Founding Engineer — USA (San Francisco), 2026 Career Mentors,...

Founding Engineer — USA (San Francisco), 2026 Career Mentors, LLC

Posted 2026-01-22 05:06:16

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.