Founding Software Engineer

Clera; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Early-stage equity

Job summary

Clera, a fast-growing, YC-backed insurtech startup in Los Angeles, is hiring a Founding Software Engineer to own the core platform powering its AI agents infrastructure. This high-agency role is on a small team where you ship production code weekly.

You will design systems, orchestrate AI agents, and collaborate with forward-deployed engineers to rapidly deliver customer-focused solutions. On-site in LA with relocation support for strong candidates.

Qualifications

• Must have production experience with TypeScript and SQL.
• 4+ years of software engineering; 3+ years owning a core platform component end-to-end.
• Hands-on AWS or GCP in production.
• Startup experience (Seed/Series B) with end-to-end platform ownership.
• Experience in fintech/insurtech/healthtech environments with auditability.
• Proven backend experience: REST APIs, PostgreSQL, vector DBs, Docker.
• Public artifact (GitHub/personal site) showing engineering interest.
• US work authorization; no visa sponsorship available.

Responsibilities

• Own platform components end-to-end from evaluation pipelines to agent execution infrastructure.
• Build and maintain reliability systems: retries, circuit breakers, failover, observability, canary deployments.
• Design and ship an eval platform with per-run evals and regression detection.
• Collaborate with forward-deployed engineers to address customer pain points.
• Shape developer platform tooling, CI/CD workflows, and tool integrations to boost velocity.

Skills

TypeScript

SQL

REST APIs

PostgreSQL

vector databases

Docker

AWS

GCP

Education

CS degree or equivalent

Tools

TypeScript

SQL

REST APIs

PostgreSQL

Vector databases

Docker

AWS

GCP

Job description

About the Role

A fast-growing, Y Combinator backed insurtech startup (Seed stage) is hiring a Founding Software Engineer to take true end-to-end ownership of the core platform powering its AI agents infrastructure already live with major insurance carriers and scaling rapidly. This is a high-agency, zero-hand-holding role on a small (sub-10-person) team where you design systems, orchestrate AI agents, and ship production code on a weekly cycle.

The company builds AI-powered agents that automate complex claims operations including intake, status management, third-party outreach, and document parsing for carriers, TPAs, and their partners across Workers' Comp, P&C, and Health insurance. The platform handles both inbound and outbound voice, email, and file-based workflows in a regulated, security-sensitive environment.

What You'll Do

• Own entire platform components end-to-end from evaluation pipelines and model reliability to document parsing and agent execution infrastructure.

• Build and maintain reliability systems: retries, circuit breakers, failover, observability, and canary deployments.

• Design and ship an eval platform that catches regressions before customers do, including per-run evals and automated regression detection.

• Collaborate closely with forward-deployed engineers to rapidly spec, build, and ship solutions surfaced directly from customer pain points.

• Shape developer platform tooling, CI/CD workflows, and coding agent integrations to unlock team velocity.

What We're Looking For

Must-haves:

• TypeScript and SQL as primary production languages clearly evidenced on resume or GitHub.

• 4+ years of software engineering experience; 3+ years owning a core platform component end-to-end at a VC-backed startup with measurable business outcomes.

• Hands-on AWS (or GCP) experience in a production environment.

• Startup experience (Seed Series B) with demonstrated end-to-end platform ownership not just feature contributions.

• Experience in a regulated or security-sensitive environment (fintech, insurtech, or healthtech) where auditability and traceability were hard requirements.

• Proven backend expertise: REST APIs, PostgreSQL, vector databases, Docker, and system architecture.

• A public artifact (GitHub, personal site, or published technical content) showing genuine engineering interest outside day-to-day employment.

• US work authorization required no visa sponsorship available.

Nice-to-haves:

• Shipped AI/LLM agent infrastructure including tool orchestration, evaluation pipelines, or session lifecycle management.

• Previous product experience: PM internship, PM role, or product-focused engineering work.

• Experience with voice AI systems, insurance platforms, or fintech infrastructure.

• Founded a company or was an early engineer (first 10) with multi-year tenure.

• Technical degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $165,000 $270,000 USD annually (commensurate with experience).

• Early-stage equity in a well-funded, high-growth startup.

Location

This is an on-site role based in Los Angeles, CA. Candidates in New York City, NY or San Francisco, CA may also be considered. Relocation support available for strong candidates.