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Founding Engineer — USA (San Francisco), 2026 Career Mentors, LLC
A highly respected, venture-backed AI company in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer to join its small, senior early-stage team in 2026. This is a hands-on leadership role for an experienced engineer who wants real ownership, long-term impact and the chance to build core systems from scratch.
About the company
We build enterprise-grade intelligent software that replaces slow, manual workflows with autonomous, continuously running systems. The business is well funded, backed by top-tier investors and led by operators who have built and scaled complex systems before. The team is small, ambitious and focused on solving high-impact problems for large organisations. The company has experience supporting international hires and will consider U.S. visa sponsorship for strong candidates.
Visa and relocation support
- We welcome qualified candidates from Africa and Asia. U.S. visa sponsorship (including H‑1B and O‑1 routes) may be available on a case-by-case basis.
- The company has experience hiring internationally and offers practical support through the visa process and relocation — from paperwork guidance to coordinating with immigration counsel.
The role
You will be a core member of the founding engineering team, taking responsibility for designing, building and scaling the company’s intelligence platform from zero to production. This is true product- and infrastructure-building work — not incremental maintenance.
What you’ll do
- Design and implement end-to-end platform systems: data ingestion, model orchestration and production services.
- Architect scalable pipelines, feedback loops and reliable operational tooling for enterprise use.
- Build and maintain APIs, internal services and developer tooling; help integrate with customer workflows.
- Make major architectural decisions across the stack and take long-term ownership for critical systems.
- Work closely with leadership and early customers to shape product direction and deliver production deployments.
- Help set engineering standards and culture as the team grows.
Who we’re looking for
- 5+ years’ professional engineering experience with senior-level ownership and delivery.
- Strong background in one or more of: distributed systems, data engineering, or AI/ML infrastructure.
- Hands-on experience with modern stacks such as TypeScript, Python, Go, Postgres and React (or similar).
- Comfortable working without a fixed playbook in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment.
- High standards for code quality, performance and long-term maintainability.
- Experience in high-bar engineering environments (e.g., top tech companies, leading startups or equivalent).
- A collaborative, low-ego approach and a strong sense of responsibility for production systems.
Location and working pattern
- Hybrid role based in San Francisco (typically three days in the office per week). Remote-first candidates with the right circumstances may be considered, but on-site collaboration is important for early-stage team formation.
Compensation and equity
- Competitive salary, equity and benefits aligned with early-stage founding roles. Exact package depends on experience and seniority.
How to apply
Please submit your CV and a short note about your experience building systems from zero to production. If you are applying from outside the U.S., briefly state your current country and visa status — the team will review sponsorship options for strong candidates.
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