Founding Engineer (w/m/d)

Skalar – Digitale Steuerberatung; München; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity package

Job summary

Skalar – Digitale Steuerberatung is seeking an Founding Engineer to join the very early team and shape the product from day one. You will build greenfield features, influence the tech stack, and scale our AI-driven tax and accounting platform for rapid growth.

You’ll own frontend and backend components, mentor peers, and collaborate with founders to deliver a world-class customer experience. German language skills are a plus as we expand in Germany.

Qualifications

• 5+ years building web apps with modern frameworks.
• CS degree in a related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience in agile startup environments.
• Frontend focus with curiosity about backend.
• Strong English; German a plus.

Responsibilities

• Build 0→1 features end-to-end, collaborating with founders.
• Define and evolve core architecture (APIs, data models, UI).
• Lead and mentor junior engineers as the team grows.
• Iterate quickly with real user feedback and measurable results.

Skills

Frontend

TypeScript

Next.js

React

Docker

AI integration

English communication

German language

Education

Bachelor/Master in CS

Tools

Docker

PostgreSQL

Vercel

Job description

Build v1 -> v10. Join the early core team of experienced entrepreneurs (scaled to millions of users, $100m+ exits). Build the future of tax & accounting with AI. Ship features end-to-end, influence the stack, and lay the foundations for scale. Grow into leadership as we expand across countries. Above-market pay + meaningful equity.

The opportunity

How taxation, accounting and payroll work today is a pain for everyone. Still every business must do it continuously. It is the backbone that our economy runs on.

Enabled through AI, we are turning this often-painful process into a radically simple experience for our customers, so they can focus on what matters to them: growing their business.

About us

We are a team of experienced entrepreneurs who have scaled businesses to 10s of millions of users, 10s of millions in revenue, multiple countries, and 9-digit exits - and we are just getting started. We are backed by leading venture investors and expanding rapidly.

The role

As an early Founding Engineer, you’ll be a core part of building and scaling Skalar. We are past the initial founding phase, but we are still very very early - meaning pretty much everything you touch will be greenfield building.

While we are providing a world-class professional service to our customers, technology is at our core and you will be an integral part of building it from scratch. Your work will be the driving force behind our revolutionary customer experience, enabled through AI, offering radical simplicity to our customers.

What you’ll own

• Build 0→1 and beyond with the founders: ship major features and product lines end-to-end (spec → ship → measure).
• Core Architecture: Implement core APIs, data models, and UI; make pragmatic architecture choices with high autonomy.
• Iterate fast: Ship v1 fast, iterate weekly with real user feedback.
• Leadership: Hire and mentor junior engineers (if interested); gain leadership experience as we grow.
• Prefer boring tech where it matters; innovate where it differentiates.
• Current stack (continually evolving): TypeScript, Next.js (React), PostgreSQL, Vercel, ...
• You’ll have a strong influence on tech and product choices.
• Tooling budget for whatever makes you fast. No legacy, no yak‑shaving.

What you’ll bring

• 5+ years of professional experience building web applications with modern frameworks (such as Next, React, Vue, Node, FastAPI or Tailwind)
• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or a related field
• You have worked in a cross-functional team setup, are product-minded and like working in an agile startup environment
• You have an eye for detail and your focus is on the frontend, but you are also curious about the backend
• You have experience in deploying applications using containerization and orchestration tools (such as Docker)
• You have integrated AI already deeply into your daily coding tasks and don’t just use it for autocompletion
• Very good written and verbal communication skills in English (min. C1), German is a plus
• You have a valid work permit to work in Germany

What you’ll get

• Unique opportunity to join a company very early which you can shape
• Rapid growth path: Grow your career with the growing company
• Perfect environment to develop relevant skills in a world of AI
• Above-market compensation + Equity package, that has the potential to drastically gain in value

The process (fast, meaningful, no homework)

• Jump on an intro call with a recruiter
• Get to know a fellow engineer, virtually or in person (up to you)
• Meet our whole founding team during a final interview (in-person, ~3h, incl. live coding)