Founding Engineer

WhyHireWrong?; Kraków; On-site; PLN 240,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

WhyHireWrong? is an early-stage startup building an AI-first IT operations platform. You will own the web application layer and product architecture from day one, collaborating directly with the founders, with high autonomy and hands-on coding to deliver features.

You will design frontend architecture in Angular, build Kotlin backend services, and shape complex workflows for identity, devices, and SaaS lifecycles, leveraging AI coding tools daily in production.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software product development experience.
• Proficiency in Kotlin (or strong Java/JVM background with fast ramp-up on Kotlin).
• Proficiency in Angular; hands-on experience required.
• Daily use of an AI coding tool (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or Claude Code) in production.
• Experience with GCP and PostgreSQL, including deployment and schemas.
• Located in Poland.

Responsibilities

• Own the Frontend architecture in Angular: components, state management, routing, and reusable UI patterns for complex operational workflows.
• Build and maintain backend services in Kotlin, including API design and frontend integration.
• Design and query PostgreSQL schemas to support identity, device, and SaaS lifecycle data.
• Deploy and operate services on GCP.
• Translate operational workflows into clear, usable interfaces; drive architecture decisions in a founder-led environment.

Skills

Kotlin

Angular

PostgreSQL

GCP

AI coding tools

Full-stack development

Tools

GitHub Copilot

Cursor

Claude Code

Job description

An early-stage startup, founded by alumni of a major European fintech, is building an AI-first IT operations platform that automates equipment and software lifecycles across identity, devices, SaaS, and security. The web application layer has no owner yet. This is an urgent hire.

The Role

Ownership of the web application layer and product architecture from day one, working directly with the founders. High autonomy on technical decisions, paired with hands-on daily coding: building features personally, shaping the frontend architecture, and touching backend services when the product needs it. AI coding tools are used daily, not occasionally.

Responsibilities

• Own the frontend architecture in Angular: component structure, state management, routing, and reusable UI patterns for complex operational workflows.

• Build and maintain backend services in Kotlin, including API design and integration with the frontend.

• Design and query Postgres schemas to support identity, device, and SaaS lifecycle data.

• Deploy and operate services on GCP.

• Use AI coding tools (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or Claude Code) as a core part of daily development, not as an occasional shortcut.

• Translate operational workflows (device provisioning, access management, security checks) into clear, usable interfaces.

• Make architectural decisions independently in a low-process, founder-led environment.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional software product development experience.

• Proficiency in Kotlin (or strong Java/JVM background with fast ramp-up on Kotlin) for backend work.

• Proficiency in Angular specifically; experience with React or Vue alone is not sufficient without Angular exposure.

• Active, daily use of an AI coding tool (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or Claude Code) in a real production workflow, not just experimentation.

• Working experience with GCP and Postgres: deploying services, writing schemas, and querying data.

• Able to walk through a recent full-stack feature you built end-to-end, from technical design through production rollout.

• Located in Poland.

Good to Have

• Prior experience at an early-stage startup, or as a co-founder.

• Additional backend experience in Node.js or Python alongside Kotlin.

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and accessibility standards.

• Direct production experience with GCP and Postgres together, not just individually.