Founding AI Engineer — Build & Own Core AI Systems

GreenSand; Northern (KY); Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

GreenSand is a startup seeking a Founding Engineer to design and scale AI-driven systems from day one. You will work directly with the founders, own significant parts of the product, architecture, and culture, and influence what to build.

You’ll collaborate across backend, cloud, and ML tooling, prototype APIs, and help recruit early team members. This is a high-conviction role with real ownership upside in a remote, full-time capacity.

Qualifications

• Expertise in AI/ML/LLM/NLP systems with ability to build AI/LLM solutions to analyze contracts with high accuracy and determinism.
• Around 5 years of professional software engineering experience; startup experience is a plus.
• Strong Python and modern backend development skills; production-grade software experience.
• Experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and cloud infrastructure.
• Hands-on with LLMs or agent frameworks; comfortable with ownership and uncertainty.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and scale core AI-driven systems and products.
• Collaborate with the founding team on product strategy and technical direction.
• Prototype and iterate on APIs and end-to-end applications.
• Establish engineering best practices, including testing, deployment, and CI/CD.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging AI/ML technologies into our stack.
• Wear multiple hats across backend, infra, ML, and customer-facing problem-solving.
• Help recruit and mentor early team members as we grow.

Skills

AI/ML/LLM/NLP systems

Python

Backend development

Cloud infrastructure

APIs

GCP

Ownership mindset

Tools

LLM frameworks

CI/CD

Job description

GreenSand is a startup seeking a Founding Engineer to design and scale AI-driven systems from day one. You will work directly with the founders, own significant parts of the product, architecture, and culture, and influence what to build.

You’ll collaborate across backend, cloud, and ML tooling, prototype APIs, and help recruit early team members. This is a high-conviction role with real ownership upside in a remote, full-time capacity.