Founding Engineer – Early-Stage AI Startup

XUMAN.AI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

In-person work in SF

Founding engineer role

Job summary

An early-stage AI startup in San Francisco is seeking a Founding Engineer to help architect and build their platform from scratch. This role offers a unique opportunity for real ownership and responsibility, including founder-level equity. Ideal candidates should be experienced full-stack or backend engineers who are ready to work in a fast-paced environment and tackle ambiguity. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply confidentially.

Qualifications

• Full‑stack or backend-leaning engineer with strong fundamentals.
• Experience shipping MVPs and working on complex systems.
• Comfort with AI integration / modern data workflows preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and scale core backend systems and APIs.
• Collaborate closely with design and product to shape user-facing features.
• Prototype and implement AI workflows.
• Make foundational decisions on infrastructure, tools, and architecture.
• Help recruit, onboard, and mentor future engineering hires.

Skills

Full‑stack or backend engineering

Experience shipping MVPs

AI integration knowledge

Strong product intuition

Ability to work independently

In-person SF

Job description

Founding Engineer – Early-Stage AI Startup

San Francisco, CA (In-Person Only)

Full-Time | Equity + Cash | Early-Stage Stealth Startup

About the Role

I’m building Xuman.AI, an early‑stage platform in San Francisco rethinking how humans access and engage with essential services. The product is under development and currently in stealth to protect key innovations.

I’m hiring a Founding Engineer to help architect and build the platform from the ground up — not as an employee, but as a future technical leader and owner.

You’ll work in person in San Francisco alongside me (the founder) and our early product and design team. You’ll shape the core systems, the product, and the culture.

This role includes founder‑level equity and cash compensation, aligned with our early funding and growth stage.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and scale core backend systems and APIs
• Collaborate closely with design and product to shape user‑facing features
• Prototype and implement AI workflows (LLMs, embeddings, RAG, etc.)
• Make foundational decisions on infrastructure, tools, and architecture
• Help recruit, onboard, and mentor future engineering hires

Ideal Candidate

• Full‑stack or backend‑leaning engineer with strong fundamentals
• Experience shipping MVPs and working on complex systems
• Comfort with AI integration / modern data workflows (preferred, not mandatory)
• Strong product intuition and ability to work independently with high ownership
• Based in San Francisco and available to work in person
• Energized by ambiguity, early‑stage pace, and building from zero

Why Join

This is not a typical job. It’s a chance to help build a company from day one with real ownership and real responsibility.

The foundation is set: early capital raised, product vision defined, IP work in motion, and an initial team assembled. Now I’m looking for the technical partner who wants to help turn this into a category‑defining company.

If you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to go all‑in — one grounded in execution, not noise — this is that moment.

Apply Confidentially

Send a short intro, your resume or LinkedIn, and anything else you’d like to share to: [e-mail]