Founding Platform Engineer

CEF AI; Berlin; Vor Ort; Vertraulich; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Real Equity

Hybrid Work, Built Around Collaboration

Autonomy With Accountability

Zusammenfassung

CEF AI in Berlin is seeking a Founding Platform Engineer responsible for architecting and building the infrastructure to support AI systems and internal tools. This role emphasizes high ownership and solving complex technical challenges.

Candidates must have strong full-stack engineering experience, production deployment skills, and a mindset for quick iteration. Benefits include real equity and a hybrid work setup fostering collaboration in Berlin and San Francisco.

Qualifikationen

• Strong full-stack engineering experience is required.
• Deploying production systems is a must.
• High ownership mentality is essential for this role.

Aufgaben

• Architect and build the infrastructure layer behind AI systems.
• Collaborate with the founding team on scalable systems.
• Automate workflows and support internal operations.

Kenntnisse

Full-stack engineering experience

Experience deploying production systems

Strong systems thinking

Debugging ability

Ability to build quickly

High ownership mentality

Comfortable operating in ambiguity

Experience building scalable systems

Jobbeschreibung

We are looking for a Founding Platform Engineer to help architect and build the infrastructure layer behind our AI systems, internal tooling, and operational platforms.

Tasks

You will work directly with the founding team to build scalable systems, automate workflows, and ship infrastructure that supports both internal operations and future products.

This is a high-ownership role for engineers who enjoy building from zero, and solving hard technical problems.

Requirements

Must-Have

• Strong full-stack engineering experience
• Experience deploying production systems
• Strong systems thinking and debugging ability
• Ability to build and ship quickly
• High ownership mentality
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity
• Experience building scalable systems or tooling

Strong Plus

• Experience deploying AI-powered systems or workflows
• Built AI/LLM side projects or developer tooling
• Hands-on experience integrating AI into production systems
• Experience building internal tooling or automation platformsStartup engineering experience

This Role Is NOT For

• Candidates with tutorial-level AI experience only
• Engineers who prefer narrowly scoped responsibilities
• Candidates without production deployment experience
• Candidates uncomfortable with rapid iteration and ownership
• Candidates not based in Berlin or unwilling to relocate

Benefits

• Real Equity: We treat early team members like partners. You’ll receive meaningful equity so the upside you help create is shared.
• Build Systems, Not Features: This is not a ticket taking role. You will design and ship foundational systems that other developers and AI agents will depend on.
• Work on Hard, Emerging Problems: We are building infrastructure for AI agents operating on sensitive, real time data without relying on centralized black box platforms. While parts of this ecosystem exist, the architecture for doing it securely and reliably at scale is still evolving.
• Small Team, High Output: We believe the best teams are small and extremely capable. AI tools increase individual leverage, so we hire fewer people and expect a much higher level of ownership and output.
• Autonomy With Accountability: We hire people who don’t wait for permission to solve problems. If you see a better way to build something, you’re expected to propose it and ship it.
• Hybrid Work, Built Around Collaboration: We believe great systems are built through close collaboration. The team works in a hybrid setup and regularly spends time together in person in Berlin and San Francisco for focused building sessions and hackathons.

Our Hiring Process

We move fast, stay transparent, and focus on real collaboration. Here’s what the process looks like:

1. Intro Call – A quick chat to align on expectations, interests, and team fit.
2. Technical Deep Dive – A focused conversation with our Engineering Manager to explore your technical thinking and past work.
3. CEO Interview – A strategic discussion around vision, mindset, and long-term alignment.
4. Reference Collection – We’ll speak with a few people you’ve worked closely with.
5. Paid Trial (~5 Days) – A short, real world engagement so we can see how we work together — happening in parallel with offer and terms discussion.