadership roles in software development teams

The main difference is that a Senior Founding Engineer is typically an early team member in a startup, often involved in building the product from the ground up, while a Lead Software Engineer usually operates within established organizations, leading project teams and overseeing technical execution.

What is a senior founding engineer?

Senior Founding Engineers are experienced technical professionals who join a startup at its earliest stages, often as part of the founding team. They are responsible for designing and building the initial product architecture, making critical technical decisions, and setting engineering best practices. In addition to hands-on coding, they often help shape the company's culture, contribute to hiring, and may participate in strategic business decisions. Their work significantly impacts the company's trajectory and future growth.

How does a senior founding engineer balance hands-on technical work with strategic decision-making in an early-stage startup?

As a Senior Founding Engineer, you’ll often juggle direct coding responsibilities with broader technical leadership tasks, such as setting architectural direction and influencing early product decisions. In a small, agile team, you’ll collaborate closely with other founders, designers, and sometimes initial customers to iterate rapidly on features while ensuring scalability and maintainability. The role demands adaptability—shifting between solving immediate technical problems and long-term planning to support growth. This dual focus is both a challenge and an opportunity for career development, as it provides visibility into all aspects of building a product and company from the ground up.

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

To thrive as a Senior Founding Engineer, you need deep expertise in software engineering, product development, and startup environments, usually demonstrated by a strong technical background and experience launching products from scratch. Familiarity with modern programming languages, cloud platforms, version control (e.g., Git), and agile development tools is essential, and experience with system architecture or DevOps is highly valued. Leadership, adaptability, and excellent problem-solving skills set standout candidates apart, as does the ability to communicate complex ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. These skills are crucial for driving technical innovation, building scalable products, and shaping the culture and success of an early-stage startup.
What are the most commonly searched types of Founding Engineer jobs in Arizona? The most popular types of Founding Engineer jobs in Arizona are:
What are popular job titles related to Senior Founding Engineer jobs in Arizona? For Senior Founding Engineer jobs in Arizona, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Senior Founding Engineer jobs in Arizona look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Founding Engineer jobs in Arizona are:
What cities in Arizona are hiring for Senior Founding Engineer jobs? Cities in Arizona with the most Senior Founding Engineer job openings:
Senior Founding Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Founding Engineer job openings in Arizona as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution.

Founding GTM Engineer

EQL Tech

Phoenix, AZ

$120K - $170K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted yesterday

Job description

Founding GTM Engineer (Series A Fintech / EdTech)

Location: San Francisco, CA or Phoenix, AZ (In-Person, Full Time) | Seniority: Founding / Senior IC | Equity: Meaningful Founding Stake

The Mission: Architecting the Financial Rails for the $900B School Choice Movement.

We are an exclusively retained partner for a high-growth startup building the infrastructure for Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Currently, the $900B US public education budget is being unlocked, giving parents direct control of ~$7,500 per child, per year.

This company is building the specialized charge card, reimbursement engine, and vendor marketplace that makes this autonomy possible. With $16M raised from top-tier VCs and a team that has already rejected acquisition offers, this is a "life's work" commitment for a founding operator.

The Team: High-Density Talent & Intensity

You will join a full-time in-person culture in San Francisco or Phoenix. You will work alongside:

  • Founders: A former Goldman Sachs Quant and an engineer who built global-scale computer vision systems at age 19.
  • Engineering & Risk: Former leads and AI researchers from Stripe, Mercury, SpaceX (Ad Astra), Microsoft, and Circle.
  • Policy & Community: The former Deputy Director of a gold-standard state ESA department and leading national school choice advocates.
The Role: GTM as an Engineering Discipline

This is not a traditional sales or marketing role. We are looking for a Founding GTM Engineer to build a community-led growth engine from hundreds of families to tens of thousands.

  • Engineer Acquisition Loops: Move beyond paid acquisition to build compounding, community-led flywheels through homeschool co-ops, education pods, and micro-influencers.
  • Live in the Parent Psyche: You will spend real time in the field with families to understand what drives trust and triggers adoption - converting those insights into concrete GTM decisions, not decks.
  • Data Rigor: You will instrument funnels, set up tight feedback loops, and analyze cohort/retention curves with the precision of a software engineer.
  • Own Onboarding Conversion: You will be the primary owner of the onboarding funnel, driving toward a critical 500-account target and beyond

Requirements

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are looking for a rare combination of top-tier pedigree and scrappy, high-output execution.

  • Pedigree Signal: Academic background from a premier institution (Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, MIT Sloan, or equivalent).
  • Experience: 3-6 years in consumer growth or GTM ops at a high-growth company (e.g., Duolingo, Chime, ClassDojo, or equivalent).
  • Quantitative Depth: Expert in funnel analysis and cohort modelling who "lives in the data".
  • Field Orientation: You "get on the plane" - you value in-person interactions and are willing to do the ground-level work at events and home visits that move metrics.
  • Mission Alignment: A genuine respect for family autonomy in education and an understanding of the high-stakes trust dynamics involved in education spending

Benefits

Commitment, Compensation & Benefits

This will be a big commitment, and we're aiming high. It needs to be something you are energised about taking on, or this isn't the team for you.

  • Competitive Salary: $120,000 - $170,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
  • Generous Founding Equity: We compensate you well with equity.
  • Top-Tier Backing: We've raised $16M from top-tier VCs and angels.
  • Relocation Support: You are willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA, or Phoenix, AZ, and travel to visit customers. We're an in-person company and are in the office together.
  • Comprehensive Visa Sponsorship: If you do not have a visa, we can support you.
  • Unmatched Impact: The rare opportunity to directly shape how the $900B US Public Education budget is being opened up for parents to take control of their portion (avg. $7.5k/kid/year).

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