Founding Engineer

Closai; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Closai is seeking a Founding Engineer in New York, NY, hybrid. You will own the technical architecture end-to-end, architect, code, and ship systems that power purchase-history intelligence alongside the founder and CEO.

You’ll drive the core backend, data pipelines, and enterprise integrations while shaping Closai’s long-term technical vision. You will work on API design, data models, security, and scaling, with a focus on OAuth/JWT, multi-tenant data isolation, and privacy.

Qualifications

• Experience architecting backend systems and data pipelines.
• Exposure to enterprise integrations and security/privacy considerations.
• Building scalable, reliable systems for multi-tenant environments.

Responsibilities

• Own backend architecture end-to-end (APIs, data models, security).
• Design and ship purchase history pipelines (ingestion, normalization, enrichment).
• Lead enterprise integrations (Shopify app, connectors) for fast onboarding.
• Ensure scalability, reliability, and data privacy; align tech roadmap with SaaS monetization.
• Help build an AI-native engineering culture from the ground up.

Skills

Python

Node.js

REST APIs

GraphQL

PostgreSQL

AWS/GCP

OAuth/JWT

Shopify integration

Caching/Queues

Multi-tenant architecture

ETL

Embeddings

Vector databases

Semantic search

LLMs in production

UX

DX

Tools

Shopify API

GraphQL tooling

CI/CD

Job description

Founding Engineer

Role: Full-time |New York, NY, USA (hybrid)

Compensation: Base salary,meaningful equity long-term upside

About Closai

Closai is building the consumer purchase infrastructure for the future of commerce. We offer the first SKU-level, cross-brand data layer that’s user-permissioned and portable anywhere. The product is two-sided: for consumers, it’s a secure layer connecting their purchase history to their favorite agent, app or retailer. For enterprise, it’s the infrastructure layer they plug into to see verified, cross-brand purchase signal and the intelligence they rely on to deliver individualized shopping experiences at scale. We operate at the intersection of AI, data infrastructure, and commerce.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Founding Engineer to own Closai’s technical architecture end-to-end and help define the standard for purchase history intelligence. This is a hands‑on role. You’ll architect, code, and ship the systems enterprise partners depend on, alongside the founder and CEO, while shaping the company’s long‑term technical vision.

What You’ll Own:

• Core backend architecture (APIs, data models, security)
• Purchase history intelligence pipelines (ingestion, normalization, enrichment)
• Enterprise integrations (Shopify app, universal retail/API/MCP connectors) built for fast, trustworthy onboarding
• Scalability, reliability and data privacy (performance, uptime, and permissioning)
• Technical roadmap aligned with enterprise SaaS and platform monetization
• Building an AI-native engineering and business culture from the ground up

Technical Skills:

Backend & Infrastructure:

• Python (preferred) or Node.js, REST and/or GraphQL APIs, PostgreSQL or similar relational databases
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP)
• Authentication & authorization (OAuth, JWT, scoped access)
• E-commerce platform integrations (Shopify preferred) and building third‑party app integrations
• Designing for horizontal scale (caching, queuing, rate limiting, multi‑tenant data isolation)

Data & AI

• ETL and data pipeline design for messy, real-world data
• Embeddings, vector databases and semantic search
• Working with LLMs or ML systems in production
• Enterprise-ready pipelines and APIs built to meet enterprise reliability, SLA, and security‑review expectations

Product Engineering

• Shipping consumer- and enterprise-facing products end-to‑end
• Strong intuition for user experience (UX) and developer experience (DX)