Founding Software Engineer | Future CTO

Trust The Locals; Toscana; On-site; EUR 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Trust The Locals, a Florence-based Travel Tech startup, is seeking a Founding Software Engineer to help build a scalable, AI-enabled platform for international travel services. The ideal candidate is an ambitious developer with passion for technology and startup growth, ready to contribute from day one.

You will collaborate closely with the founders, develop new features, and apply AI to improve workflows while taking on increasing technical responsibilities as the company grows.

Qualifications

• Experience building software applications from the ground up.
• Comfort with both frontend and backend development.
• Understanding of databases and APIs.
• Interest in AI-driven development and new tools.
• Able to learn quickly and work with founders.

Responsibilities

• Understand the architecture and functionality of our existing digital platform.
• Help complete the product and improve existing features.
• Identify and solve technical problems.
• Contribute to improving performance, stability, reliability, and user experience.
• Design and develop new functionalities for travel agencies, hotels, local professionals, customers, and internal teams.
• Turn business ideas into working software solutions.
• Work on both frontend and backend development, depending on your skills and the needs of the product.
• Explore opportunities to integrate AI into our platform.
• Develop intelligent features that simplify processes and improve user experience.
• Help automate operational workflows through AI and other technologies.
• Experiment with modern AI-powered development tools to accelerate product development.
• Work with APIs, databases, and external services.
• Help integrate payment solutions, management systems, and other digital tools.
• Contribute to making our platform efficient and scalable.
• Collaborate directly with the founders to identify priorities and new opportunities.
• Share ideas and propose technical improvements.
• Gradually become more involved in technical decisions and the product roadmap as your experience grows.

Skills

Founding Engineer

Frontend/Backend

Programming fundamentals

Databases & APIs

Independent problem solving

Entrepreneurial mindset

AI tools familiarity

Tools

Cursor

Claude Code

GitHub Copilot

Job description

Trust The Locals is an Italian Travel Tech startup founded in Florence, with the ambition of transforming the international travel experiences and services industry through technology.

Our journey began in the luxury travel industry, where we gained hands-on experience working with international travelers, travel agencies, high-end hotels, and local professionals, curating and delivering authentic experiences and exclusive services across Italy.

This experience gave us a deep understanding of how the industry operates, its challenges, and the inefficiencies that exist in the discovery, selection, distribution, and management of local travel experiences and services.

From this foundation, Trust The Locals is evolving into something much bigger: an international technology company built around an innovative, scalable digital platform.

Our Vision

We are building a platform designed to connect local experience and service providers with the international travel industry, making it easier for travel agencies, hotels, and other professionals to discover, book, and manage high-quality local services.

Our goal is to simplify an industry that is still highly fragmented, combining the authenticity of local expertise with the efficiency of technology.

Our ambition is not simply to digitalize a traditional travel agency. We want to build an international technology product capable of expanding across multiple markets and becoming a reference point in the Travel Tech industry.

Technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence are central to achieving this vision.

Where We Are Today

Trust The Locals is built on real entrepreneurial experience, established commercial relationships, and firsthand knowledge of the international travel industry.

We have already started developing our proprietary digital platform and are now focused on completing the product, improving its capabilities, and preparing for international expansion.

We are currently in our fundraising phase and have already received strong interest in our business idea and the technology product we are building.

We are at an exciting stage: transforming an established industry network and a working business model into a scalable international technology startup.

To support this journey, we are looking for a talented software engineer who wants to grow with us and contribute directly to building the technological future of Trust The Locals.

Who We're Looking For

We are looking for a Founding Software Engineer, an ambitious and curious developer who is passionate about technology, artificial intelligence, and building digital products.

We welcome final-year students, recent graduates, and developers with 0–2 years of professional experience.

You do not need big-tech experience, team management experience, or years in the industry.

We care much more about what you can build, how you think, and how quickly you can learn than how long you've been working.

We are looking for someone with strong programming fundamentals, creativity, independence, and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Someone who doesn't simply want a traditional software development job, but who is excited about being directly involved in the creation and growth of a startup.

You will work closely with the founders, helping us complete and improve our existing platform, develop new features, and explore innovative applications of AI.

As the company grows, you will have the opportunity to take on increasing technical responsibilities, with a potential long-term path toward becoming our CTO.

What You'll Be Working On

Platform Development & Improvement

• Understand the architecture and functionality of our existing digital platform.
• Help complete the product and improve existing features.
• Identify and solve technical problems.
• Contribute to improving performance, stability, reliability, and user experience.

Building New Features

• Design and develop new functionalities for travel agencies, hotels, local professionals, customers, and internal teams.
• Turn business ideas into working software solutions.
• Work on both frontend and backend development, depending on your skills and the needs of the product.

Artificial Intelligence & Innovation

• Explore opportunities to integrate AI into our platform.
• Develop intelligent features that simplify processes and improve user experience.
• Help automate operational workflows through AI and other technologies.
• Experiment with modern AI-powered development tools to accelerate product development.

Integrations & Technology

• Work with APIs, databases, and external services.
• Help integrate payment solutions, management systems, and other digital tools.
• Contribute to making our platform efficient and scalable.
• Collaborate directly with the founders to identify priorities and new opportunities.
• Share ideas and propose technical improvements.
• Gradually become more involved in technical decisions and the product roadmap as your experience grows.

What We're Looking For

• Good programming fundamentals and practical experience developing software applications.
• Familiarity with frontend and/or backend development.
• Basic understanding of databases, APIs, and how web applications work.
• Interest in artificial intelligence and modern AI-powered development tools, such as Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or similar technologies.
• Ability to solve problems independently and learn new technologies quickly.
• Genuine passion for programming, technology, and building digital products.
• A practical mindset and the motivation to turn ideas into working solutions.

You do not need to know everything. We value curiosity, motivation, and a willingness to learn.

Nice to Have

• Experience developing personal projects, web applications, mobile apps, or SaaS products.
• Familiarity with AI APIs, large language models, or automation tools.
• Basic knowledge of cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, or software testing.
• Experience using Git and collaborating on software projects.
• Participation in hackathons, coding competitions, startup programs, or independent technology projects.
• Previous experience in a startup or entrepreneurial environment.

If you've built interesting personal projects, developed applications during university, or experimented with AI tools to create something useful, we would love to see your work.

The Ideal Person

We are particularly interested in someone who:

• Loves building things: enjoys programming, experimenting, and turning ideas into real applications.
• Is AI-friendly: actively explores how artificial intelligence can improve software development and create new possibilities.
• Has an entrepreneurial mindset: wants to understand the business behind the technology and contribute ideas.
• Is curious and ambitious: constantly learns, experiments, and wants to improve.
• Takes initiative: enjoys solving problems and finding solutions rather than simply following instructions.
• Wants to make an impact: is motivated by the possibility of contributing directly to a startup's success.
• Thinks long-term: is interested in growing professionally alongside a company and potentially taking on a technology leadership role.

What We Offer

An Opportunity to Build Something from an Early Stage: Join a Travel Tech startup at an important stage of its development and help turn an ambitious vision into an international technology product.

Direct Collaboration with the Founders: Work directly with the people building the company, participate in discussions about the product, and see how your contributions influence the business.

Real Responsibilities and Ownership: Your work will have a direct impact on the platform. You will have the opportunity to contribute ideas, build new features, and progressively take ownership of technical projects.

Professional Growth: We want to build a long-term relationship with someone who can grow alongside Trust The Locals.

As the company develops, there will be opportunities to take on greater technical and strategic responsibilities.

For the right person, this could become a long-term path toward the role of CTO / Head of Technology.

Salary & Potential Equity

We offer compensation to be discussed based on your skills, experience, and level of responsibility.

We are also open to discussing equity participation in the company, in addition to salary, depending on the candidate's contribution, commitment, and long-term involvement in the project.

Why Join Trust The Locals?

Joining Trust The Locals means becoming part of a startup that is building a new technology product for the international travel industry.

We are building on real business experience, established industry relationships, and a deep understanding of the problems we want to solve.

We believe the right technology can transform how the global travel industry connects with local experiences and services.

We want to create a team of people who are excited about building products, solving problems, experimenting with new technologies, and growing together.

This is an opportunity to join a company in its early technological stages, work directly with the founders, and contribute to the development of a product with international ambitions.