Founding Engineer

People Culture Talent; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

People Culture Talent is partnering with venture-backed startups to place Founding Engineers who will shape technical direction and own critical early products. These roles typically join tight-knit teams, collaborating with founders and early members to translate ideas into working software and scalable architectures.

Founding Engineers will contribute to hiring, establish engineering standards, and help build the future engineering organization as companies scale from pre-seed to IPO.

Qualifications

• Significant software engineering experience and a track record of shipping high-quality products.
• Strong technical judgment and the ability to make pragmatic decisions in fast-moving environments.
• Comfort working with ambiguity and taking ownership without extensive structure.
• A product-oriented mindset and interest in understanding the customer and business behind what you're building.
• The ability and willingness to work across different areas of the technical stack.
• Excitement about early-stage companies and building systems, products, and teams from the ground up.

Responsibilities

• Build and launch core products and features from zero to one.
• Make foundational architecture and technology decisions that will influence how the company scales.
• Work across the stack based on the needs of the product and business.
• Partner directly with founders, customers, and other early team members to translate ideas into working products.
• Establish engineering practices, systems, and standards as the team grows.
• Help identify, evaluate, and solve ambiguous technical and product challenges.
• Contribute to hiring and building the future engineering organization.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Technical judgment

Comfort with ambiguity

Product-oriented mindset

Ownership mentality

Systems thinking

Job description

PCT partners with early-stage, venture-backed companies looking for exceptional engineers to join at the earliest stages of their growth. We're always interested in connecting with Founding Engineers who are excited to build from the ground up, shape technical direction, and have an outsized impact on a company's product and trajectory.

Founding Engineer opportunities can vary significantly by company, but typically involve joining a small technical team where you'll work closely with founders and have meaningful ownership over both the product and engineering organization.

What You Might Work On

• Build and launch core products and features from zero to one.
• Make foundational architecture and technology decisions that will influence how the company scales.
• Work across the stack based on the needs of the product and business.
• Partner directly with founders, customers, and other early team members to translate ideas into working products.
• Establish engineering practices, systems, and standards as the team grows.
• Help identify, evaluate, and solve ambiguous technical and product challenges.
• Contribute to hiring and building the future engineering organization.

What We're Looking For

While requirements vary across our client companies, strong candidates often bring:

• Significant software engineering experience and a track record of shipping high-quality products.
• Strong technical judgment and the ability to make pragmatic decisions in fast-moving environments.
• Comfort working with ambiguity and taking ownership without extensive structure.
• A product-oriented mindset and interest in understanding the customer and business behind what you're building.
• The ability and willingness to work across different areas of the technical stack.
• Excitement about early-stage companies and building systems, products, and teams from the ground up.

About PCT

People Culture Talent helps VCs and venture-backed startups build thriving teams through exceptional Human Capital Management. We create people-first talent strategies for high-growth companies, partnering with organizations from pre-seed to IPO to transform their growth into a masterclass in scaling with purpose.

About Our Client Companies

PCT partners with exceptional venture-backed companies to build resilient, people-centric, diverse teams. Our clients span industries and stages, from pre-seed startups to companies preparing for IPO, including leading tech organizations like Notion, Lyft, Modern Health, Instacart, Uber, Google, Render, and GitHub.

Our clients are building ambitious products, solving complex problems, and looking for exceptional engineers who want to have a meaningful impact.

These companies share a commitment to building strong culture, high-performing teams, and innovative people programs. They're growing fast, scaling thoughtfully, and seeking exceptional talent to join their journey.