Founding Engineer, Voice + AI

Heard; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Heard is building a new way for humans to interact with software by giving code a voice and surfacing what truly matters as it runs. Heard seeks a Founding Engineer to design, build, and scale the core platform that translates agent activity into actionable conversations for developers.

Hybrid role with team locations in NYC, SF, and Toronto, including the San Francisco Bay Area. You will write production-quality code across backend, APIs, and the user-facing interface, integrate with AI agents,

Qualifications

• Strong software engineering skills in modern languages and production systems.
• Backend API design, databases, and distributed or event-driven architectures.
• Experience with AI/ML or agent-based systems and integrating with LLMs.

Responsibilities

• Write production-grade code across backend and frontend components.
• Integrate with AI agents and developer tools.
• Experiment with real-time streaming and voice interfaces.
• Improve reliability and performance of the platform.
• Collaborate with founding team on architecture, strategy, and culture.

Skills

Software engineering

Backend development

Frontend development

AI/ML familiarity

LLM integration

Startup experience

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

APIs design

Databases

Web frontend frameworks

Job description

Company Description

Heard is building a new way for humans to interact with software by giving code a voice and surfacing what truly matters as it runs. Instead of expecting engineers to constantly watch terminals and dashboards, Heard listens to autonomous agents and translates their activity into a human-paced conversational interface. The company is at an early stage, focused on redefining developer experience starting with code and moving toward broader agent-driven workflows.

Role Description

As a Founding Engineer at Heard, you will help design, build, and scale the core platform that turns agent activity into clear, actionable conversations for developers. You will work closely with the founding team to define technical architecture, select tools and frameworks, and implement features across the stack, from backend services and APIs to the user-facing interface. Day-to-day responsibilities include writing production-quality code, integrating with AI agents and developer tools, experimenting with real-time streaming and voice interfaces, and improving reliability and performance. You will collaborate on product strategy, participate in user research and feedback cycles, and help shape engineering practices, documentation, and culture as one of the first team members. This is a hybrid role, but the team will be in NYC/SF/Toronto. San Francisco Bay Area.

Qualifications

• Strong software engineering skills in one or more modern programming languages (e.g., TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust) and experience building production-ready systems.
• Experience with backend development, including designing APIs, working with databases, and building distributed or event-driven systems.
• Comfort with frontend or interface development, such as web applications, developer tools, or conversational/voice interfaces.
• Familiarity with AI/ML or agent-based systems, and experience integrating with LLMs, automation tools, or developer productivity platforms is highly beneficial.
• Track record of working in early-stage or fast-moving environments, with the ability to take ownership, make pragmatic decisions, and iterate quickly.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to explain technical decisions clearly and work closely with product and design.
• Interest in developer experience, tooling, and creating intuitive ways for people to understand and guide complex software systems.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience; prior founding or early engineering experience is a plus.