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Senior Founding Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Clera

Senior Founding Engineer (AI/ML)

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$130K - $170K/yr

About the role Join a bootstrap, early-stage AI-powered recruiting startup as a founding engineer focused on building the intelligence layer that connects candidates with startup opportunities. You ...

Mintex Technology

Founding Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$201K/yr

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer with 8+ years of experience to join our early-stage ... Early or founding engineer experience. Experience at FAANG or other Big Tech companies in addition ...

AngelList

Founding Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K/yr

As a Senior Software Engineer on Meridian, you'll own the technical design and delivery of major ... This is a founding engineer role on a zero-to-one product with meaningful distribution, regulatory ...

AngelList

Founding Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K/yr

As a Senior Software Engineer on Meridian, you'll own the technical design and delivery of major ... This is a founding engineer role on a zero-to-one product with meaningful distribution, regulatory ...

AngelList

Founding Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K/yr

As a Senior Software Engineer on Meridian, you'll own the technical design and delivery of major ... This is a founding engineer role on a zero-to-one product with meaningful distribution, regulatory ...

Clera

Founding Engineer (Full Stack)

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$100K - $180K/yr

As a Founding Engineer , you'll be a core product builder from day one - shaping architecture ... There is no strict seniority ceiling - senior candidates are evaluated for adaptability to a fast ...

Clera

Founding Engineer (Full Stack)

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$100K - $180K/yr

As a Founding Engineer , you'll be a core product builder from day one -- shaping architecture ... There is no strict seniority ceiling -- senior candidates are evaluated for adaptability to a fast ...

Seen Health

Founding Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

About Seen Health At Seen Health, we are revolutionizing the way senior care is delivered through ... About the Role We are seeking a Founding Engineer who values technology as a tool to create ...

Dealops

Founding Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$160K - $200K/yr

The Role We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our growing engineering team and help build the next-gen AI-powered platform for revenue optimization. You'll work across the full stack ...

Giga AI Inc

Senior Frontend Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $280K/yr

... Senior Frontend Engineer with deep prior experience with building functional & visually appealing ... Intro call w/ Founding Engineer (15 min) * Live coding round w/ Founding Engineer (1 hr) * In ...

RainesDev

Founding Backend Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Previous experience as a founder or founding engineer is highly preferred. Hard skills * Strong ... Simplify is looking for incredible senior software engineers willing to do IC. They should be ...

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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 are Senior Founding Engineers?

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 typically 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, and why are they important?

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 California? The most popular types of Founding Engineer jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Senior Founding Engineer jobs in California? For Senior Founding Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Senior Founding Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Founding Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Senior Founding Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Senior Founding Engineer job openings:
Senior Founding Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Founding Engineer job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution.

Senior Founding Engineer (AI/ML)

Clera

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$130K - $170K/yr

Other

Posted 6 days ago

Job description

About the role

Join a bootstrap, early-stage AI-powered recruiting startup as a founding engineer focused on building the intelligence layer that connects candidates with startup opportunities. You’ll own recommendation systems, ranking algorithms, and LLM-powered matching to surface high-impact opportunities and drive outcomes for candidates and employers.

What you'll do
  • Own the AI/ML stack, including recommendation systems and ranking algorithms.
  • Develop LLM-powered matching to improve candidate-role alignment.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate product goals into production-ready features.
  • Deliver end-to-end features with ownership and rapid shipping to production.
  • Design and maintain production-grade data pipelines and services integrated with the stack.
What we're looking for
  • Strong computer science fundamentals and a track record of delivering end-to-end product features in a fast-paced startup environment.
  • Experience with Cursor, Supabase, Prisma, Typesense, LLM APIs, and trigger.dev in production-grade projects.
  • Proficiency with TypeScript and React.
  • Willingness to work in entrepreneurial, hacky environments and in a dedicated coworking/hackerhouse setup.
  • Open to a 6-day-per-week schedule and ready to contribute in a high-autonomy, early-stage context.
  • Demonstrates something outstanding about their profile (e.g., strong projects, active GitHub).
Compensation & benefits
  • Salary range: 130,000 – 170,000 USD annually.
  • Visa sponsorship available.
  • Notes: compensation and benefits reflect an early-stage, high-growth environment.
Location

Primary location: San Francisco, CA, United States. On-site with a flexible, startup-friendly structure. Remote work policy: on-site