Founding Engineer

Job description

### About the Role Join an early-stage consumer AI startup as a **Founding Engineer** — a rare 1-of-1 role working directly alongside the founding team to shape both the product and engineering culture. This company is building a real-time AI-enabled platform designed to digitize human connection, making AI interactions feel genuinely present and personal. You'll help lay the technical foundation from the ground up in a fast-moving, high-ambition environment. ### What You'll Do - Build across the full application, collaborating closely with the founder, design team, and other engineers. - Design and implement systems for memory, retrieval, proactivity, and AI responsiveness. - Integrate real-time video generation and audio synthesis models — both internal and third-party. - Set the bar for engineering quality and play an active role in recruiting world-class talent. - Extensively use the product yourself to ensure real user value and quality. ### What We're Looking For - **Required:** Computer Science degree from a top university. - **Required:** 2–7 years of professional software engineering experience (not a new grad). - **Required:** Strong CS fundamentals and a track record of technically complex side projects. - **Required:** High energy, entrepreneurial spirit — prior startup or fast-moving environment experience strongly valued. - **Required:** Proficiency in Python, including typed scientific Python. - **Bonus:** Experience with real-time media, vision/video model training or deployment, memory systems, or audio synthesis. - **Bonus:** Familiarity with agentic coding or AI-assisted development workflows. ### Compensation & Benefits - Salary: $175,000 – $225,000 USD annually - Visa sponsorship available ### Location This role is fully **on-site in San Francisco, CA**. Candidates must be willing and able to work in-person full-time.