ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Startup Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Hirevouch

Founding SW Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

This person needs to be an energetic startup engineer, productive in our codebase, and capable of shipping code to production by day two. - We should be comfortable with this engineer speaking with ...

Simple AI Lab Company

Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$130K - $280K/yr

Experience as an early-stage startup engineer or founder. * Experience with TypeScript, React, Python, Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, AWS. If you are excited to shape the visual identity of a fast ...

Clera

Founding AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120K - $180K/yr

About the Role This is a founding engineering role at a seed-stage AI startup building the intelligence layer for the construction industry. The company's platform transforms messy blueprints ...

Clera

Founding AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120K - $180K/yr

About the Role This is a founding engineering role at a seed-stage AI startup building the intelligence layer for the construction industry. The company's platform transforms messy blueprints ...

Amgen, Inc.

Engineer I

Thousand Oaks, CA · On-site

Apply process engineering principles to support the design, specification, installation, startup, and validation of process equipment and systems * Assists with project activities by performing ...

Amgen

Engineer I

Thousand Oaks, CA · On-site

Apply process engineering principles to support the design, specification, installation, startup, and validation of process equipment and systems * Assists with project activities by performing ...

Stealth Battery Startup

OT Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$143K - $189K/yr

Stealth Battery Startup Seeks Senior OT Software Engineer We are a stealth-mode battery startup developing cutting-edge battery technology. Our mission is to revolutionize battery technology to ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsStartup Engineer JobsStartup Engineer Jobs in California

Startup Engineer information

See California salary details

$38.5K

$100.4K

$135.7K

How much do startup engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for startup engineer in California is $100,420.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $82,900.00 and $115,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a startup engineer?

Startup engineers are versatile software or hardware engineers who work at early-stage companies to design, build, and scale new products or technologies. They often wear many hats, handling everything from coding and infrastructure to product design and sometimes even customer feedback. Startup engineers thrive in fast-paced environments where adaptability, creativity, and problem-solving are essential. Their work is crucial in turning innovative ideas into viable products quickly, often with limited resources and tight deadlines.

What are some typical challenges a startup engineer faces when working in an early-stage company?

Startup Engineers often encounter rapidly changing priorities and ambiguous requirements as the company pivots to find product-market fit. They may need to balance building scalable solutions with the need for quick prototyping, sometimes working with limited resources or incomplete documentation. Collaboration across disciplines—such as product, design, and business teams—is frequent, so adaptability and strong communication skills are essential. These challenges can be demanding but also provide valuable opportunities to learn and grow quickly within a dynamic environment.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a startup engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Startup Engineer, you need strong programming abilities, a solid understanding of software architecture, and versatility across tech stacks, often supported by a degree in computer science or related fields. Familiarity with cloud platforms (like AWS or GCP), version control systems (such as Git), and rapid prototyping tools is commonly required. Adaptability, problem-solving, and effective communication are standout soft skills for this fast-paced environment. These skills and qualities are crucial for efficiently building scalable products and adapting to the evolving needs and constraints of early-stage startups.

What are popular job titles related to Startup Engineer jobs in California?

For Startup Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Startup Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Startup Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Startup Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Startup Engineer job openings:

Startup Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Startup Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $100,420 per year, or $48.3 per hour.

Founding SW Engineer

San Francisco, CA • On-site, Remote

Hirevouch
See more jobs at Hirevouchexternal

Full-time

Re-posted yesterday

Job description

Mission
The mission of our first engineer is to help us build the features we need to scale. As the first hire, the work this person does will become core infrastructure and strongly influence our engineering for years to come. This person will likely lead a team as we scale.
Expected outcomes
- Architect and implement whole parts of the app from scratch, such as web-based, on Windows, and Sharing UX. Take responsibility for quality, delivery, and maintenance. These should be delivered quickly and improved iteratively.
- Collaboratively improve our existing codebase and practices, explaining options to the rest of the team and obtaining buy-in when making significant changes. However, the candidate should take the initiative to suggest improvements proactively while acknowledging priorities and accepting decisions.
- Should be shipping features weekly, daily. This person needs to be an energetic startup engineer, productive in our codebase, and capable of shipping code to production by day two.
- We should be comfortable with this engineer speaking with customers and conducting customer research independently, without requiring a product manager.
- Conversations with the engineer should be efficient, with a strong grasp of technical, product, and market concepts, as well as second and third-order effects.
About you
  • 2-10y of heavy JavaScript work experience. Has worked on a single project for 2y+ and can explain how your early code evolve and trade offs
  • has own and shipped product completely independently without needing product manager and tech lead
  • use Gen AI regularly and can ask good questions and prompt
  • interested in what we do
  • Strong founder DNA - e.g. prior founder yourself, early start up employees, can demo your side projects (eg. Product Hunt, Kickstarters),
Company Tech Stack
* Electron (Javascript + understanding of desktop)
* Node.js
* Svelte for UI
* Swift/C++ for native applications & ML inference
* Some python for machine learning prototyping, not for deployment
* Might use ONNX for future ML models

Apply