Founding Engineer

Generative; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity (1–4%)

Competitive salary

On-site in Manhattan

Job summary

Generative in Manhattan, NY is seeking a Founding Engineer to partner with the CTO, build flagship AI-powered features, and lead customer deployments. The role blends agent engineering with full-stack product development for investors.

You will own end-to-end features across frontend, backend and infrastructure, and collaborate closely with paying hedge fund customers. This is a high-ownership, high-impact early-stage opportunity with substantial equity.

Qualifications

• At least two years of full-time software engineering experience.
• Experience building AI-powered products with strong full-stack capabilities.
• High ownership mindset and ability to drive ambiguous problems to a working solution.
• Clear communication and confidence when engaging with customers.
• Good product judgement with focus on usability and speed.

Responsibilities

• Build AI agents and workflows used by investment professionals.
• Own features across frontend, backend and infrastructure, from requirements to production.
• Lead customer deployments and translate feedback into product improvements.
• Develop model evaluations, routing and integrations with financial data sources.
• Build reliable document-processing pipelines and internal tooling.
• Make practical product and UX decisions for demanding, nontechnical users.

Skills

Full-stack engineering

AI-powered products

Ownership

Customer communication

Product usability

Investing interest

Job description

Founding Engineer | Agentic AI & Full Stack

Location: Manhattan, New York | Full-time | Five days in office

Compensation: $150,000–$300,000 base + 1–4% equity, with flexibility for exceptional candidates

The opportunity

I’m partnering with a YC seed-backed AI startup building the infrastructure that enables investment teams to scale their research and analysis using AI.

The platform brings investment information, tools and AI agents into one workspace, helping professional investors work through complex research and make better-informed decisions.

The business has paying hedge fund customers, over $1m in annualised revenue and substantial runway following a multi-million-dollar seed round.

They’re hiring a Founding Engineer to work directly with the CTO, build flagship features and lead customer deployments. The strongest fit will combine agent engineering with full-stack product development.

What you’ll own

• Build AI agents and workflows used by investment professionals.
• Own features across frontend, backend and infrastructure, from initial requirements through to production.
• Lead customer deployments and turn feedback into product improvements.
• Develop model evaluations, routing and integrations with financial data sources.
• Build reliable document-processing pipelines and internal tooling.
• Make practical product and UX decisions for demanding, nontechnical users.

What they’re looking for

• At least two years of full-time software engineering experience.
• Strong full-stack engineering ability and experience building AI-powered products.
• High ownership: someone comfortable taking an ambiguous problem and delivering a working solution.
• Clear communication and confidence working directly with customers.
• Good product judgement, attention to usability and the ability to move quickly.
• An interest in investing and financial markets.

Particularly relevant backgrounds

Engineers who have built AI systems within fundamental hedge funds, or at companies developing AI tools for investment professionals, would be especially relevant.

Previous investment experience is valuable, but isn’t essential. Customer-facing engineering, product engineering or forward-deployed experience would also translate well.

• Join a small founding team with meaningful influence over the product and technical direction.
• Build for paying customers with complex, commercially valuable problems.
• Work closely with the CTO and own major features from the outset.
• Receive substantial early equity alongside a competitive salary.

Working environment and process

This is a demanding early-stage environment with long working hours, five days a week in Manhattan and possible travel.

The interview process includes a founder introduction, an approximately four-hour technical take-home, video interviews and an office visit.