Founding Product Engineer (AI Agents, Full Stack)
Level: Senior / Founding IC (2 hires)
Location: San Francisco — Hybrid 3–4 days onsite
Comp: $230K–$280K base + meaningful equity (0.5%–5%)
Tech: Python, React
Focus: AI agents (not RAG/chatbots)
INDUSTRY: Client builds AI coworkers that handle operational tasks for enterprise teams — not chatbots but actual colleagues you can delegate work to. They''re working with top AI companies and fast-moving startups as design partners.
Role Snapshot
First engineering hires building AI coworkers — autonomous agents that perform real operational work for enterprise teams.
This is a founding, end‑to‑end product engineering role:
- Own entire product surfaces
- Work directly with founders and customers
- Shape product, architecture, and execution from day one
Not a research role. Not chatbots. Not infra‑only.
What You’ll Do
- Design and ship AI agents that execute operational workflows
- Own features 0→1, from customer pain → product definition → production
- Build across the stack (agent infrastructure + user‑facing product)
- Partner with customers to identify repeatable, high‑impact use cases
- Make product and technical decisions with high autonomy
Split is roughly 50/50 core agent systems and product UI.
Must‑Have Experience (Non‑Negotiable)
- 7+ years full‑stack software engineering
- Shipped 0→1 products with clear business impact
- Hands‑on experience building AI agents (autonomous, goal‑driven systems — NOT just RAG or chatbots)
- Strong Python + React in production
- Experience at VC‑backed startups
- Comfort owning product and technical decisions
Strong Signals
- Former founding engineer or rapid career progression
- Background at product‑first companies (e.g., Notion, Linear)
- Experience with distributed systems / workflow engines (e.g., Temporal‑like concepts)
- High agency: opinionated, decisive, solutions‑oriented
- Has worked at both small startups and larger companies
Traits We’re Looking For
- “High agency” — acts like an owner, not a task‑taker
- Strong product intuition; speaks clearly about tradeoffs
- Willing to lead without formal structure
- Comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration
- Output‑focused (may exceed 40 hrs/week, not a 996 culture)
Hard No’s
- RAG‑only / chatbot‑only experience
- Pure frontend or pure backend profiles
- Career enterprise engineers from slow‑moving orgs only
- Managers with no recent hands‑on coding
- Research‑only AI profiles
Why This Role
- First engineers alongside experienced founders
- Direct exposure to customers and product decisions
- Significant equity upside at an early inflection point
- Design partnerships already live — immediate production impact
- Opportunity to grow into technical leadership organically
Interview Process
- Quick, informal Teams meeting with Excel
- Founder interview — product, agency, background
- Founder technical interview
- Paid 1‑day work trial
We can only submit candidates who:
- Have built real AI agents in production
- Want early‑stage risk and ownership
- Are willing to be onsite in SF 3–4 days/week
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