Founding Engineer

Sailor Health; United States; Remote; USD 125,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

A mental health startup is seeking a Founding Full-Stack Engineer to lead the development of AI-powered systems aimed at improving mental health care for older adults. This is a unique opportunity to shape core software from architecture to launch while working alongside co-founders. The ideal candidate will have 4+ years of experience building scalable full-stack solutions and will possess a strong desire to make a meaningful impact in mental health. Compensation ranges from $125K to $175K.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in engineering roles at startups or high-ownership environments.
• Ability to build elegant, scalable solutions across the stack.
• Strong drive to impact elderly mental health positively.

Responsibilities

• Design and ship core systems for clinical operations.
• Build and scale AI-native features for operational efficiency.
• Mentor the engineering team and shape technical culture.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for real-time solutions.

Skills

Experience with AI technologies

Full-stack development

Team leadership

Backend and frontend proficiency

Job description

About Sailor Health

Sailor Health is on a mission to solve the mental health crisis among older adults. In the United States, older adults have the highest suicide rates of any age group yet receive the least mental health care. By 2030, over 65 million seniors will make up nearly a quarter of the U.S. population, creating one of the largest and most urgent challenges in healthcare.

Sailor is building the platform for senior mental health, connecting older adults, therapists, healthcare professionals, and insurance plans. Our AI‑native operating system powers seamless care coordination, real‑time clinical insights, and insurance billing — enabling therapists to spend more time delivering compassionate care.

We are growing quickly and have partnered with Medicare to offer affordable and exceptional psychotherapy to hundreds of patients. We are honored to have the support and backing of world‑class founders from Ramp, Nourish, Headway, Charlie Health, and Spring Health.

About the Role

Location: HQ – New York City – Remote.

We’re looking for a Founding Full‑Stack Engineer to lead our AI‑powered full stack from architecture to launch. You’ll work side‑by‑side with our co‑founders to build the systems and AI infrastructure that power our platform – from therapist tooling to care navigation copilots.

This is a ground‑floor opportunity to design and launch an AI‑first product from scratch at a startup with extreme PMF. You’ll own major technical decisions, shape our engineering culture, and bring bold ideas to life – fast. If you’re eager to move with speed and autonomy, and want your code to drive meaningful, measurable impact at scale, we’d love to meet you.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Build our V1 clinical operations layer: Design and ship core systems across our patient experience, therapist workflows, and EHR – from first line of code to production‑ready tools.
• Lead AI innovation: Build and scale AI‑native features including speech‑to‑text triage, care navigation copilots, auto‑summarized progress notes, intelligent intake, and real‑time voice agents that speak with families.
• Set the technical bar and grow the engineering team: Own architecture and major technical decisions while rolling up your sleeves to code, review, and ship. Mentor and inspire teammates, shaping a culture of speed, excellence, and impact.
• Move at the speed of light: Collaborate directly with clinicians, designers, and founders to ship, iterate, and improve in real‑time – with no bureaucratic drag.

Ideal Qualifications & Skills

• You’re an A+ player. You have a burning desire to win, a track record of excellence, and a drive to build with urgency and precision. You want to be the best and you want your team win.
• You have 4+ years of experience. You’ve contributed meaningfully to engineering teams in fast‑paced, high‑ownership settings – ideally at startups or in founder‑facing roles.
• You’re fluent across the stack. You move confidently between backend and frontend systems and can architect elegant, scalable solutions end‑to‑end.
• You’re a mission‑driven leader. You care deeply about solving the mental health crisis for older adults and want your work to have life‑changing impact. You lead with empathy, set a high bar for excellence, and inspire those around you to move fast with purpose.

Compensation Range: $125 K – $175 K