Founding Engineer, Applied AI

True; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Unknown company is building AI-driven automation for hardware engineering in complex manufacturing environments. As a founding technical team member, you will shape core product systems and work with customers to bring reliable AI workflows into production.

You will design workflows, build AI agents, and partner with engineers to deliver production-ready solutions, from concept to deployment, while shaping engineering practices and the product roadmap.

Qualifications

• Two to six years of experience in applied ML, backend or AI infra, or exceptional new grads.
• Strong familiarity with LLM architectures and agent research.
• Experience building production ML/AI systems including search and information retrieval.
• Strong Python skills with PyTorch, Hugging Face, and W&B.
• Bachelor's or higher in CS/ML or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Design and build core workflows and infrastructure for AI agents
• Develop AI agents and models to interpret complex design data
• Partner with customers and engineers to deliver reliable workflows
• Prototype ideas, validate with users, ship improvements
• Shape engineering practices, architecture, and product roadmap

Skills

ML engineering

Python

LLMs

Production ML

Info retrieval

Python libraries

Education

Bachelor's or higher in Computer Science/ML

Tools

PyTorch

Hugging Face

Weights & Biases

CAD data handling

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

Join an early-stage AI company building automation for hardware engineering in complex manufacturing environments. As a founding technical team member, you will shape core product systems and work closely with customers to bring reliable AI workflows into production.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Design and build core workflows and infrastructure for AI agents supporting hardware engineering, including context management, indexing, and post-training systems.
• Develop AI agents and machine learning models that interpret and work with complex engineering design data in enterprise toolchains.
• Partner with customers and engineers to deliver reliable, intuitive workflows for production use.
• Prototype ideas, validate them with users, and ship improvements from concept through deployment.
• Help shape early engineering practices, system architecture, and the product roadmap.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Two to six years of experience in applied machine learning, backend engineering, or AI infrastructure, or exceptional new graduates with strong fundamentals.
• Strong familiarity with LLM architectures and current agent research.
• Experience building production machine learning or AI systems, including search and information retrieval.
• Strong Python skills and hands-on experience with PyTorch, Hugging Face, and Weights & Biases.
• A bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, machine learning, or an equivalent background.
• Experience with geometric data or CAD systems is a plus.
• A practical builder mindset and care for customer experience.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Base salary: $180,000 to $250,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is available.

LOCATION

On-site in San Francisco, California.