Founding Engineer — Equity + In-Person Role (SF AI)

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

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

Job description

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.