Founding Engineer, Full-Stack

Orthogonal; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Orthogonal is looking for a Founding Engineer to design and build across the entire stack from backend APIs to frontend products in San Francisco. You will collaborate closely with the founders and have an opportunity to shape engineering culture.

The ideal candidate has full-stack experience, is comfortable with REST APIs and modern frontend frameworks like Next.js and React, and holds a BS in Computer Science or a related technical field. Compensation ranges from $150K to $220K plus equity.

Qualifications

• Strong foundation in Computer Science, including data structures and algorithms.
• Hands-on experience with REST APIs and microservices.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and CI/CD workflows.

Responsibilities

• Write production-quality code and design technical solutions.
• Own features end-to-end across frontend and backend.
• Collaborate closely with the founders to translate user needs.

Skills

Full-stack experience

REST APIs

Next.js

React

TypeScript

Collaboration

Algorithms

Performance optimization

Education

BS or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Postgres

Job description

About Orthogonal

Orthogonal (YC W26) is building the infrastructure layer for AI agents to discover, access, and pay for APIs. We're starting with go-to-market, the APIs that power outbound, enrichment, and growth. We're two technical cofounders in San Francisco.

The Role

As a Founding Engineer at Orthogonal, you will design, build, and ship across our entire stack, from the back‑end services that power the unified API to the front‑end product that developers use every day. On the back end, you will work on APIs and infrastructure that handle high‑throughput workloads, integrate with third‑party tools, and ensure reliability and performance. On the front end, you will build the dashboard, provider catalog, and developer experience in Next.js and React. You will move fluidly between front‑end polish and back‑end systems as the work demands, collaborate closely with the founders and other engineers, and help improve development practices, testing, and observability. This is a full‑time, on‑site role based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

What you’ll do

• Write production‑quality code, review peers’ work, design technical solutions, and participate in architectural discussions
• Own features end‑to‑end across the frontend (Next.js/React) and backend (TypeScript/Node.js, Postgres)
• Build API integrations, developer tooling, and core platform features
• Move fluidly between frontend polish and backend systems as the work demands
• Collaborate closely with the founders to translate user needs into robust features
• Help shape architecture and engineering culture as one of our first hires

Who you are

• Strong foundation in Computer Science, including data structures, algorithms, and systems fundamentals
• Full‑stack experience, comfortable owning features from the database to the user interface
• Hands‑on experience with REST APIs, microservices, and database‑driven applications
• Experience with modern front‑end development, including Next.js, React, and TypeScript
• Experience with modern server‑side languages and frameworks (e.g., TypeScript/Node.js, Python, or similar)
• Comfort with testing, debugging, monitoring, and performance optimization for distributed systems
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast‑paced startup environment
• BS or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience

Nice to have

• Experience with AI/ML infrastructure, agent frameworks, or developer tooling platforms
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (e.g., Vercel, Render) and CI/CD workflows
• Built and shipped your own products or startups
• Open source contributions

Details

Compensation $150K–$220K + equity

Stage YC W26, Seed

Reports to Founders directly

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