Founding Engineering Lead

Pulltrader, Inc.

Los Angeles, Northern (CA, KY)

Hybrid

USD 180,000 - 240,000

Full time

14 days+

Application generator

A complete application in a minute — tailored resume and cover letter, ready to send.

Get past ATS filters

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Home office stipend

Remote options

Parental leave

Job summary

Pulltrader, Inc. is seeking a founding operator to own the architecture and roadmap of our core platform. You will ship full-stack features, from storefronts to AI-driven pricing, and own the pricing/recognition pipeline.

This is a rare ground-floor opportunity with equity and direct partnership with the founders. You will lead critical architecture decisions, drive MVP platform success, and help define the engineering team as we scale the product.

Qualifications

Proven track record shipping and maintaining production software.
Experience with Python, TypeScript, or both in backend or full-stack context.
GCP experience is a strong plus.
Familiarity with AI/ML tooling and vector search is a meaningful advantage.
Startup experience with decision-making and ownership mentality is preferred.
Comfort with ambiguity and ownership of outcomes, not just tasks.
Interest in trading card or broader collectibles hobby is a plus.

Responsibilities

Own the architecture and evolution of Pulltrader's core platform.
Ship product across the full stack, storefront, marketplace integrations, and AI features.
Build and maintain our AI pricing and card recognition pipeline (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, pgvector).
Own infrastructure reliability, performance, and cost on GCP and Cloud Run.
Integrate and extend third-party APIs including eBay, USPS, Shopify, and Algolia.
Improve developer tooling, observability, and deployment practices.
Contribute to product decisions, not just implementation.
Help define the engineering hiring bar when the time comes.

Skills

Python

TypeScript

GCP

AI/ML tooling

Startup experience

Ownership mindset

Job description

Engineering · Remote, Los Angeles, Palo Alto · Full-time

About the Role

Pulltrader is building the infrastructure layer for the trading card economy, powering modern storefronts, marketplace distribution, and AI-driven pricing tools for collectors, high-volume sellers, and local card shops. We have traction, a full-stack product, and a clear category to win. We're now building the early team.

This is a Founding Operator role with real equity and direct partnership with the founders.

1.75% equity stake with 4-year vest and 1-year cliff
Market-rate salary deferred until Seed close
One-time founding bonus paid at Seed close as partial cash catch-up
Direct partnership with a 5x founder and former StockX Principal Data Scientist
Full ownership of the engineering roadmap from day one

If you want ground-floor equity and the autonomy to build something real, we'd love to talk.

Responsibilities

Own the architecture and evolution of Pulltrader's core platform
Ship product across the full stack, storefront, marketplace integrations, and AI features
Build and maintain our AI pricing and card recognition pipeline (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, pgvector)
Own infrastructure reliability, performance, and cost on GCP and Cloud Run
Integrate and extend third-party APIs including eBay, USPS, Shopify, and Algolia
Improve developer tooling, observability, and deployment practices
Contribute to product decisions, not just implementation
Help define the engineering hiring bar when the time comes

Requirements