Founding GTM Engineer

EQL Tech (frontier talent); Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Generous founding equity

Relocation support

Visa sponsorship

Job summary

EQL Tech (frontier talent) is seeking a Founding GTM Engineer to architect a community-led growth engine in Phoenix, AZ. This role requires 3-6 years of experience in consumer growth or GTM operations, with a strong focus on funnel analysis. The ideal candidate will have an academic background from a premier institution and be willing to engage in fieldwork with families. The position offers a competitive salary ranging from $120,000 to $170,000, generous equity, and the opportunity to impact the $900B US education budget directly.

Qualifications

• 3-6 years in consumer growth or GTM ops at a high-growth company.
• Expert in funnel analysis and cohort modelling.
• Willing to do ground-level work at events and home visits.

Responsibilities

• Build a community-led growth engine from hundreds of families to tens of thousands.
• Instrument funnels and analyze cohort/retention curves.
• Primary owner of the onboarding funnel.

Skills

Funnel analysis

Community-led growth

Fieldwork

Quantitative depth

Education

Academic background from a premier institution

Job description

Founding GTM Engineer (Series A Fintech / EdTech)

Location and Commitment

San Francisco, CA or Phoenix, AZ (In-Person, Full Time) | Seniority: Founding / Senior IC | Equity: Meaningful Founding Stake

The Mission

Architecting the Financial Rails for the $900B School Choice Movement. We are an exclusively retained partner for a high‑growth startup building the infrastructure for Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Currently, the $900B US public education budget is being unlocked, giving parents direct control of $7,500 per child, per year. This company is building the specialized charge card, reimbursement engine, and vendor marketplace that makes this autonomy possible. With $16M raised from top‑tier VCs and a team that has already rejected acquisition offers, this is a "life's work" commitment for a founding operator.

The Team

High‑Density Talent & Intensity

• Founders: A former Goldman Sachs Quant and an engineer who built global‑scale computer vision systems at age 19
• Engineering & Risk: Former leads and AI researchers from Stripe, Mercury, SpaceX (Ad Astra), Microsoft, and Circle
• Policy & Community: The former Deputy Director of a gold‑standard state ESA department and leading national school choice advocates

The Role

GTM as an Engineering Discipline: This is not a traditional sales or marketing role. We are looking for a Founding GTM Engineer to build a community‑led growth engine from hundreds of families to tens of thousands.

• Engineer Acquisition Loops: Move beyond paid acquisition to build compounding, community‑led flywheels through homeschool co‑ops, education pods, and micro‑influencers.
• Live in the Parent Psyche: Spend real time in the field with families to understand what drives trust and triggers adoption, converting insights into concrete GTM decisions, not decks.
• Data Rigor: Instrument funnels, set up tight feedback loops, and analyze cohort/retention curves with the precision of a software engineer.
• Own Onboarding Conversion: Primary owner of the onboarding funnel, driving toward a critical 500‑account target and beyond.

Requirements

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Pedigree Signal: Academic background from a premier institution (Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, MIT Sloan, or equivalent).
• Experience: 3-6 years in consumer growth or GTM ops at a high‑growth company (e.g., Duolingo, Chime, ClassDojo, or equivalent).
• Quantitative Depth: Expert in funnel analysis and cohort modelling who lives in the data.
• Field Orientation: You get on the plane – willing to do ground‑level work at events and home visits that move metrics.
• Mission Alignment: Genuine respect for family autonomy in education and understanding of the high‑stakes trust dynamics involved in education spending.

Benefits

Commitment, Compensation & Benefits: This will be a big commitment, and we’re aiming high. It needs to be something you are energised about taking on, or this isn’t the team for you.

• Competitive Salary: $120,000 – $170,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
• Generous Founding Equity: Well compensated with equity.
• Top‑Tier Backing: Raised $16M from top‑tier VCs and angels.
• Relocation Support: Willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA, or Phoenix, AZ, and travel to visit customers. In‑office company.
• Visa Sponsorship: Comprehensive support if you do not have a visa.
• Unmatched Impact: Rare opportunity to directly shape how the $900B US Public Education budget is opened up for parents to take control of their portion (avg. $7.5K per kid per year).