Founding AI Engineer

HartleyCo; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A YC-backed startup, currently seeking a Founding AI Engineer, offers a rare opportunity to build production-grade AI systems. Join a mission-driven team as they embark on rapid scaling, aiming to create impactful AI solutions. Ideal candidates will demonstrate raw intelligence, hands-on experience with LLMs, and a strong cultural fit.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of high achievement in a relevant field.
• Experience in building agentic AI pipelines or RAG stacks.
• Ability to handle high-pressure environments with ownership.

Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and scale intelligent LLM pipelines and agent-based AI systems.
• Own end-to-end ML workflows from experimentation to deployment.
• Collaborate with founders and CTO to shape AI/LLM architecture.

Skills

Python

Hands-on with LLMs

Problem Solving

Education

Top-tier school degree

Job description

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This range is provided by HartleyCo. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$120,000.00/yr - $180,000.00/yr

Direct message the job poster from HartleyCo

Headhunter | Founding AI Hires | Partner to YC & Tier 1 VC Portfolio | Facilitating Growth

Company Overview:

Join a high-intensity, YC-backed startup that recently graduated from YC. The company raised $2.5M in Seed Funding in December and is ranked among the top 10 companies in its batch in terms of revenue. They are 7 months into product development, with a San Francisco-based HQ and a small, focused team. The company is actively working with enterprise clients and is rapidly scaling its team and product delivery. The team is mission-driven, ambitious, and execution-focused.

Role Summary:

We are looking for a Founding AI Engineer to join the core technical team and play a pivotal role in building production-grade AI systems. This is a rare opportunity to join an early-stage, rapidly scaling startup post-YC.

Key Responsibilities:

• Architect, build, and scale intelligent LLM pipelines and agent-based AI systems
• Own end-to-end ML workflows from experimentation to deployment
• Collaborate closely with the founders and CTO to shape the AI/LLM architecture and product roadmap

Top Priorities in a Candidate:

• Raw Intelligence: Must be exceptionally smart with a proven track record of high achievement (e.g., top-tier school, Olympiad/ICPC, published papers, high-impact projects, former founder, or founding engineer experience).
• Hands-on with LLMs: Strong preference for candidates with experience in building agentic AI pipelines or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) stacks. This role is not purely research-focused but demands the ability to build usable production systems.
• Startup DNA: Must exhibit high ownership, grit, and a strong willingness to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment (80+ hours/week).
• Culture Fit: Comfortable working in an intense, no-nonsense environment. While the role may not be client-facing, a good cultural fit with the internal team is essential.
• Must-have: Python
• Strongly preferred: Experience with LLMs, agentic AI, and evaluation frameworks (e.g., OpenAI evals, custom evaluation frameworks).
• Nice-to-have: Basic infrastructure knowledge is a bonus but not a requirement.

Interview Process:

• Initial Call: 30-45 minutes with the Founder
• Technical Interview: 45 minutes with the CTO
• Final Stage: In-person interview in San Francisco (travel covered if needed) or a virtual 1-day work exercise if in-person is not feasible.

This is an exciting opportunity for a driven AI engineer to take on a critical, hands-on role in a rapidly growing company. If you are ready for a challenge and want to make an impact from the ground up, we want to hear from you!

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Associate

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Information Technology

• Industries

  IT Services and IT Consulting

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